NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Iona College and New Rochelle communities gathered to break ground on Wednesday, May 6, at the site of the future North Avenue Student Residence Hall located on the corner of North and Summit Avenues. Students, staff, faculty, alumni, board of trustees and community partners assembled to celebrate the construction of the cutting-edge living space which will be unveiled in the fall of 2016.
“Iona College is working hard to be a good neighbor to our good neighbors,” President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. stated. “This new residence hall is a groundbreaking development on North Avenue for both Iona College and the City of New Rochelle. As Iona celebrates its 75th year, we celebrate our partnership with New Rochelle, in the spirit of positive town-gown relationships – working together to move our corner of the world.”
Located across from the campus’ main entrance, the building is styled to reflect a “modern Iona” with a vibrant streetscape and design complementary to nearby College and community structures. The first floor will contain taxable retail and restaurant space open to the public with adjacent on-site parking.
“This is a positive step for both the College and the City that will improve North Avenue, enhance an emerging academic district and strengthen our partnership,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson.
Other program participants included James P. Hynes ’69, ’01H, chairman of the Board of Trustees and Andrew J. Dolce ’57, trustee.
CJ Funaro, an Iona College senior who will graduate at Iona’s 71st Commencement Exercises on May 16, provided his final remarks as the President of the Iona College Student Government Association “In this very spot, students will gain that unique edge of living on Iona’s campus while residing in an environmentally friendly, beautiful, sustainable building, participating in hall events and activities, finding random friendships from the laundry room to the common kitchen, and most importantly feel the inspiring sense of community that’s built inside these future four walls.”
Brother Kevin Devlin, CFC, Ed.D. , senior director of the Center for Student Success, delivered a blessing preceding the ceremonial shoveling by program participants.
Prior to the ground breaking ceremony, the College celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony for three new science laboratories located in Cornelia Hall. “Iona’s first building becomes one of its most technologically advanced, as we dedicate three new laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology,” said Dr. Nyre. “This project has transformed two classrooms and an underutilized student lounge into three state-of-the-art scientific laboratories for Iona’s hallmark student-faculty research collaborations.”
The new science labs are: the Neuroimmunology and Tissue Culture Facility, the Planetary Science and Optics Research Laboratory and the Laboratory for Biomimetic Soft Materials Chemistry.
Click here for more on the North Avenue Residence Hall. North Avenue Residence Hall<http://www.iona.edu/About/Iona-in-Community/North-Avenue-Residence-Hall.aspx>
Picture appers fake
This picture appears fake because Noam Bramson would not touch a shovel or get his hands dirty. Furthermore, as a man of impecable character (according to him), he would not violate OSHA safety rules by not wearing a hard had. OK Bob, what is this? Trick photography?
yep, it’s photoshopped
OK. not really. It is REAL!