Widtsoe Hall (1872-1952)
Old Widtsoe Hall, constructed in 1914-1915, was named in honor of chemist John A. Widtsoe, who was president of what was then the Agricultural College of Utah (now Utah State University). Dr. Widtsoe, a Norwegian, immigrated to Logan with his widowed mother in 1882. He received a bachelor’s from Harvard University and was a traveling fellow of Harvard University Graduate School from 1889 to 1900 as he obtained a doctoral degree at the University of Gottingen (Germany) and studied in Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Widtsoe was a professor of chemistry at the Agricultural College of Utah and director of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. He became president of the college in 1916 and later became a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Renovations and new construction at the Chemistry Building occurred in 1956, 1958 and 1961, with the installation of larger, more advanced laboratories. Planning for a $445,000 remodeling project took place in 1962. In 1994, planning began for additional reconstruction of the Widtsoe Building. In April 2000, the newly-updated building was dedicated and ground was broken for the adjoining Eccles Science Learning Center. The center was completed and dedicated on June 4, 2002, and funded through the generosity of the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation.
*Note: All bios are current and up-to-date as of Summer 2022.