On a university campus, the first day of classes sets the schedule for everything that follows. When the semester starts, campus facilities have to be ready.
Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall was ready. The new College of Letters & Science building opened to UW-Madison students and faculty on the first day of the fall 2026 semester.
On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the university celebrated the completed building with an open house and ribbon cutting. Brothers Marv and Jeff Levy, whose $20 million lead gift honors their late parents, cut the ribbon alongside Governor Tony Evers, interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots and campus leaders. According to UW-Madison News, the $115 million project was completed on time and on budget. The State of Wisconsin contributed $60 million, with gifts from other donors completing the funding.
Levy Hall brings eight departments together under one roof: African American Studies, American Indian & Indigenous Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano/a and Latina/o Studies, Gender & Women's Studies, History, Jewish Studies and Religious Studies. The 136,000 square foot building at the corner of North Park and West Johnson streets includes 13 classrooms with 1,100 instructional seats.
With the fall semester underway, UW-Madison is documenting the building in use. UW-Madison News reports students filling lecture halls and study pods, stopping at the café and meeting with career advisors at the Baumann Family SuccessWorks Gateway. Faculty are also using Levy Hall for research and collaboration.
C.D. Smith Construction served as construction manager for Levy Hall. The milestones below follow the project from its May 2024 groundbreaking through the 2025 steel work for the main lecture hall.
The main lecture hall at Levy Hall required two steel girders, each 78 feet long and weighing 115,431 pounds. C.D. Smith self performed the work on a Saturday morning, using two cranes during a street closure from 4:30 to 11 a.m. Each girder took about an hour to set.
Read the full construction story →
Date: Sep 23, 2026
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On May 2, 2024, the College of Letters & Science held a groundbreaking ceremony for Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall, the future home for the humanities at UW-Madison.
You can visit their new landing page (ls.wisc.edu/irving-and-dorothy-levy-hall) to learn more or check out the summary below:
THE HUMANITIES | Strength in Unity
The building was designed as a hub for interdepartmental research, collaboration and intellectual exchange.
Designed to encourage interaction and collaboration, plans for the 136,000 square foot building shared at the groundbreaking include:
1. Department of History
2. African American Studies
3. American Indian and Indigenous Studies
4. Asian American Studies
5. Chicano/a and Latina/o Studies
6. Gender & Women's Studies
7. Jewish Studies
8. Religious Studies
WHY IT MATTERS | Benefits for Students
At the time of groundbreaking, Levy Hall was designed to encourage interaction and collaboration across the humanities. Plans for the 136,000 square foot building included:
» Five levels, including an underground floor and rooftop garden
» Neighboring faculty offices for intellectual exchanges
» 13 classrooms that can accommodate 1,100 seats
» Modern technology and flexible layouts
» Sustainable architectural practices
WHAT CAME NEXT | Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall opened to students and faculty for the fall 2026 semester. Read the opening update ↑
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Students and faculty began using Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall for the fall 2026 semester. UW-Madison held the official grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Levy Hall is located at 930 W. Johnson St., at the corner of North Park and West Johnson streets on the UW-Madison campus.
Levy Hall is the College of Letters & Science home for eight humanities and interpretive social science departments. UW-Madison News also reports students using its study pods, café and the Baumann Family SuccessWorks Gateway for career advising.
The building includes 13 classrooms with 1,100 instructional seats.
C.D. Smith Construction served as construction manager. C.D. Smith crews self performed the placement of two steel girders for the main lecture hall, each 78 feet long and weighing 115,431 pounds.
According to UW-Madison News, the $115 million project was completed on time and on budget.
«•»Beneath the Hard Hat® and IN THE NEWS
Donors, lawmakers gather for ribbon cutting at UW Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall | The Daily Cardinal | 09.21.2026
Ceremony coverage details the eight departments now housed in the building and its 13 classrooms with 1,100 instructional seats.
UW’s new Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall welcomes the world | UW-Madison News | 09.18.2026
Students and faculty began using Levy Hall with the fall semester ahead of the September 17 grand opening and ribbon cutting.
UW-Madison opens Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall | WMTV15 News | 09.18.2026
University leaders and Governor Tony Evers marked the opening of the new home for humanities classes at North Park and West Johnson streets.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Brings Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall One Step Closer to Reality | College of Letters & Science University of Wisconsin-Madison | 05.06.2024
The May 2024 groundbreaking marked the start of construction for the new College of Letters & Science building.
Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall Will Be a Hub for the Humanities | College of Letters & Science University of Wisconsin-Madison 05.06.2024
The new state-of-the-art building will open doors for better classroom experiences and interdepartmental research collaboration, while also sending a profound message about the incredible value of the humanities.
Transformative $20 million lead gift to help realize vision of new Letters & Science Academic Building | College of Letters & Science University of Wisconsin-Madison 10.13.2021