BARNARD UNVEILS NEW CENTER

barnard college inaugurated the new diana center feb. 3 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

the 98,000-square-foot building, designed by weiss/manfredi, sits on the west side of broadway, just south of west 120th street. it occupies the site of the former mcintosh center, which was demolished in june 2007 to make way for the new building.

"mcintosh center was a more traditional student center, without the additional academic, performance and public programming spaces accommodated in the diana center," alyssa vine, barnard's director of media relations, wrote in an email."while mcintosh was a concrete, inward-facing structure, the diana center visually connects barnard's campus with broadway via its transparent curtain wall."

the diana center will house several academic departments, as well as a 100-seat black box theater and a 500-seat event space for public lectures, seminars and readings. the ceremony featured remarks from journalist and barnard alumna anna quindlen, who said the $70 million building, "like barnard women? is innovative, multifaceted and compelling."

the ceremony was also attended by representatives from various community organizations, including the harlem community development corporation and morningside area alliance.

"it's very meaningful to our college community that the broader harlem/morningside heights community was there with us to celebrate the inauguration of this building that will strengthen our neighborhood as a destination for arts, culture and learning," vine wrote.