New Arts & Sciences Building

A rendering of Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney Hall, viewed from the northwest, looking towards Graham Chapel.

Riney Hall's open collaboration space supports student and faculty work and special events.

The garden level opens to the new Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney Quadrangle.

"The Street," viewed from the Riney Hall's south entry, is envisioned as the heart of student and faculty life.

Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney Hall

A new presence at the heart of the Danforth Campus

Coinciding with the launch of the Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan, Washington University in St. Louis is constructing a new state-of-the-art building and the first dedicated home for Arts & Sciences on the Danforth Campus.

The approximately 110,000-square-foot, three-story building and its surrounding landscape will create a new quad at the heart of campus, west of Olin Library and northwest of Graham Chapel. The building and quadrangle will be named for Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney in recognition of a pledge from Michael, BSBA ’08, and Quirsis “Kaisy” Riney, St. Louis business leaders and philanthropists.

A dynamic home for Arts & Sciences

Riney Hall will house key departments and units, bring together student-facing academic services and resources, and create signature event and gathering spaces. The building will be home to the departments of African and African-American Studies (AFAS) and of Sociology; the undergraduate advising function of the College of Arts & Sciences, serving WashU’s largest undergraduate body; and the Office of Graduate Studies, which administers and awards all doctoral degrees in Arts & Sciences.

There will also be a space to support faculty research. Dubbed “The Incubator,” it will foster a host of collaborative research opportunities for WashU faculty and students and house two signature initiatives of the Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan — the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures and the Transdisciplinary Institute in Applied Data Sciences — among others.

“Riney Hall will be the crown jewel of Arts & Sciences, providing the school a state-of-the-art facility that will foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas for the entire WashU community,”

―Feng Sheng Hu Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences and Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor

View an animated fly-through of Riney Hall

You’ll find an array of spaces and structures reflecting the aspirational work of Arts & Sciences. The building, a beacon on the Danforth campus, will underscore our commitment to academic distinction.

Dedicated home for Arts & Sciences to break ground in spring

Arts & Sciences shares building project updates, names architect

Chancellor Andrew Martin — Riney Hall presents an extraordinary opportunity for Arts & Sciences to enhance its academic distinction by housing premier departments and programs, support its commitment to diversity and inclusion, strengthen student-facing academic services and resources, and showcase its vibrant intellectual community through signature event and gathering spaces.
―Andrew D. MartinChancellor of Washington University in St. Louis

This is the decade of Arts & Sciences.

Learn more about our plans for a bold future.

Visit the Strategic Plan site