The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre, a world-class hub for the Arts and Humanities, will open to the academic community on 13 October 2025, with its public cultural programme launching in April 2026.

Designed by the acclaimed British firm Hopkins Architects, the Schwarzman Centre forms a major new cultural campus in Oxford’s Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The project was made possible by the largest single gift in modern University history from philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman, whose total contribution now stands at £185 million, thanks to additional support from other donors.

The state-of-the-art facility will co-locate Oxford University’s leading Humanities faculties for the first time, including English Language and Literature, History, Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, Medieval and Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, and Theology and Religion. The Centre will also house the Institute for Ethics in AI, the Oxford Internet Institute, and the new Bodleian Humanities Library.

Public-facing spaces are designed to showcase the arts and include the 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall, a 250-seat theatre, a black box immersive performance space, a dance studio, a cinema, an exhibition space, and a museum featuring the Bate Collection of historic musical instruments. Visitors will also enjoy a café, bar, and extensive gardens, making the Schwarzman Centre a hub for both academic study and cultural engagement.