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From the time it opened in the early 1960s, Yale’s School of Art and Architecture – with its monumental mix of concrete, steel and glass -  has been praised as a masterpiece of late Modernism, and panned as an overbearing Brutalist structure, out of touch with its surroundings.   Now as part of Yale’s plan to upgrade all its arts facilities, the new Paul Rudolph Hall  - named for the building’s famed architect - has revived the initial vision for the space.   Inside, open airy rooms contrast with the bold exterior.  

"This is the original reading room of the library..”  Robert Stern, Dean of Yale’s School of Architecture leads a tour.  Light pours in from above..Lively orange carpets brighten the concrete walls.  Plaster casts of ancient Egyptian-like carvings can be seen in the rooms. "Rudolph brought them out and showed them because he always wanted to have students recognize that modern architecture did not come from nowhere."

Architect Charles Gwathmey, a student of Rudolph’s, led the renovation -  and designed a new seven story building next door, linked to the original structure.   The new complex is to be re-dedicated on November 7th.