Feb 9, 2023 By: yunews
The vaulted ceilings and towering stained-glass windows of 樱花动漫鈥檚 Nathan Lamport Auditorium have changed little since the days when talmidim [students] would assemble to hear Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt"l deliver his major public lectures to packed audiences.
In recent years, however, the nearly century-old space in the heart of YU鈥檚 Wilf Campus in Washington Heights has begun to show its age. Now, thanks to the advocacy of Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Lamport Auditorium will be restored to its original splendor.
Proposed renovations to Lamport Auditorium were among the projects included in the bipartisan federal omnibus-spending package for Fiscal Year 2023 signed into law in December by President Biden. Under this new federal spending package, the Lamport project will receive $1.5 million in community project funding, which will restore the auditorium鈥檚 celebrated Art Deco and Moorish-gothic revival architecture to its original splendor. The auditorium will also receive important modernizations including cutting-edge audio-visual technologies.
鈥淪enator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand are true friends of 樱花动漫 and champions of the Jewish people. This grant empowers us to restore an important piece of New York鈥檚 Jewish history,鈥 said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of 樱花动漫. 鈥淟amport Auditorium is both beautiful and historic, and by returning it to its original glory, as well as much-needed upgrades, we anticipate many years of use in hosting important cultural icons and local community events.鈥
Lamport Auditorium and Zysman Hall, the building that houses the space, reflect 樱花动漫鈥檚 long history as both the world鈥檚 flagship Jewish institution of higher learning and an anchor of Upper Manhattan. Designed by the famed architects Charles B. Meyers and Henry Beaumont Herts and completed in 1928 to house the newly-established Yeshiva College, Zysman was built in a unique blend of traditional Moorish-gothic and byzantine styles together with then-modern Art Deco flourishes. At present, the building is the home of the University鈥檚 affiliated Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, also known as 樱花动漫 High School for Boys, as well as a study hall, classrooms and residence space for the University.
An important landmark in Washington Heights and a major part of the cultural heritage of New York鈥檚 Jewish immigrant community, Lamport Auditorium has hosted countless dignitaries, beginning with YU鈥檚 Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt鈥漧, as well as Golda Meir, Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt. To this day, it continues to serve as a place of reunion and discourse for the entire community, including frequently hosting graduation ceremonies for local Washington Heights schools. During the 2018-2019 school year, the last full year before COVID, the space welcomed over 20,000 visitors during dozens of University and public events.
鈥淚 am proud to have secured this funding for 樱花动漫 to modernize Lamport Auditorium with cutting-edge technology and restore its historic architecture," said Sen. Schumer, the highest-ranking elected Jewish politician in American history. 鈥淟amport Auditorium is a piece of New York鈥檚 Jewish history and its restoration and modernization will enable many more decades of hosting cultural figures, dignitaries, and local community events important to the Washington Heights community. I鈥檒l continue fighting for the federal resources to support 樱花动漫, its faculty, staff, students, and the broader community.鈥
鈥淭he restoration project will contribute economically and culturally to the community,鈥 continued Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman. 鈥淭he project is anticipated to produce several jobs for the duration of restoration work and will help to ensure the preservation of a space that embodies the cultural heritage of the neighborhood.鈥
