Jeter Cook & Jepson Architects, the firm that designed the Center for Film Studies (CFS), recently received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Connecticut Design Citation for its work on the building, which opened in September.
The Connecticut chapter of the AIA praised the film center’s ability to add onto the existing Cinema Archives building.
“The Center attaches itself to a small scale building with a transparent link, resulting in an odd, but seemingly happy couple,” wrote the AIA in its accolade. “The building itself has a clear expression of structure and order and enlivens the street.”
James LaPosta, the chief architect for the project, said the process was extraordinarily smooth.
“Wesleyan was very clear about their program and their design,” LaPosta said. “We’re delighted. We couldn’t be happier.”
LaPosta worked with professor of film studies and head of the film studies program Jeanine Basinger, as well as alumni, faculty and students to arrive at the final design. LaPosta said that early in the process he could tell the house for the Cinema Archives was very important and so he designed accordingly.
The Cinema Archives is a cornerstone of the CFS as it houses an abundance of film collections including those of Clint Eastwood, Ingrid Bergman, Elia Kazan, Martin Scorsese and Frank Capra.
Basinger said she had promised to keep such artifacts in a “place of spirit, of warmth.”
“We wanted to set the house off like a little jewel,” LaPosta said.
Faculties from the film studies program were also pleased with the award.
“Naturally, we’re all thrilled,” Basinger said. “[The CFS] has a wonderful quality to it. It has a calm, open, beautiful feeling.”.
According to Basinger, the CFS was desperately needed after professors and administrators found themselves working around the clock to accommodate the growing program of 70-plus film majors.
“It was a great working experience,” she said. “This kind of says to us, ‘Now film has a proper home.’”
Film majors are not the only students taking advantage of the CFS, Basinger added. Several programs initiated by other departments within the University will use the Center for film screenings.
“We’re finding to our joy that everyone is using it,” she said.
Particularly noteworthy is the new theater’s ability to show screenings in a variety of film media, including 16mm, 35mm and 70mm film, video and DVD.
“With the silent films, you would have to watch them at a faster speed,” said Ingrid Avarena ’06, a film major. “ Now, [in the CFS] you can watch them as they should be.”
Martin Scorsese, who was the keynote speaker at the building’s inauguration, spoke about the importance of having a place like the CFS in his opening address, calling it a privilege to be able to study film in a University setting.
According to LaPosta, the CFS was the first project the firm has done with the University in several years.
Laposta’s firm also received a Design Award for the library at the University of Connecticut’s Waterbury campus.