Matthew and Joyce Walsh made a $27 million donation to build a new 60,000 square-foot architecture building east of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center to alleviate the space problem in Bond Hall.
Michael Lykoudis, Dean of the School of Architecture, said, Bond Hall is "bursting at the seams."
"Every square inch is used over and over, double-booked," Lykoudis said.
The School of Architecture will vacate Bond Hall, Lykoudis said, but other plans have not been made yet for the building. Lykoudis also said plans have not been set for the beginning of the construction, but the new building will be built in the classical style to blend in with the other buildings on campus.
The new space will open up many opportunities to the architecture students, Lykoudis said.
"The opening of the new building allows the School of Architecture to introduce two new disciplines: historic preservation and real estate and community development. Currently we do not have the capacity for these programs," Lykoudis said.
The new building will afford more space for studios and classrooms, but will also allow students in different disciplines to intermingle, Lykoudis said. In addition, it will expand even further the classical department of the School, he said.
"The new center for classical architecture will attract distinguished leading scholars from all over the world to study classicism from antiquity to the present day," Lykoudis said.
However, the new architecture building would not be possible without the generous gift from the Walsh Family, he said.
"Matthew and Joyce Walsh are members of the Architecture Advisory Council. They have followed and supported the school since 1997 and they like us. They support the program and they wanted to make a gift that would actually make a difference," Lykoudis said.
"I think they embrace the vision of the school, which is broad in its nature and deep in the sense of intellectual depth and interdisciplinary breadth and that they support us. They wanted to make sure they gave something that would last for a long time to the University."
