Purchase College

Purchase College, also known as SUNY Purchase or State University of New York College at Purchase, is a public liberal, visual, and performing arts college in Purchase, New York and is a part of the State University of New York system. It was founded in 1967 and was designed as a school that would combine conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with liberal arts and sciences programs. It has strong conservatory programs in Theater Arts & Film, Music, and Dance, and its' School of Art + Design is well-respected. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students, and is one of the Princeton Review's top 387 American Universities.

Campus

The site chosen for the campus was a 500-acre estate, Strathglass Farm, in the middle of Westchester County, 40 minutes from Manhattan. It was originally the property of Thomas Thomas, a Revolutionary war hero, whose family cemetery still remains on the campus. In order to transform the former cattle farm into a college for thousands of students, SUNY engaged some of the most prominent American architects to design the campus. Edward Larrabee Barnes created the master plan, and nine distinguished architectural firms designed specific buildings.

Related Topics:
Westchester County - Manhattan - Thomas Thomas - Revolutionary war - Edward Larrabee Barnes

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Purchase campus is isolated from the surrounding community by way of small forests, the Westchester County airport, and PepsiCo?s world headquarters. The image one gets of the campus is very resigned and flat. Most of the buildings on campus are brown brick.

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Various parts of the Campus are currently undergoing renovation. The 'mall', or main campus, is currently undergoing renovations to include a new student services building and lessen flooding when it rains. Faced with a forced increase in enrollment from Albany and budget cuts, a new dorm building with the first floor devoted to retail space is being built, creating some controversy on campus. A Gap and a Starbucks have been proposed for the space, and renovations will also include moving the main entrance to campus in order to make the facility more accessible to customers from off-campus.

Related Topics:
Albany - Gap - Starbucks

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