IU OKs New Art School Based On Modernist's Unbuilt Design

Associated Press

An architect's rendering of the building that will be used by Indiana University's Eskanazi School of Art, Architecture and Design. (Provided by Indiana University)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The new home of Indiana University's art school will be modeled after an unbuilt fraternity house a famed modernist architect designed in the 1950s.

IU's trustees recently approved construction of the $10 million Mies van der Rohe Building.

When completed in 2021, it will bring the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design's programs together within one building.

The Herald-Times reports the 10,000-square-foot structure will be made of limestone, steel and glass, with second-floor windows spanning floor to ceiling.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German-born architect known for his "less is more" approach emphasizing open space and industrial materials. He designed a fraternity house for Phi Lambda Phi in the early 1950s, but it went unbuilt.

The new building will be similar to his design, with modern upgrades.

Tags:Indiana University

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