Earlier this month, Indiana University formally dedicated a building based on designs by legendary modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies originally designed the structure in 1952 to be a fraternity house for the Alpha Theta chapter of Pi Lambda Phi. The fraternity abandoned the project and the little-known designs were largely forgotten. In 2013, Sidney Eskenazi, a former member of the fraternity, related the story to IU President Michael A. McRobbie, kicking off a search for the designs. The search uncovered the designs and eventually led to the building’s construction thanks in large part to a $20 million gift to the school from Sidney and Lois Eskenazi. Once completed this fall, the approximately 10,000-square-foot building will be a shared facility for the IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
