Groundbreaking Set For Chemistry Building Addition

Article originally published in September, 1999

MADISON - The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry will mark an important occasion on Wednesday, Sept. 16, when ground is broken for the construction of a new $38.9 million Chemistry building addition and renovation project.

Consistently ranked among the top 10 chemistry research departments in the nation, as well as being noted for innovation and excellence in undergraduate Outreach, the department will benefit greatly from the seven-story addition that will include 48,000 square feet of assignable space dedicated to new laboratories, instrumentation and offices. The tower will join two existing chemistry facilities, the Mathews and Daniels buildings, adjacently located on the 1100 block of University Avnue. In conjunction with the new addition, extensive renovation of the existing buildings will provide safe and modern space for faculty, staff and students well into the 21st century.

Participating in the ceremony, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the site of the new tower, are Wisconsin Lt. Governor Scott McCallum; UW-Madison Provost John Wiley; Dean Phillip R. Certain, College of Letters and Science; and Professors F. Fleming Crim and Robert J. McMahon, Department of Chemistry.

The project is distinguished by its diverse combination of funding sources that include the State of Wisconsin, the Vilas Trust, the UW-Madison, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, two federal agencies, private enterprise, UW faculty, and alumni and friends of the UW-Madison.

A reception will follow the ceremony.

Writer: Fred Milverstedt, UW-Madison Foundation, (608) 263-5496

Public/Private Partners Support Chemistry Building Project

MADISON - A capital project years in the making will take a major step toward completion Wednesday, Sept. 16, when ground is officially broken for construction of a seven-story addition to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's chemistry facilities.

A new research tower, scheduled for completion in slightly more than two years, will physically join the Mathews Chemistry Building at the corner of Johnson and Charter streets. A new 120-seat seminar hall will adjoin the Daniels Chemistry Building at the corner of Johnson and Mills streets. Both existing buildings, constructed in the 1960s, predate modern safety standards for chemistry research laboratories.

A public/private partnership involving the UW-Madison, State of Wisconsin, federal government, corporate industry and alumni and friends will provide funding for the project. The result will enhance safety, increase collaborative efforts among faculty, staff and students, and improve the university's ability to recruit and retain outstanding students and faculty.

Consisting of more than 48,000 square feet of assignable space, the tower will house synthetic chemistry research laboratories, chemical instrumentation and departmental offices. Following the tower's completion, some 84,000 square feet of the existing Mathews and Daniels buildings will be renovated.

Impetus for the $38.9 million project, according to department officials, has been guided in large part through the efforts of David Ward, UW-Madison chancellor; John Wiley, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; and Phillip R. Certain, dean of the College of Letters and Science.

Contributing to the project are the State of Wisconsin, $17 million; the UW Vilas Trust, $13 million; the UW-Madison, College of Letters and Science and University of Wisconsin Foundation, $3.3 million; the Department of Chemistry through a gift fund endowment, $2 million; friends, faculty and alumni of the department, $500,000; the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, $2.6 million; and the Dow Chemical Company, $500,000.

The combined contributions of the State and UW-Madison are part of the WISTAR program - the Wisconsin Initiative for State Technology and Applied Research.

Leading donors among alumni and friends include C.V. Wittenwyler ('42 BS Chem), Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Clifford J. Burg ('37 BS Chem), Appleton, Wisconsin; Elizabeth S. Hirschfelder ('30 PhD Math), Madison, Wisconsin; and Irving Shain, Madison, emeritus professor of chemistry, former chair of the Department and chancellor of the UW-Madison from 1977 to 1986.

The architect for the project is Flad and Associates, and the engineer is Affiliated Engineers, Inc., both of Madison. The general contractor is J.P. Cullen and Sons, Inc., of Janesville, Wisconsin.

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Writer: Fred Milverstedt, UW-Madison Foundation, (608) 263-5496