Johnson College Hosts Debut Event for Ideal Saldi Hall

Ideal Saldi Hall is one of four components of the College’s comprehensive, five-year capital campaign, “Innovation at Work.” The building honors the legacy of Ideal T. Saldi, a Johnson College alum from the class of 1949. He and his wife, Frances, contributed $1 million to the College’s capital campaign, which is the largest gift from a Johnson College alum to date and will have a lasting impact on the school and its students.

“At 19,000 sq. feet, this building provides a home to four labs, two general education classrooms, the most innovative and high-tech conference room in all of NEPA, and office space for staff that directly serve our students,” said Dr. Katie Leonard. Ideal Saldi Hall now houses student-facing departments including Enrollment, Financial Aid, and the Registrar, as well as programs including Architectural Drafting & Design Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, and Mechatronics Technology.

Construction of Ideal Saldi Hall began in 2022, following the public announcement of the capital campaign and the official reveal of the building, designed by WKL Architecture. Under the construction management of L.R. Costanzo Co., Inc., the building took shape quickly and was forged with the help of many of Johnson College’s industry partners and alumni.

The building now sits on the former site of Richmond Hall, a piece of the original Willian H Richmond estate given to the College’s founder, Orlando S. Johnson, to fulfil his dream of creating a trade school for women and men.

Mr. Boniello, who serves as the chairperson of the “Innovation at Work” capital campaign said, “Ideal Saldi Hall will provide the gateway into future decades of Johnson College students and will help to shape the future industry leaders, innovators, and workers that will not only make a difference in the area we live in but also the world.”

The event concluded with an official ribbon cutting for the building.