Humanities building named Scheide Caldwell House

A gift to Princeton University from renowned bibliophile and music scholar William H. Scheide of the class of 1936 has funded a distinctive new humanities building located on the front campus.

The facility, to be called the Scheide Caldwell House, provides offices and classrooms for several key humanities initiatives, including the programs in Hellenic studies, Judaic studies, European cultural studies, medieval studies and the ancient world, as well as the Committee for Canadian Studies and the Gauss Seminars.

The Scheide Caldwell House, which opened in 2004, was designed by Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston in a style that complements the early 19th-century character of the historic Joseph Henry House, its close neighbor. The new 10,000-square-foot white clapboard structure is the first campus building to be erected along Nassau Street since the completion of Firestone Library in 1948. It is named in honor of William Scheide's aunt, Gertrude Scheide Caldwell, whose husband James Henry Caldwell was a member of Princeton's class of 1898.

"Bill Scheide has long been one of Princeton's most generous and thoughtful benefactors, as well as a critical presence in its intellectual life through his own scholarly pursuits and the extraordinary richness of the Scheide Library," said President Shirley M. Tilghman. "This splendid gift will help us to keep the humanities, both physically and philosophically, at the very center of our University community."

One of the world's leading experts on Johann Sebastian Bach, Scheide has previously funded the Scheide Professorship in Music History and the Arthur Mendel Music Library within the renovated Woolworth Center for Musical Studies, among many other gifts to Princeton. The Scheide Library, his famed private collection of rare books and manuscripts that draws scholars to campus from around the globe, resides in the center of the University's Firestone Library. Scheide and his wife, Judith McCartin Scheide, live in Princeton.

Founder of the noted Bach Aria Group, Scheide is also a longtime member of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund board. In 1994, he received an honorary doctorate from Princeton for his contributions to both the humanities and social justice.

"Civilization's ancient texts and timeless music inform the nature of contemporary society. They teach us a great deal about ourselves and our human destiny," said Scheide. "I am pleased to contribute to Princeton University's splendid efforts in advancing all of the humanities."

The Scheide Caldwell House is located within the Andlinger Center for the Humanities, a facility that also encompasses the landmark buildings of East Pyne and Chancellor Green as well as the Joseph Henry House. Several of the humanities departments and special programs that operate under the auspices of Princeton's Council of the Humanities are headquartered in the Andlinger Center. The University plans to formally dedicate the Scheide Caldwell House later this year.