For 17 months, the Kimmel Center for University Life’s Grand Staircase — once a hub for student protests — has been walled off, accompanied by rumors of an ongoing renovation. With construction now set to finish over the coming summer and fall semesters, NYU shared details of the redesign with WSN.
The renovation will separate half of the staircase into three to four “dynamic seating pods,” each of which have leveled benches and seat around 10-15 individuals. NYU spokesperson Joseph Tirella sent WSN two conceptual renderings of the building’s lobby, and said the new arrangement will allow for small, “intimate” groups and foster more conversation among students on the staircase.
“This project transforms the prominent staircase at NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life into a safer, more welcoming and inclusive space for the entire NYU community,” Tirella said.
As it renovates its Grand Staircase, the university plans to install new turnstiles, handrails and a vestibule. The images provided by Tirella also depict a turnstile that goes directly from the Kimmel Center to the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
Tirella said the update will resolve “longstanding circulation challenges” and safety concerns due to the volume of students who use the staircase. When the renovation was first announced, Executive Vice President Martin Dorph said it would make the staircase more accessible by addressing concerns such as “steepness” and “absence of handrails.”
The project was initially set for completion last spring. Tirella said portions of the construction will be completed by the start of this summer, and that the rest will be completed during the fall semester.
In February 2024, university officials announced that the stairs — which had been blocked off since October 2023 — were closed due to “protest activity” after a surge in on-campus demonstrations amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The move had sparked criticism among the student body and a resolution to reopen the stairs from the Student Government Assembly that said the closure posed a fire hazard and led to overcrowding.
In an interview with WSN, CAS first-year Josefine Junttila said she uses the staircase to go to Peet’s Coffee every day and finds it frustrating that so many people are limited to a small portion of it, especially during passing periods.
“Before I came to NYU, I got pictures in the mail of the Kimmel staircase with all those kids sitting on it,” Junttila said. “Nope. Dreams are crushed.”
The Grand Staircase has been a hub for student demonstrations for decades. It more recently hosted demonstrations from the Student Labor Activist Movement in 2018, the Sanctuary Campus Movement in 2017 and Incarceration to Education Coalition in 2018.
NYU has similarly teased plans to renovate Gould Plaza, the courtyard in front of the Stern School of Business where dozens of students, faculty and alumni were arrested after erecting an encampment last spring. University spokesperson John Beckman announced the plaza would be closed due to “disorderly, disruptive and antagonizing behavior” that “interfered with the safety and security of our community.” The plaza is still closed and barricaded with a wooden wall, with Campus Safety officers surrounding its perimeter.
Prior to the staircase’s closure, NYU students, faculty and staff could access the Kimmel Center through the front doors, which have now been closed off. Students are now required to enter the building through the side doors and scan into the gates on the first floor with their university ID.
“It’s suspicious that there’s no construction workers there,” Junttila said. “Just like the Stern wall — you cannot convince me that they’re building anything there.”
Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at agioia@nyunews.com.
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