Northwestern University Reimagines Jacobs Center as a Hub for Social Sciences

Northwestern University began construction in April of 2024 on an interior renovation of the Donald P. Jacobs Center in Evanston, Ill. Designed by William Rawn Associates and Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, the transformed facility will act as a beacon of innovation in the social sciences where tomorrow’s leaders will explore new solutions to pressing global challenges. The existing 340,000-sf structure most recently housed the Kellogg School of Management and was built in phases between 1972 and 2001.

Funded in part by a $10 million donation, the project will accommodate classrooms, labs, offices, meeting and seminar rooms, gathering spaces, and a dining area. Vibrant collaboration venues will enable faculty and students to engage in shared discovery, complemented by a 150-person event venue opening onto an outdoor terrace. The center will house the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, the Institute for Policy Research, and scholars from the School of Education and Social Policy. Several departments within the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences will be located in the building, as well as the Program in Global Health Studies and the Center for International and Area Studies.

Bulley & Andrews is the general contractor for the sustainably designed facility, which is slated for completion in 2026.