Basic Sciences Building: 70th Anniversary of Groundbreaking
By Office of the President | Apr 17, 2023
Seventy years ago, in April 1953, the state of New York broke ground on the new Basic Sciences Building at Downstate, establishing the beginning of the “Downstate” era. On April 5, 1950, following the signing of a merger between the Long Island College of Medicine and the State University of New York, which was newly established, broke ground for the current Basic Sciences Building; President Dwight D. Eisenhower subsequently laid the cornerstone in 1954.
After the Basic Sciences Building was constructed, in 1963 it became a rallying point for demonstrations led by civil rights leaders to block the construction of University Hospital of Brooklyn, amid demands that Black and Puerto Rican workers be hired for construction jobs. In addition to a series of demonstrations citwide, at least ten Brooklyn activists were arrested outside of Downstate.
Among the civil rights leaders and ministers arrested for demonstrating were influential names in the movement. Decades later, in 2007, H. Carl McCall would join the SUNY Board of Trustees, and in 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the State University of New York Board of Trustees.
A fierce advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Chair McCall spent every day as Chairman of SUNY championing the issues most important to students and faculty throughout SUNY System. Chairman Emeritus McCall is a historical figure for New York State and SUNY. His influence was so significant that the SUNY headquarters in Albany was renamed in 2020 as the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building.
