Traveling to the north edge of Michigan State University’s campus, one will find a river that flows through it, the Red Cedar, and then later run by the street that divides the historic campus from downtown East Lansing, Grand River Ave. It is alongside the hustle and bustle of this avenue (which actually begins in Detroit) that MSU chose to build a 46,000-square-foot art facility—the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. Hard to miss compared to its brick surroundings and location, the building is visually captivating with a steel pleated and glass window exterior formed into a sharp angular trapezoid.
Five years ago, MSU alumnus, entrepreneur and billionaire Eli Broad—along with his wife Edythe—donated $26 million to the university for the museum. After more fundraising and donations, MSU came up with a budget of $40 million for the project. London-based architect Zaha Hadid designed the structure.