Swift Hall
The University of Chicago is in the throes of a building boom. Not since its founding has its footprint undergone the kind of development currently underway.
Join us for a lively discussion between Steve Wiesenthal, University of Chicago Architect, and Hamza Walker, Associate Curator at the Renaissance Society. They will discuss the history and transformation of various campus buildings as they reflect ever-changing attitudes and challenges inherent to institutional growth.
This conversation takes place in conjunction with Mathias Poledna’s current exhibition at the Renaissance Society, which features a substantial alteration of the institution’s Cobb Hall gallery space.
Steve Wiesenthal, FAIA, is the University of Chicago’s Senior Associate Vice President for Facilities and University Architect. He came to Chicago in 2008 from the University of California San Francisco, where, as the Associate Vice Chancellor and Campus Architect, he led the design and development of the new Mission Bay health sciences campus.
He earned his Master of Liberal Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and both his Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland. From 1991-2000, he was the Associate Vice President, Architecture and Facilities Management at the University of Pennsylvania after six years as an Architect with the internationally renowned design firm of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
At the University of Chicago, Steve directs the planning, design, and construction of its $3.1 billion capital program in Chicago and abroad, along with the facilities operations and maintenance of the University’s campus. He created the office of sustainability and oversees its strategic plan.
