University of Chicago receives $50 million gift to reimagine Ida Noyes Hall

The University of Chicago has received a $50 million gift to upgrade its historic Ida Noyes Hall as a student and campus community center.

Located just east of the Main Quad, Ida Noyes Hall is the home of Doc Films' Max Palevsky Cinema, the campus Pub for over-21 crowd, an array of offices and event spaces, and an architecturally striking staircase and cloister.

UChicago said the $50 million gift from university Board of Trustees David M. Rubenstein will "support the modernization of Ida Noyes Hall, transforming the iconic 1916 building into a dynamic gathering place for students and the campus community — and a welcoming hub for alumni and visitors."

The university said "this new hub for activities will be renamed the David M. Rubenstein Commons." But the plan for the building will ensure the Rubenstein Commons honors the historic name and character of Ida Noyes Hall, UChicago said.

While that may sound like it means Ida Noyes Hall is being renamed, a university spokesman wrote that the building will keep its name.

"All new architectural elements and the expanded set of activities and programs will be known as David M. Rubenstein Commons, while the existing building will continue to be named Ida Noyes Hall," UChicago director of public affairs Gerald McSwiggan wrote by email.

The gift from Rubenstein is the first step in a broader plan to revitalize historic U of C campus buildings for the century to come — maintaining their architectural legacy while making changes in line with the needs of the university community.

"This gift does far more than reimagine a single building," UChicago President Paul Alivisatos said in a news release. "It is the first project in our greater historic quads revitalization endeavor—the results of which will show that it is possible to preserve the beauty and meaning of our historic buildings, while updating them to serve generations of faculty and students yet to come. David's leadership sets the pace for what is possible."

The university has yet to get into specifics about what will change at Ida Noyes Hall — other than that once Rubenstein Commons comes online, it will feature "inviting spaces where students can gather, study and connect with one another.

"The project will preserve the building's neo-Gothic architecture and historic character while enhancing its infrastructure, accessibility and sustainability," the university said in a news release.

The university said it will share designs and a project timeline as planning moves ahead.

McSwiggan said by email that designs have not yet been finalized, and the university will select an architectural firm for the project this spring. The university and the architectural firm will then determine a process to collect feedback from the university community, he said.

In addition to Max Palevsky Cinema and the Pub, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., also features the Cloister Club — a premier event space — and event spaces in its library, adjacent library lounge, second-floor lounges, and third-floor theater.

The student center also houses the university Career Advancement office. 

McSwiggan said the main anchors at Ida Noyes are expected to remain in place.

"There are no plans to move the Pub or the Max Palevsky Cinema. While some spaces will need to be relocated during the renovations, the University anticipates that the David M. Rubenstein Commons will house both Career Advancement and Campus and Student Life spaces," he wrote. "More details will be shared once design plans are developed."

In addition to boasting big draws in the form of movies and beer, Ida Noyes has also played host for decades to a variety of events — including the annual Blues 'n' Ribs festival in the fall, and workshops for the University of Chicago Folk Festival. The student center has also played host to an infamous event known as the Lascivious Costume Ball.

At one time, Ida Noyes also housed a swimming pool, but the pool was drained when the Gerald Ratner Athletic Center opened in the fall of 2003, and its space was later converted into a study area for the Booth School of Business.

Ida Noyes Hall was dedicated in June 1916 by inventor and industrialist LaVerne Noyes, founder of the Aermotor Windmill Company. It was dedicated to his late wife, Ida, who had been a member of many women's clubs and artistic societies in Chicago in the late 19th century.

A longstanding myth claims that Ida Noyes was a young woman who drowned in Lake Michigan as she attempted to swim in the frigid waters for a UChicago sorority initiation. The legend goes that following the young woman's death, her father donated the money for Ida Noyes Hall — but only on the condition that all students pass a swimming test to graduate, and that no sorority would ever have its own house on campus.

None of this is true. Ida Noyes, again, was the wife, not the daughter, of the benefactor for the building — and she was 59 when she died in 1912.

There was indeed a swim test requirement for college freshmen at UChicago, but it was discontinued in 2012. Also, there were no formal sororities at the U of C at all until Alpha Omicron Pi came to campus in 1985.

Ida Noyes Hall was initially designed as a women's gymnasium.