$1.2M*
Fundraising Goal
1325
Backers Needed
22.7% to Goal with 228 Supporters
Make a Gift
The new Welch Hall will be a catalyst for breakthroughs—in student learning and cutting-edge science alike. Your gift starts it all. Donate now to make the heart of campus the heart of campus discovery.
All gifts are payable over a 5-year window and will be recognized on the Catalyst donor wall in the new Welch Hall.
1929 – A New Chemistry Building for UT Starts Construction.
After an earlier chemistry building burnt down, the campus builds a new structure at 24th and Speedway. A half-century later it is renamed Welch Hall.
1940 – A Laboratory Home for Groundbreaking Discovery Is Founded.
Biochemist Roger Williams and colleagues start an institute that becomes the world’s leading source for vitamins and vitamin-variant discovery. Folic acid, which prevents birth defects, was one example.
1958 – Prominent Scientist Allen Bard Arrives on Campus.
His findings will lead to major medical and technological advances. Bard, a winner of some of science’s most prestigious awards, continues researching to this day.
1961 – Welch Hall Adds a West Wing
Completion of the new wing adds laboratory and office space, as chemists start using computers for physical and theoretical chemistry. UT was in the vanguard.
1978 – The South Wing of Welch Hall Opens.
A major expansion of the building adds classroom, community and lab space for Chemistry. The addition comes soon after a renaming; the building in 1974 became Welch Hall.
1980s – Welch Hall Becomes Largest Class Building on Campus.
Renovation in 1980 and 1986 modernize systems in the building and increase its size, now 439,540 square feet, making it UT Austin's largest academic building.
1996 – A Fire Damages 40,000 Square Feet of Welch Hall.
A major fire on the fifth floor destroys several labs, prompting safety reviews and renovations for one of three wings in the building.
2015 – The Texas Legislature Passes Bonds to Authorize Welch Renovations.
Renovations will include top-of-the-line classrooms, modern research and teaching labs, dedicated Freshman Research Initiative labs and more.
2016 – North Section of Welch Renovated
Renovations on the oldest wing from 1929 mean new teaching labs, classrooms and research space for Longhorns, starting in Fall 2016.
2016 and 2017 – Design and Development along Speedway
The largest section of Welch Hall, built in 1978, will soon open up to a beautiful new pedestrian mall. The grand hallway will be transformed into a bright gathering space for all.
2017 – Groundbreaking for an Ambitious Overhaul
In a single phase that keeps costs in check, renovations will knit multiple disciplines together to advance chemistry, biology, physics and technology research.
2020 – The New Welch Hall Opens
Our renovated heart of campus will provide unrivaled spaces for research, learning and science-focused community gatherings.
For learning, Welch Hall is a hub for academics and the UT student community.
UT’s largest academic building, Welch has played a role in educating Longhorns for eight decades. These Longhorns have made an impact in industry, academia and government. Welch Hall houses chemistry and biochemistry researchers, large lecture halls, Freshman Research Initiative labs, and more. It hosts 10,000 or more students every day.
Welch Hall serves as a nucleus of discovery and research.
Here, leading scientists make discoveries critical to life-saving medical diagnoses. They produce technology that improves the devices that power our lives. Industries, from solar energy to computer development, rely on these scientists making more breakthroughs such as these. UT scientists need modern research space to continue innovating for our future.
Become a catalyst for a bright future at the heart of campus. Make your gift to The New Welch Hall, and encourage friends to support an inspiring future for generations of UT Austin scientists and citizens.