In the fall of 1965, Wendy Cohen opened the large black doors of the Joseph I. Lubin House and walked nervously inside. Like thousands of students since the house’s foundation, she was there for an admissions interview to Syracuse University.

As she walked inside she saw a familiar face on the wall — her grandfather’s.

“I didn’t even know it was the Lubin House. So I walk in and there’s the portrait of him. He was very low-key, he wasn’t a bragger. He did what he did,” said Cohen, Lubin’s granddaughter and longtime member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. “It was more important to him what he did — not that his name was on anything.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Lubin House as SU’s alumni hub in New York City.

The Lubin House offers hundreds of programs and events throughout the year. This includes alumni gatherings, industry discussion panels and art exhibits. The current exhibit, “The Lubin Legacy: Celebrating 50 years at the Joseph I. Lubin House,” honors the memory of Joseph Lubin and was curated by the SUArt Galleries.

Beginning in the 1940s, Joseph Lubin embarked on a lifetime friendship with then-chancellor William Tolley after he brought Cohen’s mother, Ann Lubin Goldstein, to campus for an admissions visit.

Over the years, Lubin contributed charitably to SU. He supported the construction of Manley Field House, established the Lubin-Tolley Book Fund and aided the renovation of Hendricks Chapel.

“He went to night school and worked during the day. He came from nothing and then became very successful,” said Cohen, who is also an SU alumna. “I think one of the greatest influences that he had on me was his sense of giving back — his sense of appreciation and charity.”

In the early 1960s, Syracuse worked to establish a greater presence in the New York metropolitan area and had a one-room office at 335 Madison Ave., which was home to the Biltmore Hotel at that time. Lubin purchased the brownstone at 11 East 61st St. for the purpose of donating it to SU.

Lubin made another gift to the university in 1981, this time donating funds to help renovate the apartment complex next to the original Lubin House into usable space.

Scott McDowell, the executive director of regional strategic communications for Lubin House, said that from the start, the house was supposed to be a spot for alumni and admissions, and that it “has really grown from there.”

“I always used to joke that if I was a junior (in high school) walking in to interview, and I opened these doors and saw this grand marble stair case, ‘Oh my god,’” McDowell said. “I would feel bad for the people at admissions who would have to calm me down for a while after wondering what I had walked into. It is really that nice when you walk in.”

McDowell also said the neighborhood is very high-end and that the location is “splendid.” To McDowell, the space doesn’t feel like an office because of the architecture and small staff. The resource, he said, is invaluable.

Vice President of External Affairs Ruth Kaplan said Lubin House is considered the SU hub of New York City and the New York metro area — it holds more than 400 events throughout the year and caters to over 57,000 alumni who live in the area.

Kaplan said since its opening 50 years ago, the house has become a central meeting point for alumni, perspective students and parents from all over the New York City area.

“I think we have managed to create a presence in the New York City and New York metro area that gives our students and alumni a place to gather, a place to find out information, a place to engage with the university. I think given the size of our alumni base we can always do more,” Kaplan said.

David Rubin, professor and dean emeritus at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said in his 25 years at SU, he has been to the Lubin House hundreds of times. He has utilized the house to meet with potential donors, attend alumni events and simply have a cup of coffee between meetings on the Upper East Side.

“It doesn’t stand out — if it didn’t have an orange flag flying, you wouldn’t really know it was there at all,” Rubin said. “It’s a fantastically good location, but it’s very modest in the way it presents itself in New York City. I am sure New Yorkers would walk by that residence a thousand times and not realized that it is a Syracuse University property.”

He said his happiest experiences at the Lubin House were holding recruiting events and pitching the Newhouse school to potential students.

Said Rubin: “It’s a great facility — Syracuse is lucky to have it.”

Published on February 23, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Jacob: jagedets@syr.edu