Yale’s $163M Schwarzman Center brings new dynamic to New Haven’s arts, culture scene

11.14.23
Frank Rizzo, Hartford Business Journal Contributor

Corinne Bailey Rae in September took the stage for a free public concert in the Commons, the Schwarzman Center’s largest venue, Photo: Lotta Studio

Yale University’s $163 million Schwarzman Center is not only a new hub for students, but adds to downtown New Haven’s arts, entertainment and social scene, officials said.

It’s less about the spaces, but the intent on how to utilize them in surprising ways.
Yale Schwarzman Center Associate Artistic Director Jennifer Harrison Newman

The center is named for billionaire Blackstone founder and 1969 alum Stephen Schwarzman, who donated $162.8 million for the project.

The 123,000-square-foot renovation and expansion, which debuted in late 2021, transformed the historic Commons dining hall and three floors of the adjacent Memorial Hall, at the corner of College and Grove streets, into performance, exhibition, meeting, dining and gathering spaces that aim to be a central hub of student life.

The Schwarzman Center also hosts performances and cultural events in the historic 2,650-seat Woolsey Hall.

READ MORE at Hartford Business Journal

I don’t think there’s a space like this, not just in Connecticut, but anywhere.
Yale Schwarzman Center Executive Director Rachel Fine