West Engineering - West Hall

West Engineering - West Hall. Designed by the Detroit firm of George Mason and Albert Kahn, the New Engineering Building was completed in 1904, and enlarged through expansion of its east wing in 1910. Created to anchor the southeast end of the original campus, the building straddles the corner with the famous "Engine Arch." On its ground floor was the first towing tank ever built by an educational institution in the United States. It is still used for naval architecture and marine engineering research. This building was also the first home of the College of Architecture, which was originally a department within Engineering. In 1923, the building became known as West Engineering when a new facility, called East Engineering was built across East University Avenue. In the mid-1980s, the College of Engineering finished relocating from Central to North Campus. Since then, West. Engineering, renamed West Hall in 1995, has housed the School of Information and programs of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. West Engineering was the first building on the University of Michigan campus to be designed by Albert Kahn, a pioneer of American industrial architecture who designed several significant structures on campus. This marker commemorates the centennial of this landmark building and the significant relationship of Albert Kahn to the University.