Northwestern University plans to start construction this summer to redevelop the lawn area east of the Norris Center on the Evanston campus.
The now largely empty space will gain amenities including a pub, a covered performance pavilion, a rooftop patio and fire pits.
Architecture firm SmithGroup developed the designs for the project. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2025.
Lead donors to the project include Trustee Frank Cohen ’95 and Julie Cohen, Ken and Jana Kahn (’25 P), and Trustee Paul Schneider ’96, ’11 MBA and Nicole Schneider (’22, ’26 P). The East Lawn will be renamed the Cohen Lawn.
NU President Michael Schill said the project will benefit “every member of our community, particularly our students.”
Cohen Lawn’s green space will be enhanced with the addition of a native plant garden, an oak tree grove and improved pedestrian access.
Susan Davis, vice president of student affairs, said the enhanced space “will transform how our students build community and form connections to both place and space at Northwestern.”