Wolfensohn Hall

Constructed between 1991–93, the Institute for Advanced Study’s 220-seat Wolfensohn Hall was built to serve as both a lecture and concert hall. The first new construction on the Institute’s campus since 1969, the auditorium was named for James and Elaine Wolfensohn. James Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank, joined the Institute’s Board of Trustees in 1979 and became its longest-serving Chair (1986–2007).

The hall has been called "an instrument for sound," (U.S. 1, April 13, 1994) as its physical appearance suggests. 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 impede the resonance of sound. The only structures which absorb sound are in the rear wall, which prevents sound from bouncing back toward the stage.

That Wolfensohn Hall became a fine concert hall is no accident: Wolfensohn was 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, Cesar Pelli & Associates (now Pelli and Clarke Partners), is known for the Carnegie Hall Tower; expansions and renovations at the Museum of Modern Art; and Princeton University’s DeNunzio aquatic building. 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.