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Pharmacy Building

photo of building
Current Name: Pharmacy Building
Former Name: Edward Goodrich Acheson Hall of Chemistry (1959-2008)
Former Name: John N. Kapoor Hall (2008-2019)
Location: South
Historical Note:

The Pharmacy Building originally housed the Chemistry Department as well as a number of lecture halls until 1994 when the Chemistry Department moved to the Natural Sciences Complex on the North Campus. The building remained empty until Spring 2007 when renovations were approved to turn the 160,000 square foot building into a state-of-the-art new home for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

In 2008, Acheson Hall was renamed Kapoor Hall after noted Pharmacy alumnus, John N. Kapoor. The Acheson name now will be used to identify the Edward Goodrich Acheson Lecture Hall in the Natural Sciences Complex. Facilities in the Pharmacy Building include associated research and teaching laboratories, vivarium, classrooms, a working hospital pharmacy, pharmacological care clinic, and office spaces.

Namesake:

John N. Kapoor (School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Ph.D.) is founder, chairman, and CEO of E.J. Financial Enterprises. Inc., a company with investments in over two dozen companies, ranging from AIDS and cancer research to gene-sequencing. In 2000, Kapoor donated the largest gift in school history to strengthen research in the pharmaceutical sciences. "John Kapoor is a brilliant entrepreneur and visionary leader," said former UB President, William Griener at the time of Kapoor's gift. "Boldness, creativity and innovation have characterized his leadership… [and] he is a wonderful role model for today's UB students."

Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856-1931), an inventor/industrialist, worked for Thomas Edison from 1880 to 1886. He developed silicon carbide and founded the Carborundum Corporation. The Acheson family and the Cardorundum Charitable Foundation contributed $250,000 toward the construction of Acheson Hall

Inside the Pharmacy Building, the George Barclay Bassett Auditorium, was dedicated in 1959 in honor of the man who devised a simple and practical way to make water meters and founded the Buffalo Meter Company. At the dedication, Bassett's inventive genius and high standards in business ethics and employee relations were praised.

History/Chronology:
  • 1957 -- (November) Construction of Acheson Hall was started
  • 1958 -- Groundbreaking ceremony
  • 1958 -- (July) Phase I of construction was completed
  • 1958 -- (November 10) Cornerstone ceremony
  • 1959 -- (September 12) Dedication
  • 1962 -- An extension was begun
  • 1963 -- (November 2) Dedication of the Acheson Hall extension
  • 1994 -- the Department of Chemistry moves to the North campus leaving Acheson Hall vacant
  • 2007 -- (Spring) renovations are announced
  • 2008 -- Acheson Hall is renamed John Kapoor Hall after one of the School of Pharmacy's most prominent alumni.
  • 2012 -- Renovations completed
  • 2019 -- Renamed Pharmacy Building
Original Architect: Duane Lyman & Associates, Buffalo, New York
Original Contractors: BAW Construction Co., Inc.
Construction Cost: $1,935,000 for Phase I; nearly $1.6 million for Phase II
Original Size: 83,356 sq. ft. (64,436 sq. ft. added in 1963)
Renovation Architect: S/L/A/M Collaborative
Renovation Cost: $55,000,000
Renovation Size: Building renovated to 163,821 sq. ft.