Chemistry Building

Chemistry Building. . This building was erected in 1916 to house the expanding chemistry department, and was originally named DeBarr Hall in honor of Edwin C. DeBarr (1859-1950), one of the original four members of the faculty. DeBarr was a graduate of the Michigan State Normal School at Ypsilanti, the Michigan Agricultural College, and the University of Michigan, and had taught in the Michigan public schools and at Albion College. President David Ross Boyd hired him in July, 1892 to teach higher mathematics, chemistry, and physics. , DeBarr built the chemistry department from the ground up, heading it up for 31 years, and was also the head of the School of Pharmacy. He became the university's first vice president in 1908 as well, a post which he held until 1923. He taught chemistry at the medical school during the two years it was housed at the Norman campus, and was considered for the deanship of the Graduate College in 1908 before being given the position of vice president. He also was the head of the School of Chemical Engineering from 1910 to 1923. By 1913, a new science building was needed, and it was finally built with $100,000 from the state legislature in 1916. In some publications, DeBarr was given credit for drawing the architectural plans, although the firm Harp and Parr actually designed the building. DeBarr left the university in 1923, the longest-serving member of the original faculty. , In 1988, the strong campus reaction to the revelation that DeBarr had been involved with the Ku Klux Klan led to the removal of his name from the building, which is now known simply as the Chemistry Building. The Chemistry Building houses one of the strongest departments at the University, which includes many internationally known professors and continues to engage in pioneering chemical and biochemical research.