Boston-based real estate developer Ronald Druker and his family organization, the Bertram A. and Ronald M. Druker Charitable Foundation have donated $15 million to the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). The donation will be used for renovating and expanding Gund Hall, which was designed by Australian architect and GSD alum John Andrews.
Druker, a 1975-1976 Loeb Fellow, taught at the GSD's urban design program from 1975 to 1983. In 1986, he established the Druker Traveling Fellowship. Recently, he has been working with the GSD's dean and Alexander and Victoria Wiley professor of design Mohsen Mostafavi, Intl. Assoc. AIA, to plan the future development of the school. “For more than four decades, the GSD has played an integral role in both my professional and personal life," said Druker in a press release. "I’m pleased to have this opportunity to serve as a catalyst in creating the environment that fosters innovative design education. This gift reflects my admiration and respect for the school, Dean Mostafavi, and his vision for the future.”
In appreciation of his gift, the school will rename Gund Hall's main exhibition gallery as the Druker Design Gallery, which has featured works by renowned artists, architects, and designers, including late Japanese architect Kenzo Tange in 2009; Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in 2011; and Japanese landscape architect Toru Mitani in 2017.
“I am delighted that this generous gift from Ron, one of the GSD’s most prominent, committed, and long-standing advocates and supporters, will provide resources crucial to helping us move forward our plans to build new, innovative spaces of research and learning,” said Mostafavi in the same release. “It is equally meaningful and fitting for the school to be able to name its primary exhibition space in his honor.”
