By Dave Stephens
Staff Writer

When Entomology Hall was first built, William McKinley was president, humans had yet to fly and the dominant form of transportation ran on oats and hay.

Today, almost a century later, a $12 million renovation hopes to return Entomology Hall to its former glory. The Forestry Building, which was once a horse barn, was also awarded $10 million to renovate the facility — it will receive a new addition.

The renovations, which were agreed on by the Board of Trustees, are part of the University's 10-year capital improvement plan. The money for the renovations is from gift funds that include the Wright endowment, a large endowment given to Purdue by the Wright family.

Although there are no detailed specifics for each plan at this time, a faculty users committee has been established for each project. The committees will outline the needs of each department and decide how to best use the renovations to meet their needs.

Some proposed changes include an addition to the south side of Entomology Hall, which will connect it with Whistler Hall of Agricultural Research. The new addition space will most likely house non-instructional laboratories for different departments in the School of Agriculture.

Entomology Hall is no longer part of the entomology department and will be used by all the departments in the School of Agriculture. The entomology department is located in Smith and Whistler halls.

"We're not talking about new academic departments", said Dennis Lemaster, department head of forestry and natural resources, "We want to bring people of like experiences into close proximity."

The forestry and natural resources department is also hoping to receive a $10 million federal grant to build a Hardwood Tree Research Center on campus.

The Entomology Hall project will be started first, but no plans for an actual start time will be available for at least three or four months, after the faculty user committee has submitted its report. The forestry and natural resources addition will not start until Entomology Hall renovations are completed.