Buildings @ Oakland University
Hannah Hall of Science
Quick Facts
- Ground-Breaking Ceremony: November 17, 1960
- Building Dedication: February 1962, during a Symposium on Undergraduate Science Instruction
- Cost: $1,688,896
- Architect: O'Dell, Hewlett, and Luckenbach Assoc.
- Construction: J.A. Fredman, Inc.
- Funding: state of Michigan appropriations; $368,000 from State of Michigan Capital Outlay Program funds towards building renovations in 1982
- Specifications: 89,418 sq. ft. Hannah Hall includes two 184-seat lecture halls, 17 laboratories, 14 classroom, and a variety of seminar rooms, faculty offices, a research library, and shops for in-building equipment construction and distribution.
- Namesake: John A. Hannah, Michigan State University President who helped establish Michigan State University-Oakland.
History
The science building was the first structure built with state appropriated funds on the OU campus. fThe building was used for temporary student housing during its 1961 construction, before the first dormitories (Anibal and Fitzgerald House) were completed in late Fall 1961. Hannah Hall was designed for instruction in engineering, physics, chemistry and maths. It has since been designated for instruction related to the physical and medical sciences. Due to the ever-changing advancements made in the scientific fields, Hannah Hall has been regularly upgraded in 1982, 1998, and again in 2013. This most recent addition included interior renovations to Hannah Hall's biology, chemistry, and physics labs, as well as the creation of an additional pre-medical center.
Photos courtesy of the Oakland University Archives.