 |
|
Bailey Hall
In 1887, the Kansas Legislature allocated funds for a new chemistry building at The University of
Kansas. Edgar Henry Summerfield Bailey, the chemistry department chair, and architect J. G. Haskell
toured schools on the East Coast to make sure the design included the most modern features. Although
the new chemistry building was called "Bailey's Barn" almost from its dedication in 1900, it did not
officially bear his name until 1938. When it opened to students in the fall of 1900, the new chemistry building at Kansas was hailed as the
most modern facility for chemistry west of Chicago. "The building is plain and massive in construction,
and while very little was expended for adornment, no expense was spared to secure the best practical
conditions for chemical and pharmaceutical work, according to modern methods," Bailey wrote. In keeping with its commitment to excellence, the university's Board of Trustees agreed to a request by
the chemistry department to purchase a liquid air plant that was installed in Bailey Hall in 1903. This
acquisition enabled Cady and McFarland to make their initial discovery of helium in natural gas samples
and to perfect their analysis and extraction techniques that would be critical to the large-scale helium
production beginning at the end of World War I. In 1956, Bailey Hall was renovated to become the School of Education. The distinctive chimneys were removed,
a passenger elevator was added, and the laboratories, including the small basement laboratory where Cady
and McFarland first isolated helium, were converted to classrooms and offices.
The gas that wouldn't burn |
"Helium is no longer a rare element" |
Helium production in the United States
Hamilton Perkins Cady |
David Ford McFarland |
Bailey Hall |
Landmark designation and acknowledgments
Copyright
©2004 American Chemical Society. All Rights Reserved. 1155 16th Street
NW, Washington DC 20036
202-872-4600, 800-227-5558
