• Carroll Science: At the heart of the Baylor campus for more than a century

    Baylor University's Carroll Science Hall

    Today, we think about Burleson Quadrangle as a complete set; it’s hard to imagine Old Main and Burleson Hall without Carroll Science Hall and Carroll Library defining the quad on either side. But at the turn of the 20th century, that was exactly how things stood for Baylor students. Outside of some flanking buildings that housed students and a few ancillary activities, the Baylor campus was Old Main (then just called Main Building) and Burleson.

    But by 1901, the 56-year-old university was outgrowing its available space. Thankfully, George W. Carroll — a lumber businessman who also made a fortune in the Spindletop oilfield, a Prohibition candidate for vice-president, and a devout Baptist — stepped forward in May 1901 with a $75,000 gift to Baylor to fund the construction of a new science hall. (George Carroll’s father, F.L. Carroll, made a matching donation that same year that made Carroll Chapel and Library possible.)

    Constructed from Texas gray stone to encompass classic architecture while withstanding the Texas elements, Carroll Science was a predecessor to today’s Baylor Sciences Building (BSB) as the university’s first dedicated home for the sciences. When it opened in 1903, Carroll Science boasted more science classrooms and lab space than any other building in state of Texas, and it would house Baylor’s science offerings for decades.

    Eventually, of course, the department outgrew the building. Marrs McLean Science Building went up in 1963 on the then-new Fountain Mall to house chemistry and physics, and Sid Richardson Building followed in 1967 to house biology, geology, mathematics, and physics. Carroll Science would undergo a major remodeling in the early 1980s, adding a distinctive spiral staircase and gorgeous woodwork, chairs and desks to replace the lab equipment that had long filled the building. The exterior, however, retained the classic look it was originally given more than a century ago.

    Though it’s been 30+ years since the building housed a science class, Carroll Science has kept its traditional name to honor its past. (Interestingly, so has the Marrs McLean Science Building, which since 2013 has housed the Baylor School of Education.) Bonus fact: Almost 100 years after it was built, the Carroll Science steps were the setting for the final, climactic scene in the 2000 Natalie Portman movie Where the Heart Is (watch the clip here for shots of Carroll Science, Burleson Quad, Pat Neff Hall and even Armstrong Browning Library).

    Sic ’em, Carroll Science!