Engineering Hall

Built in 1894, Engineering Hall is the oldest building on campus and originally housed the physics and drafting departments. It was designed by Colorado designer Robert S. Roeschlaub, creator of the Central City Opera House. The red brick exterior has remained unchanged while the interior has since been remodeled. It currently houses the Division of Economics & Business.

The striking contrast between the untouched exterior of Engineering Hall and its modern interior reveals a chapter of its history. In 1916, as part of an agreement with the school, the Bureau of Mines used Engineering Hall to refine a significant quantity of radium. Detailed in the February 1919 issue of Mines Magazine, the work was clearly carried out at a time when the dangers of radiation were poorly understood, and the thorough decontamination process that followed years later involved removal of almost all of the building’s interior.

To learn more, please visit: econbus.mines.edu