Board of Trustees Approves $16 Million in Reserved Funds to Launch Norris Hall of Chemistry Renovations

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On April 27, 2026, the Occidental College Board of Trustees approved the use of reserved funds to begin renovations on the Norris Hall of Chemistry. Thanks to generous donors and foundations, more than $18 million has been secured to-date to fund the project. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027.

The transformation of Norris Hall of Chemistry, which opened in 1960, is a key strategy in the Occidental Promise and essential to upholding Oxy's vision to continue as a leader in developing the next generation of ethical natural and social scientists.

Expanded and redesigned labs will incorporate new instructional technologies and cutting-edge equipment to support advanced research for faculty and students. A new space for the Academic Mastery Program will offer flexible configuration for classroom teaching, tutoring, lectures, receptions, and student collaboration.

"The investments being made in the lab are going to really transform the student experience," says Katharine Amsden '26, a biochemistry major and French minor. "When you have the right machinery, you can achieve so much more in the four years you are here."

Occidental has engaged John Friedman Alice Kimm (JFAK) Architects and DPR Construction, engineers, lab planners, and consultants to guide the renovation planning. The chemistry faculty and facilities department have been in close collaboration to shape the design of the basement and first floors, new lab spaces, classrooms, lecture room, and the Academic Mastery Program space.

This spring saw the opening of the Biology Imaging & Computation Center, the most recent addition to the state-of-the-art facilities housed in the Bioscience building and Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences. In 2025, Occidental received a research activity designation of Research College from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the first year that four-year undergraduate colleges were included in the Carnegie Classifications.

Occidental College faculty, students, and alumni regularly receive prestigious national and international recognition for their work. The Norris Hall of Chemistry renovation will ensure that Occidental continues to bring distinction to the sciences in the liberal arts, strengthen our faculty research capabilities, and ensure exceptional learning opportunities for the next generation of outstanding scientists.