Avedisian Hall has a brief history, but one that is deeply connected to pharmacy and philanthropy at the University of Rhode Island.
Built in 2012, Avedisian is one of the University’s biggest buildings. Five stories, 144,000 square-feet and $75 million later, the College of Pharmacy found its new home, according to the University events page .
The name Avedisian came in October of 2017, after a donation of $5 million to the College of Pharmacy by Edward Avedisian in honor of his brother, Paramaz, who had died earlier that year. Previously the building was known as the College of Pharmacy, or the pharmacy building.
Paramaz Avedisian graduated from URI in 1954, as a Pawtucket, Rhode Island native of Armenian descent. Avedisian had a fascination with pharmacy and chemistry as a young child, spending lots of time at a local drug store in Pawtucket, according to the URI College of Pharmacy web page .
Avedisian studied pharmacy at URI, and was deeply connected to the program. His father died while he was attending the University, leaving him without funds, according to the web page. Tom Simpson, Avedisian’s boss and role model, the owner of a pharmacy local to his hometown where he worked, took it upon himself to pay the rest of Avedisian’s tuition.
Avedisian did not let this generosity go to waste, and gave back to the program by tutoring a deaf classmate, who eventually graduated. After graduation, Avedisian opened up his own pharmacy in Washington, D.C. called Wheaton Pharmacy, which he owned for 30 years.
He was known for his generosity and keenness to help others, as he even paid for one of his customer’s medications to alleviate pressure on paying for his son’s college education, according to the web page.
“If you can’t be an advocate for the patient, why be a pharmacist?,” Edward Avedisian said in an interview with the College of Pharmacy, was Paramaz’s philosophy on pharmacy.
The building is situated on the northernmost side of the Kingston campus, and east of the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences and Chafee Social Science Center. Inside the building, the first floor holds a grand piano, large windows allowing sunlight to shine through and plants lining the walls, accompanying students studying or passing time between classes.
In 2022, Edward Avedisian died at the age of 85 and was a major philanthropist himself, as he donated over $125 million in his career, the majority of which went to Boston University’s Medical School, according to The Wall Street Journal.
His career was different from his brother’s however, as he studied music at Boston University, and was a professional clarinetist for 43 years for both the Boston Ballet Orchestra and Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, according to his obituary.
“Edward’s generosity in honoring his brother will make it possible for students and faculty to carry on Paramaz’s distinguished legacy through innovation and teaching,” URI Foundation President Lil O’Rourke said in an interview with the College of Pharmacy.
Today Avedisian Hall continues to serve the College of Pharmacy and its students, and the Avedisian family’s legacy is one that will set an example for these students who roam its halls for years to come.