Building completed, College of Engineering plans dedication

A November 5 dedication ceremony and open house are planned by the University of Missouri's College of Engineering to officially launch the long-awaited and newly completed four-story addition to Lafferre Hall. 

Replacing the razed 1922 addition - 25,000 square feet of high-bay labs and machine, forge and wood shops built to accommodate the civil and mechanical engineering research of the day - is 60,000 feet of multi-disciplinary undergraduate lab space, research facilities, classrooms and offices. The new addition marks the ninth time the sprawling complex of Lafferre Hall, located at the southwest corner of MU's Francis Quadrangle, has flexed and stretched to accommodate the education of engineers.

Festivities begin at 2 p.m. and all are invited to help the college celebrate.

A $2 million federal grant and a $19 million bond approved by the MU Board of Curators in 2006, funded the $21 million project. Additional projects undertaken simultaneously by the University included heating and steam pipe upgrades and renovation to the original 1892 engineering building, including tuck pointing, replacement of windows, roof and drainage upgrades, and renovation of classroom spaces.

Construction on the addition to Lafferre Hall began in August 2007 and was completed in August - on time and under budget.