As part of the post-war building boom under President Mark Scully, Southeast added a new facility in 1960 named for Dr. Arthur Clay Magill, long-time Professor of Chemistry, and Chair of the Science Department.
Magill Hall was built between 1958 and 1960 as Southeast’s primary science facility, housing the biology, chemistry, physics and engineering, and agriculture departments with modern research laboratories, administrative offices, and general classroom and lab space.
The donut-shaped science hall also contained a cooperative seismology station operated jointly with St. Louis University to monitor seismic activity along the New Madrid Faultline. A separate concrete pier poured deep under the basement supported the sensitive seismograph equipment to record tremors. Readings were collected by our geology and geography students and sent to SLU for analysis.
Due to relentless advances in science and technology, Magill became outdated by the 21st century. In 2013 the university completed a $22 million renovation – funded by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and National Institute of Justice. Since science classes could not practically be moved during construction, half of the building was completed first, leaving the other half functional, and then the halves switched roles.
The modern, redesigned Magill Hall features accessible, state-of-the-art life science labs with cutting-edge technology and equipment complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards along with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.
