The building's unconventional design, created by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, caters to open spaces for increased interaction among students and faculty, adding to Weatherhead's "learner-centered" curriculum, say school officials. Gehry, known for his abstract motifs and use of interesting blends of material, envisions a 143,000-square-foot, five-story red brick building for the Weatherhead School, with a mass of metallic ribbon atop the roof that flows down the structure's sides, some of it actually cascading into the building's interior, separating classrooms from one another.

"Our school has a reputation for being one of the most innovative schools in the U.S., and that's a culture and characteristic that we pride ourselves on," says Dean Scott Cowen. "Frank Gehry's design creates the physical environment that will strengthen our culture."

For Peter Lewis, chairman, CEO, and president of Progressive Corp., the building, slated to become part of a two-building campus bearing his name, is an outgrowth of his business philosophy. "I think [the building] portends to what B-school students can become," he said. "Business is challenging and so dynamic. It requires so much creativity and adjustment, and a staid environment is the wrong place to learn those concepts." Lewis, whose auto insurance business is headquartered in Cleveland, originally pledged $15 million for the new campus in 1996, but upped his pledge by $9 million to cover spiraling costs. Why is he giving so much of his money? He cites his family's association (his parents, sister, grandfather, and son have all graduated from Case Western) to the school, and his desire to contribute to a local business program known for its innovative learning.

A business innovator, Lewis participated in 1965 in one of the first leveraged buyouts in history, wresting control of Progressive, a small auto insurance company with $6 million in revenues at the time. Over the past 30 years, Lewis has transformed the company into a full-line auto insurer with annual sales of $4.8 billion, making it the fifth-largest auto insurer in the U.S. Over the past three years, Lewis has earned shareholders a 202% return, good enough to land Progressive in the Business Week 50, an annual ranking of the best-performing companies in the nation.

Lewis suggested Gehry's appointment as the building's chief architect. Not surprising, considering that the two men have had an almost 15-year association, and had previously worked on three projects together, none of which were realized. Gehry, noted for his provocative designs, has produced public and private buildings around the world over the last four decades. His recent completion of the Guggenheim Musuem in Bilbao, Spain, is considered an architectural wonder, comprising a collection of blocks with a metallic roof resembling a flower. "I think Peter wanted to see us push the envelope," says chairman of the board of trustees, John Lewis (no relation to the donor). "This [building] is the message we want to send to business school students -- that the future of business is going to belong to those who are willing to take risks and embrace change to explore new ideas."

Change and innovation are, in fact, hallmarks of the Case Western's Weatherhead School, which has consistently placed in Business Week's Top 50 business-school ranking based largely on the merits of its experimental curriculum and creative learning techniques. Weatherhead tailors its learning to take advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student.