Adelphi Marks Neutra Architectural Anniversaries

Sixty years ago, Adelphi University commissioned a campus master plan and a few years later built a library designed by one of the 20th century’s most notable architects: Richard Neutra. Swirbul Library, still a centerpiece of campus, stands as one of the few examples of the Neutra’s work in the Northeast United States.

Neutra, an intellectual, forward-thinking architect and planner, anticipated numerous features in the library that would be commonplace five decades later. He is generally considered among the most important modernist architects – along with names such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Louis Sullivan.

Swirbul Library is not only one of the few Neutra works in the Northeast – it’s also one of his few libraries or other buildings for colleges and universities, as most of his designs were for homes, office spaces, schools, and public spaces such as the Gettysburg Cyclorama.

The architect’s concept at Adelphi centered around what he called “The Living Library” that would, of course, accommodate books and other print material, but also a news ticker-tape display, close-circuit TV for distance learning and sharing with students around the world, a belt conveyor and electric lifts for speedy book handling, and interdisciplinary gathering places, all well ahead of their time. He also seemed to anticipate the advent of the Internet and Information Age, along with a need for physical space to bring people and information together in a physical space. While many of his ideas remained as concepts due to budget restraints, distinctive features of the library as built include exterior reflecting ponds on either side of the main entrance and a gracefully curved staircase which is dramatically reflected in a large mirrored wall (see photo and design below). Neutra dubbed this feature “The Ascent of Knowledge.”

See more about Richard Neutra at neutra.org and on Wikipedia.

Much of the design planning work for Adelphi’s library as well as a campus master plan Neutra and his firm completed are in the University’s archival collections.

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning.

Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four—Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness. Adelphi is dedicated to transforming students’ lives through small classes, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support student success.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi is Long Island’s oldest private coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves over 7,900 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York—just 23 miles from New York City’s cultural and internship opportunities—and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, and online.

More than 100,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, caring citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world beyond.