The Science Center

Excitement filled the air on a blustery November day in 2003, as more than 300 people gathered to witness the groundbreaking of the Science Center on the College mall. Nearly two years later, the $17 million structure was constructed without debt – the result of the philanthropy of alumni and friends, including challenge grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. and an early gift of $1 million.

Welcome '37 and Adah Rodgers '36n Weaver ignited the Science Center campaign with that first million. The Weaver Wing stretches to the north, with three stories of classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices. The Paul J. Flory Auditorium, the largest classroom on campus, is named in honor of Flory '31, recipient of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Weimer Wing, at the south end of the Science Center, acknowledges the legacy of former Manchester chemistry professor and friend Harry Weimer.

The soaring, three-story Physicians Atrium is the gift of emeriti faculty and 140 alumni in the health care professions, in gratitude for Manchester's passion for the natural sciences. The provocative, 50-foot sculpture by artist Kenneth Frederick vonRoenn Jr. that hangs above the grand stairway, is an inspiring marriage of art and science.

The 85,600-square-foot, award-winning Science Center is double the size of Holl-Kintner Hall, the former home of Manchester sciences. The new 120-room center, with “smart” classrooms and laboratory equipment that adapt to changing curricula, is testimony to the bright future that awaits our science majors.

See photos of Science Center construction and the dedication ceremony in our Photo Album.