Chemistry Building / Noyes Laboratory and Chemistry Annex

By 1901 the University's Department of Chemistry had outgrown its residence at Harker Hall and was in need of a larger and more modernized building. The state legislature, heeding these calls for a home capable of holding the new department and sustaining its continued growth, authorized $100,000 for the construction of a new building. Construction began almost immediately under the direction of Professor Arthur William Palmer. [1] Palmer, who had founded the Chemical Water Survey of Illinois in 1895, was one of the most outspoken proponents of the new building and helped make it a reality. In the East entrance of Noyes hangs a dedication plaque memorializing Arthur Palmer and forever dedicating the building in his memory. It reads: [2]

A thorough scholar - an ardent investigator - an able organizer and university counselor - a stimulating and inspiring teacher - he gave his life for his work

The low amount of funds meant that the building had to be designed as fireproof as possible, while at the same time, being capable of sustaining the department's growth for the next 25 years. [3] However, the high cost of laboratory equipment necessitated a special appropriation of $20,000 the following year. By June 30, 1915, the total valuation of the Chemistry Laboratory had reached $541,970.65, with $32,095.08 in major laboratory equipment, $23,000 in chemicals and small laboratory equipment, $1,241.95 in office equipment, $5,433.62 in furniture, $80,200 for the original building, and $400,000 [4] for the addition. [5]

The new building, designed by N. S. Spencer, [6] was 231 feet long by116 feet along the wings with 77,884 square feet of useable space. The building consisted of three stories and full basement, in the same of the letter "E". The exterior was constructed from red brick with limestone trimmings. [7]

By 1916, the Department had already outgrown their new space, and on Wednesday, april 19, 1916 at 2PM, the addition to the Chemistry Laboratory was dedicated. Designed by J. B. Dibelka for a cost of $250,000, [8] the new addition connected at the wings and made the building a hollow square, centered around a large lecture amphitheater. The addition was supervised by Professor W. A. Noyes, and matched the original building almost perfectly in style to the point that today it is very difficult to determine where the original building ends and the addition begins. The addition brought the total available space to 164,288 square feet, almost 3.77 acres, with the building now standing at 230 feet by 202 feet. [9]

Still deeply concerned with fireproofing, the two buildings featured automatic fire doors, which would close in the event of a fire to prevent it from spreading. The original lecture room was, in fact, remodeled in 1914 to make it fireproof. The renovations left the hexagonal room with 390 seats, while three other lecture halls seated 100, 75, and 60 students, respectively. The inner courtyard formed by the two buildings was finished in white enamel brick to reflect light into the buildings during the day for extra illumination. The old section was primarily used for laboratories, while office space, research labs, and a library and museum were placed in the new addition. The library was located on the second floor and had a collection of 3,500 books and 6,500 periodicals. The museum showcased a variety of minerals and commercial products. [10] The primary storage facilities for the building were located under the lecture hall. The building also was home to the State Water Survey and the Department of Bacteriology. [11]

The construction of the building involved an impressive amount of materials for the day. Over 2 million bricks, 75,000 barrels of cement, 33,000 square yards of plaster, 402 tons of structural steel, and 214 tons of alberene made up the building core, while 12.78 miles of electrical wire and 8.32 miles of electrical conduits supported the building's electrical needs, and 181 radiators provided 11,000 square feet of heating surface to warm the building in the winter. Two-tone oak furniture makes up some of the only woodwork in the building, while alberene is used liberally for tabletops and some shelves, windows, and sinks. Even Alabama marble makes an appearance in the windowsills of the main halls, the library, and offices, and milk glass is used for some shelves. The supporting shell of the building is largely constructed of structural steel and brick, while interior partitions are pyrobar. Floors alternate hollow tile with reinforced concrete, with a top layer of 1/8 of an inch of acid-proof and damage-resistant "rezilite mastic". The reinforced roof is supported by steel rafters and features a layer of building paper topped with slate and 16 inch copper plates. The building also features dormer windows throughout. [12]

Laboratories in the building were ample and quite impressive. For example, the Division of Inorganic Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis could accommodate 400 of its 1300 students working in the laboratory at any given time. Each laboratory was laid out so that the instructor could stand at the front of the room and enjoy an unobstructed view of his students. Hoods were marvels of construction, with wood frames, alberene bases, white tile lining, and reinforced plate glass. Each had an independent exhaust flue leading to the roof and had an elaborate creosoted hemp rope with exposed pulley-and-axle mechanism for counterpoising to provide effortless operation. Laboratories were plentiful in the building, with the Division of Inorganic Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis having 12 private research and staff labs, 3 student balance rooms, 1 research balance room, and a dark room all to itself. [13]

Ventilation in a chemistry building is always a challenge, and the designers of the new chemistry building devised an elaborately intricate system to satisfy the life-safety needs of their new residents. Two massive ventilation fans, each having a capacity of 74,000 cubic feet a minute, were responsible for building air flow and were housed in the courtyard outside the lecture amphitheater. They forced air into each of the rooms in the building, changing the entire building air supply 6 times an hour. Both of the ventilation fans had heating coils to heat incoming air during the winter, controlled by automatic regulators. Four chemical exhaust fans, capable of 10,000 cubic feet each, were responsible for expelling the air from hoods via a separate ventilation system. Certain labs also had special negatively pressurized conduits to force the air in each room to be refreshed 8 times an hour. Even the bathrooms had a special exhaust system powered by a small fan in the attic. [14]

Distilled water is a necessity in all chemistry labs, and the building featured two special stills designed by Professor Noyes himself that provided the building's distilled water needs. Hyrdrogen sulfide was generated in a special attic room and stored in a 500-gallon tank to maintain constant pressure throughout the building. The University Power House [15] provided the building's steam needs via a selection of different pressures. Heating steam was supplied through at 4 pounds pressure, while steam baths and laboratories used 15 pounds pressure and certain equipment and laboratories received a special high pressure 30 pound feed. There was also a compressed air system that provided 80 pounds pressure throughout the building. A 14x8 inch pump in the basement machine room provided negative pressure between 16 and 20 inches of mercury, while a special 1mm system was available for specific needs. [16]

The new Chemistry Laboratory was a tour-de-force of technical achievement and its electrical system was no different. More than eight miles of electrical conduits carried almost thirteen miles of electrical wire throughout the building to 150 wall plugs, 160 experimental plug boxes, and 16 motor boxes. It also supported 730 electrical lamps and 300 light switches. Voltages were available in 10V, 110V, and 220V DC and 110V and 220V AC. A battery room in the basement also housed a 35 cell assembly providing dedicated current to a number of labs. The building's total power needs eclipsed 130KW, with 3 transformers of 50KW each, providing an expansion capacity up to 150KW. [17]

The building was later named for Professor W. A. Noyes and still serves as the home of the University's Department of Chemistry. In 1930 the Chemistry Annex, designed by James White, [18] was built directly South of the building and connected via an underground tunnel. [19] It added another 39,000 square feet [20] to the department's holdings and cost around $335,000. [21] On March 30, 1951, [22] the $5.9M [23] East Chemistry Annex was dedicated, giving the department its third major building. [24] By the time of its dedication, the Chemistry Department had the distinction of having the most graduate students of any chemistry department in the world. [25]

On September 14, 2002, Noyes Laboratory was designed a National Historic Chemical Landmark. [26]