Villanova University Announces Plan for New Building to House Falvey Library

VILLANOVA, Pa. (December 5, 2023)—Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, today announced plans for a new 150,000-square-foot building for Falvey Library at the current site of Kennedy Hall. This major construction project illustrates Villanova’s ongoing commitment to advancing scholarship at the University and enhancing the learning experience for all. The new building will be named Vic Maggitti Hall in recognition of a previously announced $20 million leadership gift from Victor J. Maggitti, Jr. ’56 VSB.

“A centerpiece of Villanova’s campus, the new Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall represents a profound investment in Villanova’s future,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “Located in the heart of campus, Maggitti Hall will have an immediate impact on our academic community, serve the University’s long-range goals, and be a source of pride for all Villanovans.”

This new building highlights Villanova’s ongoing plans to upgrade its academic facilities—as outlined in the University’s Strategic Plan, Rooted. Restless.—to better support Villanova’s position as a national research institution. Designed with input from more than 400 students, faculty and staff, Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall will feature five floors of modern, technology-enabled spaces that will amplify Villanova’s research capacity, invigorate teaching and learning, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. It will also create an engaging and comfortable home for students and faculty to learn, study, discover and connect with one another.

“Villanova’s library was important to me when I was a student, and it is even more critical in today’s world,” said Victor J. Maggitti, Jr. ’56 VSB. “The value and relevance of academic libraries have only expanded in the 21^st century. All top-tier universities are expected to have an exceptional library with technology, study space, staffing and collections vital to research and learning—and Villanova should be no different.”

The new 150,000-square-foot Vic Maggitti Hall will allow existing services to expand in square footage and capacity. Features of the building will include:

• Areas to showcase rare and distinctive collections, highlighting the University’s fast-growing rare books, manuscripts collections and archives in high-tech, accessible spaces that will offer ample room for reading, teaching and appropriate storage.

• An expanded digital scholarship suite where faculty and students learn how to use digital tools and techniques (e.g. data visualization, text analysis, and mapping) in their research.

• On-site general collections, housed in browsable, compact shelving.

• Engaging event spaces for lectures, conferences and other programming that will bring the University’s community together.

• A floor dedicated to the student learning experience, called the Learning Commons, bringing essential academic resources for students—including the Writing Center, The Learners’ Studio (tutoring), Learning Support Services and the Center for Access, Success and Achievement (CASA)—together in a larger, central location.

• Research and Teaching Commons, a collection of the critical teams and resources that help the teacher-scholar model flourish at Villanova, including research librarians, the Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning (VITAL); and the Villanova Institute for Research and Scholarship (VIRS).

• An impressive main entrance which will carry visitors from the Riley Ellipse at the center of campus into a bright atrium. The architectural focal point for the building, the atrium will open to the floors above and below.

• A significant increase in study seats and meeting rooms, including flexibility to accommodate additional seating during peak usage times, as well as a dedicated graduate student space.

“Falvey Library’s new home in Vic Maggitti Hall will be transformative, enabling even greater support for the current and future needs of Villanova’s academic community,” said Millicent Gaskell, University Librarian and Director of Falvey Library. “It will be a modern, welcoming space for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to come together as they advance their intellectual pursuits.”

In addition to the leadership gift from Mr. Maggitti, significant gifts from The Luckow Family Foundation, The Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Family Foundation, and The Waterhouse Family Foundation have been instrumental in bringing the new Library building project to fruition.

Villanova will begin the $150 million project in Summer 2024 with the demolition of Kennedy Hall; the new building is scheduled to be completed by Winter 2027. The project was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP.

About Falvey Library: Falvey Library serves as the primary source of academic information at Villanova University, supporting research, teaching and learning, while advancing global scholarship. Falvey Library’s collection contains more than 1.68 million titles, including books, periodicals, print and electronic journals, a digital library collection and online exhibits and special collections. Additionally, the Library comprises individual and group study spaces, the Dugan Polk Family Reading Room, the Speaker’s Corner for events and programs, and a Learning Commons, which includes the Writing Center, Math Learning and Resource Center and Learning Support Services.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.