After a yearlong, $12 million renovation of the former University Center, Drew now has a vibrant living room that makes the collegiate experience oh-so-much better.
“There’s a lot more natural light, it’s more spacious and the new eating area is beautiful.” —Janelle Hoffman ’13
By Mary Jo Patterson
Photography by Don Hamerman
With its raised roofline, expansive windows, fireplaces, two-story rotunda and dining hall with barrel-vaulted ceiling, the Ehinger Center is a jaw-dropper.
The new center, named in honor of university trustee and donor Tony Ehinger ’80 and his wife, Marianne Hyzak Ehinger ’80, “will definitely make a positive difference in student life at Drew,” says Student Government President Janelle Hoffman’13. “Everything has been updated to reflect the needs of today.”
Two years ago Ehinger raised $500,000 from members of his graduating class to renovate the center’s pub, now known as the C’80 Pub. Then he and his wife committed $3 million of their own toward the rest of the project. Other key donors include John H. Crawford III T’65, chairman of the university board of trustees, and his wife, Cathie ’64, who gave $1 million to create a new lecture hall that doubles as event space, and trustee Gates Hawn and his wife, Mary Ellen, who donated $300,000 for a commuter lounge.
Ehinger, a retired investment banker who met early on with architect Victoria Pivovarnick of KSS Associates in Princeton, N.J., dropped by the site regularly during construction. “It’s gorgeous—awesome,” Ehinger says. “But what’s going to be even cooler is seeing kids enjoying the space.”
One Size Does Fit All
A stunning social hub made for launching a million college memories and an irresistible magnet for the next generation of Drewids, the EC offers something for everyone.
By Renée Olson Plan by Thirst
