Back in 1952, Mies van der Rohe, known simply as Mies to the world of design, conceived, planned and drew blueprints for a building on Indiana University?s Bloomington campus. For reasons no one is quite clear on, the 10,000 square foot, glass walled structure was never built. Mies, hailed as one of the most outstanding architects of the 20th century and a leader of architectural modernism, died in 1969 without commenting on the unfulfilled project.

Now that building is scheduled for construction, thanks to the efforts of Sidney Eskenazi, who was a student at IU when the proposal was born. He and his wife Lois, benefactor of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at IU, presented the plans to IU president Michael A. McRobbie a few years back, according to the Eskenazi school dean, Peg Faimon.
The Eskenazis donated $20 million for the construction, which will include many elements of Mies original design. It?s the largest gift ever bestowed by the Eskenazis. The celebrated tribute to Mies has been designated as artistic center for the school, housing both classrooms and administrative offices.

The Architects

Thomas Phifer and Partners, based in New York, has been tapped to construct the monumental building, which it expects to unveil in June 2021. Faimon explained why they chose the firm for the project. “We have a strong and established relationship with the firm, as they are already designing a building directly across t...