The University of Oxford has officially opened the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, a new cultural campus located in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The centre was designed by Hopkins Architects and developed with significant financial support from philanthropist and businessman Stephen A. Schwarzman, whose total contribution to the project now amounts to £185 million.
For the first time, Oxford’s internationally recognised Humanities faculties—including English Language and Literature, History, Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, Medieval and Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, and Theology and Religion—will be housed together in one facility. The centre also includes the Institute for Ethics in AI (established in 2019), the Oxford Internet Institute, and a new Bodleian Humanities Library.
The building features several public performance spaces: a 500-seat concert hall named Sohmen Concert Hall, a 250-seat theatre, an immersive black box performance space, dance studio and cinema. Additional facilities include exhibition areas, a museum displaying the Bate Collection of historic musical instruments, as well as a café and bar set within extensive gardens.
The centre aims to provide both academic teaching spaces for students and staff as well as research and performance venues intended to foster collaboration across disciplines.
Professor Irene Tracey CBE FRS FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford said: “As one of the world’s top universities for the Humanities, we attract the very best researchers and teachers in its subject areas. To support their ambition for world-leading excellence and collaboration within and across subject boundaries, with artists or scientists, we need places like the new Schwarzman Centre. Its state-of-the-art facilities, reaching out deep into the international cultural community, enables us all to come together in a new dialogue in one extraordinary building befitting of this great and historic University and City.”
Lord Hague of Richmond, Chancellor at Oxford University commented: “This extraordinary investment by Stephen A. Schwarzman represents an enormous vote of confidence in the humanities. The launch of the Schwarzman Centre comes at a time when the perspectives of humanities experts have never been more important in confronting the big challenges facing the world, including AI, human rights and the environment. The benefits of bringing together outstanding students and researchers from so many disciplines in a state-of-the-art building will be felt for generations to come.”
Stephen A. Schwarzman stated: “I’m deeply proud to see students and faculty from across disciplines bring this incredible Centre to life. Its impact will further grow with the launch of the cultural programme next year, creating more opportunities for the public to engage with Oxford. When announcing this gift in 2019, I shared my belief that the study of the Humanities and Ethics were critical to addressing some of the most fundamental questions society faced, including the impacts of AI. The pace of change since then has only made those questions more urgent and reinforced the importance of Oxford’s global leadership in navigating today’s dynamic world.”
A public cultural programme is scheduled to begin with a free celebratory weekend on April 25-26 2026 featuring performances by ZooNation dance company; Scottish Ensemble; Justice in Motion; along with activities throughout all areas open to visitors.
More information about programmes at www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk