History of our science center
1951. The science building at Grinnell College, the construction of which began in 1951, initially consisted of two wings, including a three-story structure (including basement) and a "temporary" one-story wood-frame structure.
1964. In 1964, a three-story addition was completed. These three wings, named the Bowen Hall of Science in honor of former Grinnell College President Howard Rothman Bowen (1953-1964) and his wife, Lois Schilling Bowen, housed the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
1986. A fourth wing, added in 1986, housed the Departments of Mathematics/Computer Science and Psychology.
1997 - PHASE 1. Between 1995 and 1997 an extensive renovation and expansion project further enhanced the spaces in which the sciences are taught and practiced by the faculty and students of Grinnell College. Upon completion of Phase I of that building project, the expanded complex was dedicated as the Robert N. Noyce '49 Science Center, in honor of Grinnell College alumnus Bob Noyce (1927-1990), a pioneer in the development of the integrated circuit and co-founder of Intel Corp. A native of Grinnell, Noyce was a scholar whose vision and direction were conditioned by his exposure to the liberal arts and sciences, and his name is etched firmly upon the history of modern electronics. As an alumnus, trustee, and friend of the College, Noyce merits the dedication of the science center as an enduring testament to his life and work.
2007 - PHASE 2. The project to expand and renovate parts of the Noyce Science Center involved demolishing the north, wood frame, one-story structure and replacing it with a three-story structure which will tie back to the 1986 wing of the building. The project created a substantially enlarged science library and additional and improved space for each of the science departments. In addition, high quality, flexible classroom space became available that can be used by other departments at the college. We now have a spectacular facility to support our strong science programs.
The new construction portion of the project began in early June, 2005, and was completed around May, 2007. Some areas of the Noyce Science Center were also modified to be used for different purposes during the project. A number of materials were removed and reused at Grinnell or at other institutions. Much of what remained was recycled. After we moved into the newly constructed space, the 1986 wing was closed off and renovated. In addition a few spaces in the rest of the older parts of the building were renovated during the 2007-08 year. The entire project was scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer of 2008 (Note: the project completion date was successfully moved ahead to January 2008).
The area west of Noyce served as the site for the construction mobilization area, including construction trailers and storage of materials and equipment.
If you have any questions or need additional information on this project please feel free to contact Jim Swartz.
CERA construction also part of project
Construction of the Environmental Education Center (EEC) at CERA was dedicated during the Board of Trustees visit on April 30, 2005, and a public Open House was a big hit on May 7, 2005.
More Links:Finished building floor plan maps (on the Science Division webpage).
Documents.
Models.
Building plans during the design phases.
Planning meeting summaries.
Links to the design teams, LEED, and more.
