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| A rendition of the building project set to begin shortly |
Given that the average NJCU student takes about six years to graduate on average, it’s only fair to imagine one might become familiar with the 46 acre campus and its many buildings. But returning alumni coming back for a visit in 2016 might be shocked to discover that sitting on the right side of the Guarini library will be an unfamiliar building, for those of you that have yet to memorize the school's current layout: we are referring to Grossnickle Hall. Grossnickle Hall a four story Arts and Science building was opened in 1962, it features the Courtney Art Gallery, student exhibition areas, art studios, classrooms, lounges, laboratories, and an auditorium which seats 180 people, but that is all about to change in the coming years. New Jersey City University is proud to announce that in the years to come it will receive a boost in both infrastructure and architectural design.
Beginning in mid 2013 Grossnickel Hall is set to be torn down and replaced by a new building which will take its place, and who might be so daring as to handle such a task? None other than Canadian-American Pritzker Prize winning architect Frank Gehry. Gehry, a legend in the world of architecture, has designed such iconic buildings as the Guggenheim Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Gehry, whose buildings typically go over budget, assures us that there is no cause for alarm as he is being gracious enough to lend his brilliance to New Jersey City University free of charge. "I have been blessed in my life that my architecture has brought me both financial opportunities I never could have dreamed of and fame on both the national and international level. I plan on retiring within the next few years in order to begin a life of Philanthropy. When I saw just how storm ravaged New Jersey was, I knew here would be a wonderful place to start". The storm Gehry is referring to of course, is Hurricane Sandy. The Nor'easter devastated New Jersey taking out iconic rides along the Seaside Heights’ boardwalk as well as residential homes in many other areas. Areas that were not damaged in the North still suffered severe power outages, displacing many New Jersey residents.
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| Governor Christie photographed here visiting the campus |
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie photographed visiting the campus estimated that the recovery cost could climb as high as 29.4 billion dollars. The building at first glance only appears to be two stories tall, which belies its actual ten story structure; the construction is slated to begin mid 2013 and will be completed by 2016. With an estimated price tag of 14.2 million, one might become alarmed as to how those involved tend to cover the financial aspect, but there is no cause for alarm according to Christie. "In addition to the nearly thirty billion dollars in aid being given to New Jersey by organizations like FEMA, we are also being given an additional ten million to further New Jersey construction efforts beyond necessities. I would like everyone to understand that there will be no increase in terms of gas prices and a very miniscule increase in property taxes. I can assure New Jersey residents that the change will be so insignificant that it would go undetected by the naked eye. On behalf of the state of New Jersey I would like to extend my thanks to Mr. Gehry for his selfless act of Philanthropy and generosity. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to say that one of his buildings will grace the campus of a New Jersey University ". The hike which Christie proposes would raise property taxes on New Jersey home owners by a mere five dollars per household. Doing so would raise an extra 1.1 million a year, which would close the remaining 4.2 million dollar deficit in a matter of years. When asked if he thought NJCU might incur jealousy at being selected over other New Jersey Universities, "Well I certainly never had any buildings like this when I went to Seton Hall", joked Christie. The project is set to be headed by construction giant Spiniello. Spiniello, which has also been involved in rebuilding other storm hit areas of New Jersey, has its headquarters in Livingston New Jersey and was established in 1922. Calls to the company CEO went unreturned but a spokesperson for the company later stated, “As a leader in the field of construction and infrastructure rehabilitation, Spiniello’s legacy is deeply rooted in quality, commitment and service. As a result, our reputation for completing projects on time and on budget is known around the world”. The Gothic Times requests that students email writer Mario Mantilla at mmantilla@njcu.edu in order to take part in the poll of whether or not the student was aware of who Frank Gehry was prior to reading this article. The results of the poll will be published in a future edition of the Gothic Times, and students are encouraged to email any comments or concerns they might have.
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| Gehry (Left) going over his design with our current University President (center) and Mr. Gehry's personal assistant (right) |
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