A Brief History of Babcock Hall
Food Science has a proud history on this campus, dating back to 1893 when the department was formed under the name of Dairy Husbandry. Its first home was Hiram Smith Hall. This old building is still a focal point within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. It was the first building on the Agricultural campus that housed classrooms as well as laboratories. It was in this building that the first Dairy School was held for training in the use of the Babcock milk fat test.
In 1940, because of the growing importance of food science, a new facility was planned. Construction was delayed by World War II and the faculty and staff started to occupy the new building late in 1951; the dedication of Babcock Hall occurred in February, 1952. Since that time the department has grown substantially, expanding its teaching, research, and extension activities. Today Babcock Hall is not only the home of the Department of Food Science but also the site of the Walter V. Price Cheese Research Institute and the Center for Dairy Research.
Space problems and facilities inappropriate for current research needs prompted plans in 1986 to renovate and expand Babcock Hall. Generous contributions from the private sector stimulated funding by the State that was sufficient to enable an addition and remodelling project to begin in 1990. Dedication of the addition and remodeled space occurred in October 1991.