Thursday, September 19, Rutgers University, official from the city government, and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) were joined by Governor Christie to celebrate the groundbreaking of the development projects at Rutgers. The event took place at noon on Seminary Place, which was blocked off on both ends and filled with people and food vendors. The development will include a number of new buildings, including an honors college, state of the art classrooms that will hold upwards of 2,500 and housing for nearly 1,000 students. The buildings will replace the 225 year old campus of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary and the parking lot where the grease trucks once stood. Dr. Barchi said “the project will be historically transformational to the university.” Apparently, the roof detail on the academic buildings was detailed five times by President Barchi. His involvement with the process shows, as Christopher Paladino (president of DEVCO) “His ability to share a vision and articulate that vision clearly.” The “New Rutgers” is the result of a strategic planning process that involves the whole community and the first academic building built on the College Avenue Campus in over half a century. Barchi stated that we pride ourselves on eing the oldest but that does not mean having the oldest buildings because “we need to grow with the nation and intellectual development and the times.” And that is what 200,000 square feet with classrooms that will seat over 2,500 students will achieve. I found it interesting that Barchi tied the old and new of College Ave Campus, talking about the architecture of the past of historic area of Voorhees Mall with the architecture of the future academic campus connected with a monumental stairwell going up the center to bridge the elements of the old and new.
I attended this event with fellow NJASLA student member Chris Perez.
Learn more about the initiative here
