Colgate chooses architect for art center project

HAMILTON  —  Architect David Adjaye will lead off the design process for Colgate University’s planned Center for Art and Culture in the village of Hamilton.

Colgate selected Adjaye’s firm, London–based Adjaye Associates, from 12 architecture houses that responded to a request for proposals for the project. It invited four firms to present credentials on campus before deciding on Adjaye Associates.

“It was not just Adjaye’s significant talent and experience, but also his sensibilities about the importance of the surrounding environment and the impact his buildings can make on the people of a community that led us to enthusiastic support of his selection,” Colgate Vice President for Finance and Administration David Hale said in a news release.

 Adjaye has previously worked on projects around the world, including in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. His credits include residential, commercial, and educational projects. He is currently the lead architect for the team working on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Culture and History that is set to open on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall in 2015.

For the Colgate project, he will be tasked with creating a schematic design and budget that will be used for planning and fundraising. The 2,900-student liberal-arts university is also asking him to meet with community members.

Colgate wants the Center for Art and Culture to be a flexible space that can house a variety of activities and audiences. It plans to relocate collections from its Picker Art Gallery and Longyear Museum of Anthropology to the center.

The center is slated for 18-20 Utica St. in the village of Hamilton — the former site of Parry’s Hardware. The Hamilton Initiative, LLC, a for-profit company funded by supporters of Colgate University, owns that site.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com