Bask in the breath-taking views, open spaces, and bright future of Texas A&M Physics and Astronomy epitomized by the George P. Mitchell ’40 Physics Building and the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy. Dedicated in December 2009 and hailed as permanent showpieces for quality architecture and focal points of the Texas A&M campus, the $82.5 million buildings are designed by noted architect Michael Graves and are the first on campus to be financed through a public-private partnership involving substantial donor funds – a $35 million lead gift from George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell that represented the largest donation to Texas A&M’s $1 billion “One Spirit One Vision” capital campaign.

The two buildings feature nearly 200,000 square feet of dedicated space for consolidated physics teaching and research activities, in addition to the campus’s first rooftop garden showcasing native Texas plants chosen for their fragrance and color. From the Foucault pendulum and Penrose tile that dazzle visitors as they enter the Mitchell Institute to the high-tech classrooms and teaching laboratories that dominate the Mitchell Physics Building, the two facilities collectively deliver on the Mitchells’ original vision of them as the cornerstone of the university’s burgeoning physics and astronomy programs.