News

Alan M. Hantman, FAIA, ’65, ’66, ’79, current Spitzer School of Architecture Dean’s Advisory Council member, returns to CCNY as this year’s Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar.

Join us on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, at 5:30 PM as we celebrate the publishing of “Under the Dome: Politics, Crisis, and Architecture at the United States Capitol” by Alan Hantman, FAIA. Books will be available for sale at the Rudin Lecture and Alan will be signing books after the lecture.

Alan was in the first graduating class of what became the CCNY Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1965, a Bachelor of Architecture in 1966, both from CCNY, followed by a Masters in Urban Planning from CUNY in 1979. And most recently, he remains connected to the College serving on the Architecture School’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Alan, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was appointed 10th Architect of the Capitol by President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. With a staff of 2,300, he was entrusted with the operation and preservation of all buildings and grounds on Capitol Hill, and the design and construction of the largest addition to the Capitol in its history.

He led the Architect of the Capitol federal agency, responsible for all architecture, historic preservation, engineering, renovation, new construction, and facilities management for the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, all Congressional office buildings, the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Garden, and the Capitol Power Plant, as well as the care and improvement of nearly 300 acres of historic Capitol grounds.

Alan oversaw the planning, design and construction of the three-story underground expansion of the Capitol, which is the ninth and largest increment of growth since 1793 when the design for the Capitol was first selected by President George Washington. This expansion is the most significant project undertaken by the Office of the Architect of the Capitol since the Dome and extensions to the Capitol were built more than 150 years ago.

Before his appointment as Architect of the Capitol, Alan was Vice President for Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation at Rockefeller Center here in New York. He played a leading role in Rockefeller Center Corporation’s Capital Improvement Program, along with strategic planning responsibilities, with oversight of all art, architecture, and historic preservation issues.

About The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture

Mr. Jack Rudin was a titan of this city. He dedicated his entire career to making New York City a more beautiful and welcoming city for its residents and for the millions who visit each year. He was also a fiercely loyal son of and a dedicated contributor to City College. He served as a member of the board on the 21st Century Foundation and the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

One of Mr. Rudin’s enduring legacies at City College is the establishment of The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program in 1996. The Samuel Rudin Visiting Scholars Lecture, a component of this program, provides an opportunity for members of the college community to interact with outstanding scholars, business leaders, and government officials, enriching the education experience on campus. The Program is also intended to foster communication within the academic community of New York City. Samuel Rudin, a civic and philanthropic leader in New York City, was a member of the Class of 1918 at City College and went on to a prominent real estate career. The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program is supported by a grant from the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.

Previous Rudin Scholars include Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, Walter E. Mosley, Susan Lacy, Ric Burns, Frank McCourt, the Honorable Mario Cuomo, Nobel Laureate Dr. Harold E. Varmus, Distinguished Physicist Michio Kaku, Tony Award-Winning Producer Vivek Tiwary, Nicholas Kristof and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

For more information or event-specific questions, write to events@ccny.cuny.edu.