History of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Wooden Laboratory
1870 - 1883

Pictures

"In 1870 a frame building was erected where the north wing of Goldwin Smith Hall now stands. This building was originally intended as the home of the School of Chemistry of the College of Chemistry and Physics, and would have been adequate. Much to the dismay of Professor Caldwell, other sciences were also assigned space there, so that the room for chemistry was still inadequate. For thirteen years the growing Departments of Chemistry and Physics stayed in their cramped quarters." (Chamot and Rhodes, 1957)

"In response to the inadequate chemistry facilities in Morrill Hall a temporary wooden frame building (unnamed) was erected in 1870 on a site where the north wing of Goldwin Smith Hall now stands. Pictures show the wooden structure to have two stories (and an attic); the 1887 plan of the campus indicates that it had a footprint about the same size as Morrill Hall. Although the gross space was twice that available in Morrill Hall, all those other sciences were also housed there so that the space for chemistry was still inadequate. Nonetheless, the Departments of Chemistry and Physics occupied these quarters for 13 years. Part of the delay in erecting the promised large scale building was due to the poor financial condition of the University in the 1870s combined with need to construct White Hall, the twin of Morrill Hall, and West Sibley Hall. The widely displayed photograph of the Cornell campus taken in 1873 shows these four buildings. The wooden chemistry building was the second building on campus followed closely by White Hall and then later by West Sibley Hall.

Although the need for more chemistry space had been partially relieved by the temporary wooden structure, the quality left much to be desired. The picture of the interior shows that the teaching space was primitive and worse, as a letter from a student engineer complains, the wind shook the wooden building so hard it was impossible to draw a straight line. It must also have been a serious fire hazard." (Wilcox, 2004)