102 Greenwich Street Residence Unveiled as DeVos Hall
Members of the Board of Trustees gathered with College staff and faculty to honor the legacy of Richard and Helen DeVos.
On May 10, The King’s College announced the name of its residential building at 102 Greenwich Street, purchased in the summer of 2018, as DeVos Hall. At the dedication ceremony, members of the Board of Trustees gathered with College staff and faculty in the lobby to dedicate the residence, pray for the College, and remember the DeVos family. President Tim Gibson welcomed the crowd in the newly dedicated space, underscoring the importance of the building for the College and gratitude towards the DeVos family.
The building is named after Richard and Helen DeVos, longtime members of the Board of Trustees at The King’s College. Richard DeVos passed away in 2018, and Helen DeVos passed away in 2017. They are gratefully remembered for their guidance of and faithfulness to The King’s College, and for their generosity, which was instrumental in the ongoing work of the school and the purchase of 102 Greenwich.
Chairman of the Board Tim Dunn said, “Richard DeVos was a visionary, a phenomenal entrepreneur, and Helen DeVos the rudder that steered that ship.”
“The DeVoses were great Americans who left behind a legacy we should all hope to leave behind,” he added. “To Rich and Helen we owe this building, and so much more.”
The King’s College closed on the purchase of 102 Greenwich, formerly the Riff Downtown hotel, on June 12, 2018. A four-minute walk from campus, DeVos Hall is the first Manhattan real estate bought by the College, and provides the Houses of Susan B. Anthony and Clara Barton with on-campus housing. The space features a 24/7 front desk service and a large basement that will serve as a community space after renovation. Besides its convenient location near the College, the building is steps away from Trinity Church Wall Street, Zuccotti Park, and the 9/11 Memorial.
Vice President Kimberly Thornbury called the unveiling “one of the most significant events in our 20 years in New York City, and way to honor a couple used by God to expand the mission and vision of the College.”
Eric Bennett, the Vice President for Student Development and a speaker at the unveiling ceremony, said, in the 17 years he’s been at the College, “We have all kinds of transitions that have happened. But what has remained consistent, under every leader, is that we wanted to own a piece of this island, to really be New Yorkers. So this day is sacred for The King’s College, and an answer to a longstanding prayer for the King’s community.”
Regarding the name, Bennett said, “The DeVoses loved America, they loved The King’s College, and they loved the Lord. It’s the right name.”