Olin Hall

Olin Hall (built 1975)

Originally submitted by: Larissa Wurm, Drake University, Nov 29, 2010

The Opening of Olin Hall

Olin Hall held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 9th, 1975. The Olin Foundation, Inc. of New York City donated $3,263,000 to Drake University to build a new biological sciences building, along with another $281,620 to purchase and install equipment for the building. This donation was the largest single grant in the history of the university[1][2].

Dr. Charles Lilley Horn (Olin Foundation President) and Dr. Wilbur C. Miller (University President) made the announcement of the grant May 20, 1973, Dr. Horn saying “I have known Drake and some of its people from my early days in Iowa. In addition, the Foundation has admired the University’s ability to maintain a position of educational leadership in a time of adverse condition for higher education. We are extremely pleased to present this building to Drake University”[2].

Dr. Miller, in response to the grant, said “We are deeply grateful to the Olin Foundation for enabling Drake to achieve this step in the development of its science complex. Drake continues to offer outstanding programs in biology and pre-medicine. The facilities needed to support these programs have long been outgrown" [2].

Construction and Design

The floor plan for the building, designed by Grover Dimond & Associates from St. Pau

l, Minnesota, was 76,000 square feet. It contained:

• 4 floors (including a basement level, so it matched the height of the other building on campus)
• 14 labs for research in microbiology, physiology, ecology, embryology, comparative anatomy, and genetics
• 34 offices for faculty and grad students
• 2 lecture halls, one holding 250 students, the other 100

The main entry plaza to the building is formed by the roof of the lecture hall[2] [3].

Who was involved? [4] o Gordon Edberg (Grover Dimond and Ellerbe, Inc.) – designer o Ellerbe, Inc. – architectural administration o Donald Chapman (Grover Dimond and Ellerbe, Inc.) – structural engineer o Built by Vawter & Walter Inc. o Capital City Electric Company – electrical o Stroh Corporation - mechanical