Kapoor Hall originally housed the Chemistry Department as well as a number of lecture halls until 1994 when the Chemistry Department was 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. The new facilities in Kapoor Hall will include associated research and teaching laboratories, vivarium, classrooms, a working hospital pharmacy, pharmacological care clinic, and office spaces. The renovation is expected to cost $65 million and to be completed by August 2011.

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 Kapoor Hall, 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 and 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.
• 2011 -- renovations are expected to be completed

Building and Construction Information

Architects: Duane Lyman & Associates, Buffalo, New York
Contractors: BAW Construction Co., Inc.
Cost: $1,935,000 for Phase I
nearly $1.6 million for Phase II
Size: 83,356 sq. ft. (64,436 sq. ft. added in 1963)