ALBANY, N.Y. (June 27, 2007) -- The University at Albany was awarded a $180,000 grant through the Getty Foundation's Campus Heritage Initiative to develop a long-term plan to preserve and enhance the University's uptown campus designed by renowned American architect Edward Durell Stone.
UAlbany's plan will address the preservation of existing structures and identify issues for future campus growth while maintaining Stone's vision. The plan will examine current conditions of the main campus, particularly systems, facade, and finishes, and recommend refurbishment opportunities; assess landscaping and possible enhancements; and advance efforts to educate chief constituents and surrounding community about the main campus' quality and character.
Designed in 1961-1962 by Stone, the University at Albany's main campus is significant as a singular harmonious work of a master architect. No other campus in the nation compares in size, scale and scope with UAlbany's bold global modernist architecture. Stone's signature style is seen in the campus' striking vistas, towers, domes, fountains, soaring colonnades and sweeping canopy. The result is dramatically different from traditional university campuses with dispersed buildings and disparate architectural styles.
At the hub of the campus is the rectangular "academic podium" featuring 13 three-story buildings under a single over-hanging canopy roof. The podium's showpiece is the central pool with fountains and an off-center carillon. The domed University Library, Performing Arts Center and Campus Center surround the pool and a grand entrance welcomes visitors by way of a great lawn and a plaza.
Since 2002, through its Campus Heritage Initiative, the Getty Foundation has awarded grants to 86 colleges and universities for preservation planning, as well as funding surveys of hundreds of small liberal arts colleges. These grants have played a catalytic role in helping institutions of higher education understand the significance of the resources on their campuses and plan for their long-term preservation. Campus Heritage grants reflect the Getty Foundation's emphasis on thorough planning to ensure thoughtful and successful historic preservation.
The Getty Foundation provides support to institutions and individuals throughout the world, funding a diverse range of projects that promote the understanding and conservation of visual arts. The Foundation is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, Calif., which also includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute and the Getty Conservation Institute.
