Stern, who is currently dean of the Yale School of Architecture, told The Crimson yesterday that he hopes the 54-year-old Harkness Commons can be incorporated into a new campus center for students, faculty and staff.

“The Law School has a fantastic library, it has wonderful classroom buildings, some of which may need new attention…but what it lacks is a heart,” Stern said. “It doesn’t have a focus in terms of a campus, exactly.”

Though he could give few details about other aspects of the project because “we’re just beginning our work,” Stern said the parking garage in the northwest corner would be replaced with a new one and the two “modest” buildings in that area would probably be moved.

Kagan said costs for the project have not been calculated but that it will amount to several million dollars.

B-SCHOOL SUCCESS

Stern Architects has designed buildings at many colleges and universities across the country. The firm’s work includes recent projects at Georgetown University, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Stanford University, Pomona College, the University of Virginia, The College of William and Mary, and Rice University.

According to Kagan, one of the reasons the committee chose Stern Architects over the more than 30 other firms was because of the popularity of the Spangler Center at the Business School.

“We think that Spangler has worked extremely well for the Business School in terms of really improving student life,” Kagan said. “It’s really created places for students to go and to be where they enjoy being, where they hang out. So it’s created a real sort of physical center for the Business School campus, and that’s very much what we want to do.”

The Spangler Center opened in January 2001 and boasts a copy center, travel office, bookstore, post office, auditorium, lounge, courtyard, dining room and grille complete with television sets and a fireplace.

Student reaction to the center has been overwhelmingly positive.

Kagan attributes the popularity of the Spangler Center to Stern Architects’ meticulous attention to detail.

“They’re very good at actually sort of tracking students and figuring out where they go and when they go there,” Kagan said. “But, you know, you also have to talk to students, so I think the Stern folks are very committed to that and certainly I am and certainly the other people involved on the administrative side are.”

A NEW ERA

From her first day in June 2003 as head of HLS, students have heralded Kagan as a student’s dean.

“As soon as Dean Kagan came into office, students were across the board excited about the prospects for the school and she really did seem to usher in a new era for the Law School,” said third-year HLS student Thiru Vignarajah.