Andlinger Center for the Humanities dedicated

University officials, students, alumni and friends gathered May 14 in East Pyne's Thompson Court to dedicate the Andlinger Center for the Humanities.

The center, which encompasses Chancellor Green, East Pyne, the Joseph Henry House and a new building, is intended to transform the environment for the humanities on campus. It is named for Gerhard Andlinger, a member of Princeton's class of 1952 and chairman of Andlinger & Co., an investment and management firm based in Tarrytown, N.Y.

"Today we celebrate a great moment in the life not only of the humanities but also of our University," Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman said at the ceremony. "Thanks to Gerry's extraordinary generosity, the humanities have been given a new home that reflects, through its location and its luminous beauty, their central role in our educational mission."

Begun in 2000 with the renovation of the Joseph Henry House on the front campus, the project also included: a renovation and underground addition to nearby East Pyne; the renovation of Chancellor Green, the former library connected to East Pyne; and the construction of the new humanities building east of the Joseph Henry House.

The Joseph Henry House is the home of the University's Council of the Humanities, while East Pyne houses primarily language departments. Beneath East Pyne's central courtyard, a 71-seat auditorium has been added as well as a state-of-the-art language laboratory and computer classroom. In addition, the building's interior has been brightened, corridors have been widened and intimate alcoves for studying and gathering have been created.

The new wood-frame house built to the east contains three seminars rooms and 15 offices for humanities programs.

In Chancellor Green, the wood paneling and flooring, iron filigreed balustrades and support pillars, leaded glass windows and clerestory stained glass have been restored. The octagonal rotunda serves as an academic lounge flanked by two seminar rooms. The lower level features a café.

"The Andlinger Center … will enrich our academic discourse by drawing humanists and all of us together," Tilghman said.