New science building will be named Linda and Park B. Smith Laboratories

After months of digging and erecting steel, the new four-story building that will be part of Holy Cross’ Integrated Science Complex is taking shape, revealing the scope of the ambitious project.

On the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 28, a “topping out” ceremony was held to mark the occasion, as one of the final steel beams was put into place. “Topping out” is a longstanding tradition in the construction industry, in which a fir tree and the United States flag are placed on a steel beam.

Predicted rain showers failed to spoil the event, as the sun shined through the clouds and hundreds of gleeful spectators — donors, students, faculty and staff among them — watched the ceremony.

At 2:30 p.m. the beam was lifted by crane to the top of the building and permanently set in place by two ironworkers, to applause and cheers.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, construction workers and members of the campus community signed the steel beam, painted white for the occasion, with purple markers.

Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president; Timothy R. Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College; and Charles “Chick” Weiss, director of grants and foundation and corporate giving and the official coordinator (or shepherd) of the new endeavor, spoke at the afternoon ceremony.

In their remarks, they thanked faculty and staff for their help in conceptualizing and planning the enormous project. Also acknowledged were project architect Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and Engineering and the construction management of Bond Brothers.

Fr. McFarland thanked the many alumni and friends who have supported the project financially, including two Worcester foundations, the Fuller Foundation and the Alden Trust.

Then, Fr. McFarland announced that in honor of Park B. Smith’s $10 million donation to the advancement of science education at Holy Cross, the new building will be named the Linda and Park B. Smith Laboratories.

“I’d like to thank Park B. Smith, Class of ’54, whose generosity and leadership has changed the landscape of the campus. Park’s support has led to the construction of Smith Hall, an academic building at the heart of campus that is home to the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, as well as to athletic and wellness facilities on upper campus. Clearly, he and his wife Linda are dedicated to the Jesuit ideal of developing the whole person — spiritual, intellectual, and physical. They have helped turn our dreams for our students into realities,” said Fr. McFarland. Read more about the Integrated Science Complex