For a while now I’ve been trying to work out how the original Chemistry Building functioned. It’s undergone enough renovation at this point that much of its original sense has vanished. But a couple of things have turned up recently that provide great guidance. First, I came across the folder of photos that I talked about here. Then I found a copy of the plan for the first floor while looking through a map drawer full of William Ward Watkin materials. (If we have a detailed set of drawings for the building, I’ve never found them.) The floor plan is a revelation:
The very first thing I noticed was the huge stock room (more about this later) but then right next to it the Colloid Lab. I just happen to have a picture of the interior of that lab and its equipment, which looks quite impressive:
I can also tell you who this lab belonged to: Harry Weiser, who was head of the Chemistry Department for over three decades as well as Dean for almost two:
Bonus: Back in the day those colloid chemists were pretty saucy fellows. I found this in his scrapbook.
