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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Washington State University did not simply renovate an old “cheese factory.” It adapted a 1921 dairy building that had housed the university creamery, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe and chemistry classes into Troy Hall, a four-story academic building for chemistry and environmental science. The project retained conspicuous pieces of the original exterior while adding space, laboratories, offices and a new circulation spine.
The transformation is best understood as a balance between preservation and reorganization. The original structure closed in 2010, then reopened in 2017 after a design-build project led by Perkins+Will and Lydig Construction. The historic facade was taken apart and rebuilt at a new front entrance, while a north addition supplied the space needed for contemporary teaching, research and collaboration.
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From dairy building to campus landmark
What the building originally contained
Building Design + Construction described Troy Hall’s original use as a “dairy building,” not as a documented commercial cheese factory. Constructed in 1921, it housed Washington State University’s creamery, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe and chemistry classes. Those uses made the building a hybrid from the start: part food-production facility, part campus retail destination and part academic space.
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That history explains why the headline shorthand can be misleading. The evidence identifies a university creamery and ice-cream shop, but it does not describe a separate commercial cheese-factory operation. Calling the project a conversion from a dairy building keeps the account aligned with the source while still acknowledging the popular description readers may have encountered.
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Closure and return to use
The building closed in 2010. Its eventual renewal did not treat the closure as the end of the structure’s campus role. Instead, the university used the redevelopment to consolidate and expand science-related functions in a building whose earlier life already included chemistry instruction.
| Milestone | What the published project account reports |
|---|---|
| 1921 | Troy Hall was constructed as a dairy building containing the university creamery, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe and chemistry classes. |
| 2010 | The building closed. |
| 2017 | The converted building reopened as home to the Department of Chemistry and the School of the Environment. |
These dates come from Building Design + Construction’s October 10, 2017 project coverage. They describe the project history reported at that time; they do not, by themselves, establish what has happened to the facility since publication.
What changed when Troy Hall reopened
A larger four-story building
The conversion increased the building’s reported area from 35,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. Almost 15,000 square feet was added on the north side. The project therefore combined two moves that are sometimes treated as opposites: it kept the recognizable historic shell and enlarged the usable academic program.
| Project measure | Reported figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Original building area | 35,000 square feet | Area stated for the pre-conversion building. |
| North addition | Almost 15,000 square feet | New area attached on the north side. |
| Total after expansion | 50,000 square feet | Reported area of the four-story building after the work. |
The figures are project statistics reported by the trade publication, not an independently verified current measurement. The small difference between the original area plus the rounded addition and the stated total is also a reminder that published project areas are often rounded; the article itself supplies no surveying or measurement methodology.
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Academic departments and room types
After reopening, Troy Hall became home to the Department of Chemistry and the School of the Environment. The article describes a mix of spaces rather than a single-purpose laboratory block:
- Teaching and research laboratories: spaces supporting the departments’ instructional and investigative work.
- Private and open offices: offices in the north addition for faculty, staff or other academic functions, with both enclosed and more open arrangements.
- Meeting rooms of several sizes: settings for different kinds of group work rather than one standardized conference room.
- Flexible spaces: areas intended to accommodate varied uses as academic needs change.
The source does not provide laboratory specifications, equipment schedules, capacity figures or a room-by-room plan. What it does establish is the programmatic shift: a former dairy and retail building was reorganized around science teaching, research, administration and shared work.
How the north addition and stair organize the building
An addition that supplies academic support space
The north addition carries private and open offices plus meeting spaces in several sizes. That placement lets the enlarged building support the departments’ work beyond the laboratory itself. The remainder of the building contains teaching and research laboratories and flexible spaces, according to the project account.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteRather than describing the addition as a detached wing, the article emphasizes how it is joined to the existing building. The connection is central to the project’s circulation strategy and to the way users encounter one another while moving between old and new construction.
The oversized, naturally lit stair
An oversized staircase filled with natural light connects the addition and the existing building. Informal and collaborative meeting areas are positioned near the stair on each floor. The project description calls this collection of spaces Troy Hall’s “academic heart.” That phrase is the article’s characterization of the design, not a quotation attributed to a named participant.
Functionally, the stair does more than provide vertical circulation. Its location makes the transition between the historic structure and the new work visible, while the adjacent informal areas give people places to pause, meet or work without reserving a formal conference room. The published account does not claim measured increases in collaboration or specify how often those spaces are used; it explains the design intention and the spatial arrangement.
Preserving the 1920s identity without preserving the old footprint
Facade elements were dismantled and rebuilt
The most tangible preservation move involved the original exterior. According to the project account, all four walls of the original 1920s facade and the terra-cotta from the original entrance were deconstructed, restored and relocated to the new front door.
This is more involved than leaving a facade in place during an interior renovation. The historic pieces were taken apart, repaired and reassembled as part of the new entry condition. At the same time, the building grew to the north, so the project preserved recognizable material while changing the overall footprint and internal organization.
What the published account does not specify
The article does not give a material-by-material condition report, conservation standard, repair recipe or structural method for moving the facade and terra-cotta. It also does not identify which individual pieces were replaced, how they were numbered during dismantling or what modern assemblies support the relocated elements. Those technical details should not be inferred from the general statement that the components were restored and relocated.
What can be said with confidence is that preservation was visible and architectural, not merely archival. Students and visitors encounter original facade material at the new front door, while the interior behind it serves a substantially different academic program.
Former and new uses at a glance
| Aspect | Earlier building | Reopened Troy Hall |
|---|---|---|
| Primary identity | University dairy building | Academic science building |
| Named activities | Creamery operations, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe and chemistry classes | Chemistry and environmental science teaching, research, offices and meetings |
| Spatial pattern | Original building configuration | Historic structure joined to a north addition |
| Publicly emphasized feature | Original entrance and 1920s facade | Relocated historic entry, naturally lit stair and adjacent collaborative areas |
The comparison shows why this project is an adaptive-reuse case rather than a simple restoration. The building’s identity was not reduced to its old materials, and its new academic role did not require erasing those materials.
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Building Design + Construction identifies a design-build team and several specialist consultants. The roles reported in the article are:
| Firm | Role identified in the project account |
|---|---|
| Perkins+Will | Designer |
| Lydig Construction | Other member of the design-build team |
| Parametric, Inc. | Civil engineering |
| Coughlin Porter Lundeen | Structural engineering |
| PAE Engineers | Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering |
| Swift Company | Landscape architecture |
The source does not assign additional scopes, contract values, schedules or performance metrics to these firms. The table reflects the roles explicitly named in the published project description.
Why this is a useful adaptive-reuse model
Preservation and growth are handled together
Troy Hall demonstrates a practical answer to a common campus problem: an older building may carry strong historical meaning but lack the floor area, services and room variety required by current academic programs. The project retained the visible 1920s facade and terra-cotta entrance while adding almost 15,000 square feet on the north. Historic character was therefore treated as an asset to reposition, not as a reason to freeze the building in its previous form.
The program follows the circulation
The stair and the spaces around it are not decorative afterthoughts in the published description. They connect the old and new portions and place informal meeting areas at a point people naturally pass through. This arrangement ties movement, daylight and social space together. It also gives the enlarged building a legible center instead of leaving the addition and original structure as disconnected zones.
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Flexible rooms acknowledge changing academic work
Laboratories, offices and meeting rooms serve different rhythms. The article’s mention of flexible spaces indicates an effort to accommodate more than one teaching or research format. Because no operating data are provided, the project cannot be credited with a measured flexibility outcome; the evidence supports only the design intention and the mix of room types.
Lessons for evaluating a similar conversion
- Define the historic baseline precisely. Identify what the original building actually was. In Troy Hall’s case, the documented baseline is a university dairy building with a creamery, ice-cream shop and chemistry classrooms, not an independently described cheese factory.
- Separate retained fabric from new construction. Record which elements remain, which are moved and where additions occur. Troy Hall’s facade and entrance terra-cotta were restored and relocated, while new area was added to the north.
- Plan circulation as part of the academic program. A connection between old and new space can also host daylight, informal work and meeting areas. Troy Hall’s naturally lit stair illustrates that combined role.
- Match room variety to institutional needs. Teaching and research laboratories, private and open offices, multiple meeting-room sizes and flexible areas support different users without forcing every activity into one room type.
- Label evidence and assumptions separately. Published project statistics can establish reported area and dates, but they do not automatically establish current occupancy, later renovations, construction details or operational performance.
What is—and is not—known about Troy Hall today
The available project account is dated October 10, 2017. It supports the construction history, reopening description, design strategy, program summary and consultant list presented here. It does not verify the building’s present condition, current occupants, subsequent alterations, energy performance or ongoing laboratory use. Any claim about those subjects would require newer documentation.
Within those limits, the project’s outcome is clear: Washington State University converted a former campus dairy building into a larger science facility by combining restored 1920s exterior elements with a north addition and a circulation-focused interior plan. Troy Hall’s significance lies in that negotiated balance—recognizable history at the entrance, contemporary academic space behind it.
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