NRHP Reference # 80000190 Area 2,024 m² | Built 1892-1893 Opened 1893 Added to NRHP 30 June 1980 | |
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Similar Wright Museum of Art, Logan Museum of Anthropology, Burnham Park, Harley‑Davidson Museum, Beloit water tower | ||
The Pearsons Hall of Science is located on the campus of Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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History
The hall was built using funds donated by and named after Dr. D. K. Pearsons, a Quaker man from Pawnee, Illinois. Pearsons had once passed through Beloit on the way to Janesville, Wisconsin and saw the college being built. He was so affected by the sight that it inspired him to donate $100,000 to the school nearly forty years later. The hall was used as the school's science center until 1963.
Currently, the hall houses meeting rooms, dining facilities, student lounges, student service offices, a mailroom, a radio station, student government and publication offices. It was officially renamed the Jeffris-Wood Campus Center, named after attorney and business man Pierpont J. E. Wood and his wife, Helen Jeffris Wood. On campus, it is still generally referred to as Pearsons Hall.
Renovations
Renovations to wiring, plumbing, flooring, ventilation, and equipment occurred in 1931. This renovation also saw the addition of a skylight. A second renovation in 1985 by architect Edward Ware was completed and the building was rededicated as the Jeffris-Wood Campus Center. The bookstore was moved from Smith building to Jeffris-Wood Campus Center after this renovation.