Hale Science Building

The Hale Science Building is one of CU Boulder’s oldest and most storied academic buildings. Completed in 1894 and named in honor of Horace M. Hale, the university’s second president and a former regent, it was the first dedicated science building on campus. In its early years, Hale served as a center for scientific discovery and education, housing all of the university’s science programs, a small museum and even the School of Law. 

The building played a notable role in CU Boulder’s early research history. According to university records, researchers conducted some of the campus’s first radio transmission experiments during Hale’s construction. To prevent interference with the experiments, portions of the building were constructed without iron nails, using brass hardware instead. One early success reportedly involved transmitting a radio signal 60 feet from one end of the building to the other. The building also housed the university’s first Natural History Museum before those collections moved to the Henderson Building in 1937.

After decades of service as a classroom and research facility, the Hale Science Building underwent an extensive renovation in 1991. The project carefully balanced historic preservation with modern accessibility, restoring the building’s distinctive quarter-sawn oak woodwork while adapting it for contemporary use. Today, Hale is home to the Department of Anthropology, continuing its long tradition as a place of teaching, research and exploration while standing as one of CU Boulder’s most cherished historic landmarks.