Formerly Kettering Science Center
Gifts from more than 200 businesses, industrial firms and foundations, including signature support from Charles F. Kettering and the Kettering Foundation, made Kettering Science Hall possible to open for students in early 1960. Sadly, Charles F. Kettering, who had supported many such building projects during Sam Marble's administration, died before the facility was dedicated as part of three days of programming March 31, April 1 and 2, 1960. Ohio Gov. Michael V. DiSalle was among the prominent speakers at the event. Marble too was no longer WC's president, even though the fundraising and much of the construction was completed during his presidency.
The three-story Kettering Hall replaced Bailey Hall, which had been the home of the sciences since 1909. Physics and mathematics originally occupied the first floor while biology had the second and chemistry the third. The College Observatory was placed atop the facility, continuing the tradition established in 1882 of having an astronomical observatory. Kettering Science Hall served Wilmington College students well since opening in 1960, but its aging infrastructure and the recent influx of students in agriculture and the sciences brought about a need for a renovation and expansion in 2014. A $19.7 million, low-interest loan payable over 32 years, provided by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Rural Development division, made the project possible. Also fundraising efforts reached $8.5 million for the $14 million Center for the Sciences & Agriculture, which was dedicated as part of Homecoming Oct. 8, 2016.
The Center for the Sciences and Agriculture includes the renovated 34,000 square-foot Kettering Science Hall and a 13,500 square-foot addition. The facility hosts 10 classrooms, 10 laboratories, three research labs, two 100-seat lecture halls and 30 offices. The CSA, which was designed for LEED certification as an environmentally friendly facility, is the College’s largest academic building.