Before spring break, Newman announced its plans to renovate the Bertha Marcus Levy Student Center, an essential building at the front of the school that currently houses the Dining Hall, Mini Theatre, Newman Archives, and Breakthrough New Orleans Office.

The Levy Student Center was built in 1973 (along with the Lower School Building, now known as the Doris Zemurray Stone Building) to provide a new cafeteria (which was formerly located on the first floor of Valmont), a multipurpose space for meetings and events (The Mini Theatre), and a space for students to study and hang out (the current location of the archives used to have study carrols, couches, and even a pool table!). Over the years, the second floor housed the Advancement Office, Newman Parents Association Office, College Counseling Office, Summerbridge (now known as Breakthrough), and most recently the Band Room (after the Keller Fine Arts Center was demolished to make way for Jolly Science & Technology Center) until the Bollinger Performing Arts Building was opened in 2022. The building was last renovated in 2000 with support from the Newman Parents Association and alumni donors.

The $5 million renovation will include aesthetic and culinary upgrades to the Sheryl and Bob Merrick Dining Hall, infrastructure upgrades to the school’s generator and Stone and Levy building’s HVAC system, and a redesigned second floor to house some of the most important school support services. The Business Office, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Security offices will move from the second floor of Jefferson to the Levy building, and Breakthrough New Orleans and the Newman Archives will receive upgraded spaces. The project will also include a new server room and fiber optic upgrades across campus to improve our campus-wide technology infrastructure.

The capital project will be primarily be funded by Sheryl and Bob Merrick (former Newman parents and current Newman grandparents), in addition to other philanthropic gifts. Bob Merrick stated: “Sheryl and I are honored to support Isidore Newman School with this lead gift. Newman has been a leader in educating New Orleanians for generations, including eight of our grandchildren. We strongly believe in the mission, culture, and values of the School.”

This project also marks the 7th major capital project under Head of School Dale Smith’s leadership. Previous ones include: Green Trees Early Childhood Village, Manning Family Athletic Complex, Rupa and Tarun Jolly Science and Technology Building, Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation Visual Arts Studio, Joy and Bosie Bollinger Performing Arts Building, and Manning Fieldhouse/Cotonio Palaestra Locker Room Renovations. Mr. Smith states: “Strong relationships are critical to our mission and a hallmark of the Newman experience. These enhancements will foster community for our current students and for future generations of Newman students. Thank you to Sheryl and Bob for their unwavering support of Isidore Newman School.”

The renovation is expected to begin near the end of the school year, with all second floor offices expected to be emptied by May 5th. The Archives will temporarily be housed in the Coaches’ Hospitality Room on the second floor of the Cotonio Palaestra (next to the Athletic Department, and the Breaththrough New Orleans Office will temporarily be located in Saratoga 205. The renovation is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.