The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday unveiled its new $118 million chemistry building, marking the end of a several-year campaign to secure funding for the project and capping a significant milestone in the university’s effort to retain its R1 research status. Construction of the four-story, 163,400-square-foot-building started in 2022, and it replaces a facility built
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday unveiled its new $118 million chemistry building, marking the end of a several-year campaign to secure funding for the project and capping a significant milestone in the university's effort to retain its R1 research status.
Construction of the four-story, 163,400-square-foot-building started in 2022, and it replaces a facility built in 1972 that former Universities of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson had called the "worst science building in the state."
The new building serves as a gateway to UWM’s STEM departments and helps faculty and staff better prepare students interested in fast-growing fields like medicine, genetic engineering, toxicology, pharmaceutics and chemical education, UWM officials said, while furthering UWM's research capabilities.
[caption id="attachment_597912" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley sets off a ceremonial chemical reaction in lieu of a ribbon cutting.[/caption]
"This building will change not only the look of our campus, specifically the part of campus that we call our Southwest Quad that is really a new front door for our campus in many ways, but especially it's about the capacity to serve students and open doors to transform their journeys through education," said UWM chancellor Mark Mone.
More than 3,500 students take chemistry or biochemistry classes each year at UWM.
The new chemistry building, located at 2000 E. Kenwood Blvd., includes state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms, with instruction and research labs placed side-by-side to connect students and researchers and informal learning spaces for collaboration and group work.
"Many students from across many disciplines are going to take advantage of this building, and it's designed so that students can see science and be excited about science," said Scott Gronert, dean of UWM's College of Letters and Science, of the building's use of glass to open up classrooms and lab space to "put science on display."
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The building also includes an outreach laboratory for K-12 teachers and students studying to be teachers, and Gronert said two new leases have been signed with companies who will also be doing work in the building.
"Chemistry is a critical economic driver," said Kathy Blumenfeld, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration. "Chemistry is one of the 10 manufacturing industries for our state, and everything is related to chemistry, including our clean energy goals to be 100% carbon free electricity by 2050."
The development of the $118 million chemistry building was funded through state-supported borrowing as part of UW's 2019-2021 capital budget plan, after UWM officials had begun planning for the building more than 10 years prior. UWM plans to demolish the old chemistry building, located just north of the new building.
The grand opening event Friday was primarily one of many “thank yous," with Mone thanking the many entities involved in planning, financing and constructing the building including UWM faculty and staff, the state legislature, Universities of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, Gov. Tony Evers, architects CannonDesign and Kahler Slater and general contractor VJS Construction Services, among many others.
[gallery td_gallery_title_input="Speakers at Friday's grand opening" size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="597909,597908,597910,597911"]
