Capen Hall

The recently installed UB logo and Capen Hall signs on Capen Hall, photographed in November 2022. Photographer: Douglas Levere

The exterior of One World Café, part of Norton Hall, and Founders Plaza, photographed in May 2022. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Capen Hall.

Capen Hall.

Capen Hall.

Capen Hall.

Capen Hall.

Capen Hall.

The Buffalo Room

Campus Dining and Shops, Whispers Cafe in Capen Hall Silverman LibraryPhotographer: Douglas Levere

1 Capen the one stop shop for students in Capen Hall, and the Buffalo RoomPhotographer: Douglas Levere

Honors College in Capen

Students and UB community members at outside 1Capen in Capen Hall by the tunnel to Norton Hall on the first day of classes in August 2021. Photographer: Douglas Levere

North Campus after blizzard conditions snowed in much of Western New York in December 2022. The area received about three feet of snow, but winds pushed snow drifts much higher. Photographer: Douglas Levere

The recently installed UB logo and Capen Hall signs on Capen Hall, photographed in November 2022. Photographer: Douglas Levere

The Honors College hosts orientation with games, ice breaker activites, and food for their first year students outside Capen Hall in August 2022.Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The Honors College hosts orientation with games, ice breaker activites, and food for their first year students outside Capen Hall in August 2022.Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

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Overview
Facility
CAPEN
Number
A230
Function
Adm/Serv
Gross Square Feet
321,198
Construction Cost
$6,188,000
Completed
June 1977
Architect
Sasaki, Dawson & Demay
Function
Capen Hall houses the Office of the President and other administrative offices. Lower floors house the University Libraries Administration, the Undergraduate Library, the Science and Engineering Library, and the University Archives.
Namesake
Samuel P. Capen (1878-1956) served from 1922 to 1950 as the university's first full-time chancellor. He created a university out of a set of disparate professional schools, integrating undergraduate education in a distinctive manner. A leader in American educational policy, Dr. Capen was a proponent of the idea that students should study a broad array of arts and sciences in addition to their chosen fields of expertise.Nearly 50 years after his death, he is still remembered for his keen intellect and decisive leadership. Throughout his UB career, he championed academic freedom and was an innovator in liberal arts education, as well. By the time of his retirement from UB, he was a nationally known authority in college and university planning.