2008 Woodie Awards
Yeshiva to Release Plans for Tenzer Gardens Makeover
Ashrei Bayewitz
Issue date: 2/15/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the Wilf campus, Yeshiva administrators will release preliminary designs in the coming weeks for a newly renovated Tenzer Gardens. Associative Vice President for Administrative Services Jeffrey Rosengarten explained the project as the creation of a more "user-friendly" Tenzer Gardens in which "student feedback will be key." The Herbert and Florence Tenzer Gardens, situated between Rubin and Belfer Halls at 184th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, is named for Yeshiva Trustees.
Although administration representatives were hesitant to release details, The Commentator has learned that an important component of this enhancement will be the construction of a wind barrier to shelter students from the natural wind tunnel between Belfer and Rubin Halls.
Mr. Rosengarten revealed that actual construction on this large-scale project will not commence until later months, when the warm weather will be more conducive for the project. The work currently being done, explained Rosengarten, is actually a repair of the roof of the kitchen area in the Furman dining hall which recently began leaking water during periods of heavy snow and rain. Rosengarten reassured the roof is now safe, having been rebuilt with "more durable, longer lasting" material.
Now that the roof has been fixed, Yeshiva administration is setting its sights on upgrading Tenzer Gardens, which they view as an important piece of the campus with much potential. Mr. Rosengarten called it "an exciting project," with two main components; aside from making the Gardens more user-friendly and accessible, the university will also take advantage of the Gardens to better recognize its benefactors. Previously, major donors were recognized on a Benefactors Wall in the back of the Gardens, but a rise in donor giving has made it difficult to acknowledge them all in the outgrown space.
The upgrade, however, was not solely propelled by a need for more donor recognition. Feedback and pressure from three distinct groups - the President's Office, the Wilf family, and the undergraduate Student Life Committee - all conceptually contributed to the project. Mr. Wilf apparently felt the area was "not inviting" and insisted that the university must upgrade the area. "Mr. Wilf wanted the space to be more wide-open," explained Mr. Rosengarten continued.
Some students, however, fear a newer, nicer garden will merely attract more local community members to congregate on Yeshiva property. "It will just be used by the locals," said Josh Kra (YC '07), comparing it to the street mall that lines Amsterdam Avenue between 185th and 186th Streets.
"The students need a field to play sports," added Kra, "so maybe [Tenzer Gardens] would be a great place to create one."
Although administration representatives were hesitant to release details, The Commentator has learned that an important component of this enhancement will be the construction of a wind barrier to shelter students from the natural wind tunnel between Belfer and Rubin Halls.
Mr. Rosengarten revealed that actual construction on this large-scale project will not commence until later months, when the warm weather will be more conducive for the project. The work currently being done, explained Rosengarten, is actually a repair of the roof of the kitchen area in the Furman dining hall which recently began leaking water during periods of heavy snow and rain. Rosengarten reassured the roof is now safe, having been rebuilt with "more durable, longer lasting" material.
Now that the roof has been fixed, Yeshiva administration is setting its sights on upgrading Tenzer Gardens, which they view as an important piece of the campus with much potential. Mr. Rosengarten called it "an exciting project," with two main components; aside from making the Gardens more user-friendly and accessible, the university will also take advantage of the Gardens to better recognize its benefactors. Previously, major donors were recognized on a Benefactors Wall in the back of the Gardens, but a rise in donor giving has made it difficult to acknowledge them all in the outgrown space.
The upgrade, however, was not solely propelled by a need for more donor recognition. Feedback and pressure from three distinct groups - the President's Office, the Wilf family, and the undergraduate Student Life Committee - all conceptually contributed to the project. Mr. Wilf apparently felt the area was "not inviting" and insisted that the university must upgrade the area. "Mr. Wilf wanted the space to be more wide-open," explained Mr. Rosengarten continued.
Some students, however, fear a newer, nicer garden will merely attract more local community members to congregate on Yeshiva property. "It will just be used by the locals," said Josh Kra (YC '07), comparing it to the street mall that lines Amsterdam Avenue between 185th and 186th Streets.
"The students need a field to play sports," added Kra, "so maybe [Tenzer Gardens] would be a great place to create one."