Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Henry J. Leir Hall, 1987
Henry J. Leir Hall, the lobby of the Aidekman Arts Center, was named in 1987 after Henry J. Leir, an industrialist and longtime donor to Tufts. | |
Ronald Stanton, an associate of Leir, provided Tufts with a gift enabling the university to complete over a million dollars worth of renovations to the entranceway of Aidekman and Cohen Auditorium. Stanton, whose son Oliver graduated from Tufts in 1987, asked that the lobby be named in honor of Leir. | |
The renovations included the reupholstering of 600 seats in Cohen, the completion of a new slate floor in the lobby, new sprinkler and air conditioning systems, new electrical wiring, an audio-visual system including projector booths, an acoustic ceiling, and revision of the housing and stage. | |
Leir, since his emigration to the United States in 1940, had made substantial contributions to the Tufts School of Nutrition, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the Campus Center, and the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France. | |
A plaque honoring Leir hangs outside of the entrance to Cohen, and a bust of Leir done by his niece, sculptor Marcelle Quinto, is located in the lobby itself. | |
Source: TJ | |
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