Centrepiece Online | Spring 2012

Young Hall Reborn

In the beginning there was Young Memorial Hall, dedicated Jan. 8, 1909, and named for two prominent Centre presidents, John C. Young (1830-57) and his son William C. Young (1888-1896). The 25,000-square-foot building was the College’s first devoted entirely to science instruction.

Sixty-one years later came a new Young Hall for science, dedicated March 21, 1970.

And now Young Hall has been reborn again, transformed by a $21 million renovation and addition that added 40,000 square feet. Young III was dedicated at Homecoming on Oct. 21, 2011. The addition includes eight new teaching labs, eight new faculty research labs, and collaborative work areas to encourage undergraduate research. A $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation helped renovate the original 56,000-square-foot building.

“The best thing about the new Young Hall is space—space in the labs, in the classrooms, and even in the hallways,” says Stephanie Dew ’89, professor of biology and biochemistry & molecular biology and chair of the science and math division. “The wide hallways make the space particularly welcoming. The other great feature is all the natural light.”

Left, Bella, the bearded dragon lizard, lives in the introductory biology lab. Right, An exceptional example of the coral reefs that formed in Central Kentucky during the Upper Ordovician era was found by Kirtley and Danny Settles. It includes fossilized coral (white) and pyrite (orange).

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