Setting the Standard at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – Among recent additions to distinguished campus architecture at Northwestern University here is a building of highest contemporary design, while incorporating a material that recall the school’s earliest days – Indiana limestone.

Click photo to enlargeThe Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Goettsch Partners, uses prime stock from Indiana Limestone Co., following the standard for stone on the Northwestern campus.

“This type of stone,” said Bonnie Humphrey, Northwestern University’s director of design and construction, “has been used here since the late 19th century.”

Situated on the shore of Lake Michigan, the music center houses teaching studios as well as faculty and administrative offices. It includes 10 classrooms, 99 practice rooms, and three state-of-the-art performance spaces distinguished by exceptional acoustics – the 400-seat Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, the Shirley Welsh Ryan Opera Theater, and the David and Carol McClintock Choral and Recital Room.

The center’s limestone base design supports a mainly glass exterior, offering striking views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Integrating ideally with the architectural context of the Northwestern campus is the Silver Buff stone variety from Indiana Limestone Co.

A mostly smooth surface with some rustication was provided for most of the stone. Some panels were provided with combing to dress their surfaces.

Galassi Stone & Steel of Romeoville, Ill., fabricated the project stone. The mason was Illinois Masonry Corp. of Buffalo Grove, Ill., and the general contractor was Power Construction of Chicago.

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