Hayes Hall Reopening

Good morning! I am delighted to join all of you as we celebrate the grand re-opening of Hayes Hall!

This is certainly a proud day—not only for UB—but for our entire community.

I would like to thank and recognize several people with us today including:

• Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown;
• New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes;
• SUNY Board of Trustee Ange Fatta;
• Members of the UB Council and UB Foundation;
• Dean Robert Shibley and members of the School of Architecture and Planning;

I would also like to acknowledge members of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Architecture and Planning who are with us today; the architects, and construction companies who worked on this project; and members of the community—including our Main Street campus neighbors who have joined us today.

From its history beginning as:

• part of the Erie County Almshouse in the late 1800s;
• to its conversion as the centerpiece of UB’s Main Street campus in the early 1900s;
• and now the longtime home of our School of Architecture and Planning;

Hayes Hall is an iconic landmark for our university, symbolizing UB’s past, present, and future, and has maintained a special connection to our greater community.

The completion of this renovation is another tangible result of the strategic planning we have envisioned for our university as part of UB 2020. As a leading 21st century public research university, we have imagined our future, planned for it, and working together, we are building it.

It gives me great satisfaction today to see this historic building returned to its original glory. And while we have restored Hayes Hall to its grandeur, it is also now a 21st century learning environment for our architecture students and faculty that will enhance UB’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Hayes Hall is not just a part of our heritage, it also represents our university’s connection to the community and UB’s mission of service. By creating this re-imagined space, we are providing more opportunity for our students and faculty to create scholarly research and output that has a profound and deeply meaningful impact on the many communities we serve, both locally and globally.

I look forward to seeing the many great achievements of our School of Architecture and Planning students and faculty who will take advantage of this renovated space in Hayes Hall in the years to come.

Congratulations to the Dean Shibley and the School of Architecture and Planning on the grand reopening of this iconic UB landmark.

And sincerest thanks, again, to all of you who have made this possible.