What to See in Stony Brook - Top Sights and Attractions

Performing arts theater in Stony Brook, New York. The Staller Center for the Arts is the main arts building at Stony Brook University. It opened in 1978 as the Stony Brook University Fine Arts Center before being renamed in October 1988 after a $1.8 million donation from the Staller family.

Located on the main campus of Stony Brook University, it consists of two main divisions. One section houses the music and art departments, while the other consists of the theatre, media, and dance departments. The Staller Center contains three black-box theatres, a recital hall, the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery and a professional 1,000-seat performance stage that features a 40-foot movie screen and is the site of the Stony Brook Film Festival. The Staller Center has hosted several nationwide events such as the New York Science Fiction Forum in 1998 and more recently the Live Action Role Playing League's production of A Link to the Past. The black-box theaters are used by the theater arts department and Pocket Theater Club for stage performances of plays. The Staller Center has hosted speakers ranging from Bob Woodward, Bob Saget, Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington, Stephanie Kelton and Spike Lee.^[3]

University library in Stony Brook, New York. The Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library is the main library at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. It is named for the father of philanthropist Ward Melville, who donated 400 acres of land and money to establish Stony Brook University in 1957. It originally opened in July 1963 and has massively expanded since its original construction. The library was dedicated to Melville in 1971.

The library currently holds over two million volumes, over 300 databases, 70,000 electronic journals, 10,000 electronic books, 10,000 compact disks and 6,000 films. The six-story building encompasses roughly 682,000 square feet of space and is in use by over fifty different administrative and academic departments. Numerous retail companies ranging from Shop Red West (one of the university's bookstores) to Starbucks are housed in the Melville Library.^[4]

The Jacob K. Javits Lecture Center also known as Javits Center or Javits for short is the main lecture center at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York. It is located in west campus south of the main Academic Mall. It houses many of the lecture halls in campus and most of the general first-year courses are lectured here. Javits 100 is the largest lecture hall on campus, with 570 seats including a balcony. Other lecture halls include four 103-seat ones and two 218-seat ones.

Javits also houses the primary audio visual services support office.

There are currently plans to completely renovate the Javits Lecture Center; the University maintains a webpage about the project. The structural engineers that are taking on this project is Leslie E. Robertson Associates.^[6]

Cultural center in Stony Brook, New York. The Charles B. Wang Center, located at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, is a building dedicated to understanding Asian and American cultures, and the interactions of these cultures with other world cultures. The center was completed in 2002, and was designed by P.H. Tuan. Building of the center was intended to be funded by Charles B. Wang through a $52 million donation to Stony Brook University, which was then the largest ever private donation to a school in the State University of New York system. Actual construction costs far exceeded the original donation, becoming a source of controversy among students and faculty at the time.

The building covers 120,000 square feet (11,000 m²), and is noted for its interior architecture. The building holds numerous conference halls, classrooms (although no classes have been held in the building), auditoriums, a chapel, and an East Asian food court for students. Thus far, the center has been the location for numerous presentations, as well as films, and conferences that deal with multicultural issues.^[7]

Shopping center in Stony Brook, New York. Stony Brook, New York, is located just 60 miles from Manhattan, and is home to the Stony Brook Village Center. The colonial-style village center was the creation of philanthropist and businessman Ward Melville. The center blends shopping, restaurants, history, music, art and nature. Now consisting of 35 shops, it includes small locally owned businesses and national stores like Chico's and LOFT, as well as seven eateries. Surrounded by history and National and State landmarks, Stony Brook Village Center exists as the window to the past, and a door to the future of lifestyle communities. The Stony Brook Grist Mill, and the Hercules Pavilion, which houses the U.S.S Ohio's Hercules figurehead, as well as the only surviving artifact of the 1870 Charles Hall expedition to the arctic, the Polaris Whaleboat are a two minute walk from the center. Immediately across from the center is Avalon Park and Preserve, a 140-acre park with multiple trails for the public year-round. Other environs of Stony Brook Village Center include the Three Village Inn, the Jazz Loft and the Long Island Museum. The Three Village Inn is a historic establishment that offers lodging both at the main house and in cottages, as well as 250 seat restaurant. The Mirabelle Restaurant and Tavern is located inside the inn, with Executive Chef Guy Reuge providing “fresh-meets-French cuisine”. The Jazz Loft is a museum and music venue that resides directly across from the Three Village Inn on one side, and Stony Brook Village Center on the other. The Long Island Museum, which holds exhibits of American art, history and carriages and the historic Country House Restaurant are moments away at the entrance to the village.^[8]