Bowne Hall
Plans Authorized by Trustees: January 1906
Contracts Awarded: May 1906
Opened for Classes: Fall 1907
Construction Began: Fall 1906
Contractors: Dawson Brothers
Materials: Brick and terra cotta
Cost: $175,000 approximately
Notes:
A chemistry building had been needed for years since the Department of Chemistry had outgrown its cramped quarters in the basement of the Hall of Languages. In January 1906 the Board of Trustees approved the borrowing of $100,000 to build a chemistry building. Construction started shortly, but it was soon discovered the University did not have sufficient funds to complete it. At this point Samuel W. Bowne of New York City, a trustee of the University from 1893 to 1911, contributed $100,000 to complete the building.
The building is fire-proof; the desks are of red oak; the floors in the hallways are red cement.
