Michigan State University Chemical Laboratory

History

The MSU Chemical Laboratory was the first laboratory built on the Michigan State University campus. In 1869, the chemical laboratory took $10,000 to be constructed on campus. The new laboratory was going to occupy some of the rooms in the north side of the college hall and more of the land near college hall. The new chemical laboratory was intended to satisfy the needs of all of those looking to further their education in some type of chemical science and for those who just had a chemistry class. Chemists at Michigan State had no official place to call their own and mix their various chemicals. The new chemical lab had cut the limitations on what the chemists and students could now do with the different chemicals. The Chemical Laboratory was unseen before on the Michigan State University campus before 1869. When the College Board had decided to build the Chemical Laboratory, people rejoiced because the chemical laboratory was long-awaited. People felt that the laboratory was overdue because, being an agricultural college; Michigan State students needed a place to continue their extensive research. Even though the chemical lab was built in 1869, it didn’t open its doors until September 1871. During the two years from the time it was built until it opened, Michigan State had to get the appropriate staff to work the laboratory and all of the suitable equipment that would go into the labs.

Occupying the north wing of the chemical lab was the Department of Physics, which was going through changes. The physics department had removed itself from the chemical department in 1889. P.B. Woodworth was in control of the physics department and he had made physics its own department. At Michigan State University, the physics department was the first to allow women into the curriculum to learn physics. However, female students were not allowed in the physics laboratory with their male counterpart. The physics department had installed electric lighting on the outside of the “Chemical Fort” and this made it the first building on the MSU campus to have exterior lighting.

Construction

To construct the new chemical laboratory, the university had called on Edwards and Cooper of Ypsilanti. Edwards and Cooper were a contracting company from the small city of Ypsilanti. The college directors felt that they were the perfect company to construct Michigan State’s first chemical laboratory because of the reviews they have gotten from other buildings they have built. With a $10,000 in the budget, they effectively create a laboratory that would be able to survive for years. Edwards and Cooper had constructed the original building of white brick. The new building caught the eyes of the people on campus almost instantly. Being a new building not only caught people’s eyes, but also being made of all white bricks was also another contributing factor to the visual of the building.

Innovation

There were also a couple of additions made to the chemical laboratory. The first addition was made in 1882 to the south side of the laboratory. In 1878, Professor W.S. Holdsworth designed this new addition to the recently constructed laboratory. He had designed a newly square building that was going to be attached to the south side of the lab. Like the original building, the new addition was made of all white bricks also. Smaller than the original building with a flat roof, people around campus called the new lab the “Chemical Fort” (Beal p.269). The “Chemical Fort” opened up more labs for the students on campus. With the new addition, more students could now come in, learn about various chemicals, or even mix various chemicals under the supervision of the professors and staff. The lab was a key factor in helping people that wanted to be scientists. The lab helped the students gain experience and become more comfortable about being in a lab surrounding. With the benefit of a more complete lab, future scientist had an advantage in their field of study and competition because they were able to effectively use the lab as their weapon because of all the knowledge they had gained from using the lab.

There was also another major addition that was made to the chemical lab. This addition happened in the summer of 1911 to the southeast part of the laboratory. The first addition was fifty-four by sixty-three feet built of nothing but paving brick. The second addition was a section that was twenty by forty feet. This newly built section served as a connector connecting the old building to the new building. The final addition that was made in 1911 stood three stories high. In this three-story building was a lecture room suitable for 250 students. During this time, people looked at this lecture room as being massive because most rooms were not fit to hold this amount of students. However in 1913, this classroom was viewed as too small because of the increasing student population. Although deemed too small, the lecture room was still a good place for students to come and learn chemistry and other sciences.

In 1913, a minor change was made to the chemical lab. The primary entrance of the building on the north side facing the street was bricked up. Contractors believed that this entrance was no longer needed. Now the entrance to the building faces the south side of the

Today

The chemical lab serves as the home of the chemistry department. It hosts the chemistry classes here on the campus of Michigan State University. A student can study chemistry starting at Chemistry 141 (CEM 141) all the way up to Physical Chemistry Seminar (CEM 998). The chemistry courses also include classes in which they take place in the laboratory setting. The labs are essential for the hands on learning. When you have both the classroom and laboratory working together, it helps the student out in the long run.

The chemical laboratory also referred to as the “Chemical Fort” has been around on the Michigan State University campus for 142 years and does not look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. The chemical lab has had two major additions added to the building while it has been here. Being the first laboratory on the campus, the chemical lab help to set the foundation for other labs constructed on campus. The chemical lab has also seen the joining and split of the chemistry and physics department. It only took the $10,000 for the university to build the chemical lab.

Sources

• Lautner, Harold W. From an Oak Opening: A Record of the Development of the Campus Park of Michigan State University 1869-1945. East Lansing: Michigan State University. Volume 1 pages 30-75. 1977. Print
• Beal, W.J. History of the Michigan Agricultural College and Biographical Sketches of Trustees and Professors. East Lansing: Agricultural College. Pages 268-269. 1915. Print.