$45 million Hudson Building transforms Eye Center

The Duke Eye Center was transformed Monday when the Hudson Building—a four-story, 116,000-square-foot pavilion—was unveiled.

The $45 million facility will allow the center—which also consists of the Wadsworth Building and Albert Eye Research Institute—to accommodate 15,000 more patient visits each year and contains advanced technology and equipment to treat common problems such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration.

The only blind architect in the U.S.,Chris Downey, designed the building with low-vision patients in mind, including the use of Braille and raised lettering on signs. The facility also incorporates environmentally friendly elements and is on track for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. Construction began in 2012 to replace the previous clinic building, which was built in 1970.

“The new Hudson Building is dedicated to delivering the latest and most inspired clinical care in the world and signals a momentous transformation of the eye center,” said Dr. Edward Buckley, chair of the ophthalmology department, in a Duke Medicine news release.

Located on Erwin Road next to the Wadsworth Building, the Hudson Building is named after William Hudson, chair of the Duke Eye Center Advisory Board and CEO of the Durham-based LC Industries, which donated $16 million to the center's construction. The company is the largest employer of blind people in the U.S.

“We developed a relationship with the Eye Center early on because it’s a perfect partnership,” Hudson said in the release. “LC Industries provides jobs and educational opportunities for the visually impaired, but we can’t conduct research or offer vision care. Because of this new building and the people involved, I’m confident that Duke Eye Center will be a world leader in restoring sight to people who are blind.”