Wolfensohn Hall

Constructed between 1991 and 1993, the Institute for Advanced Study’s 220-seat Wolfensohn Hall was built to serve as both lecture and concert hall. As the first new construction since 1969, the auditorium was named for James and Elaine Wolfensohn.  Mr. Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank, is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Institute. It has been called "an instrument for sound," (U.S. 1, April 13, 1994) as its physical appearance suggests: the curving side wall panels, articulated by horizontal stripes of red fabric covering, are made of wood. To attain acoustical excellence, the project’s designer, Jeff Paine, worked closely with the Boston-based acoustical design firm, Acentech. The design features open trusses overhead, with nothing to stop the resonance of sound. The only structures which absorb sound are in the rear wall, inhibiting sound from bouncing back toward the stage. That Wolfensohn Hall turned out to be a fine concert hall is no accident: Mr. Wolfensohn is an amateur cellist and an old friend of violinist Isaac Stern. (Stern surprised the Institute community by playing the inaugural concert for Wolfensohn Hall in April 1993, and sharing the program with Wolfensohn’s daughter, Sara, an accomplished pianist.) Wolfensohn Hall’s architect, Caesar Pelli and Associates, is known for the Carnegie Hall tower and one of the Museum of Modern Art expansions and renovations, as well as Princeton University’s DeNunzio aquatic building. The designer, Jeff Paine, has served as project manager for some of the firm’s most high-profile creations – including Manhattan’s four-tower World Financial Center and the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.

Wolfensohn Hall, Front

Wolfensohn Hall, Interior

Birch Garden

Birch Garden