The Thomas and Alice Marie Hales Lobby, colloquially known as the BSB Lobby, is located within the Basic Sciences Building (BSB). Arguably the most central and frequently traversed place on the college campus, is a welcoming oasis, nestled in the busy landscape of research labs, teaching facilities, Phillip Capozzi, M.D., Library, bookstore and Doc’s café.
The 2009 renovation and redesign of this campus hub of activity was made possible in part by a donation from trustee Thomas E. Hales and his wife Alice Marie Hales. A modern look, with a nod to school spirit through its use of the school colors, maroon and ochre, embodies the décor.
Designated seating areas are arranged to serve different purposes, where groups of students might gather for study or socialization, while others are designed for more intimate conversations or relaxation between classes. But the design feature that makes the lobby and its environs unique to New York Medical College is the original artwork. Six panels of graphic art in a motif of trees and leaves line the walls and adjacent hallway. Through a series of historical photos, the panels mark important milestones along the fascinating journey the College has taken throughout its history. Street scenes, buildings, laboratories and classrooms from the late 1800s onward are all part of the story. So are key figures in the school’s history, like Clemence Sophia Lozier, M.D., William Cullen Bryant and Cardinal Terence Cooke. Quotations from noted thinkers such as John F. Kennedy, Marcus Aurelius , Oliver Wendell Holmes and William Butler Yeats bring the school’s evolution full circle, impressing upon the readers the impact that medicine, science and an abiding concern for humanity have had upon the College and the world at large. People can walk through the lobby and gain an understanding of how the College is rooted in a long span of history, one that will go on long after they have graduated.