Campus Facilities
Academic Buildings
Academic East stands behind Bertrand Library and next to Academic West. The 78,000-square-foot building provides 25 laboratories housing cutting edge research equipment found almost nowhere else in the world and nearly doubles the lab space available for the College of Engineering. The building also provides numerous places for students to gather and collaborate: 30 offices, four classrooms, and research space for the College of Engineering and the Department of Education. The building has several unique features to demonstrate sustainability, including a solar chimney to reduce energy use, a two-story “green” wall, and a sustainability command center where students can monitor campus wide energy usage. The building received LEED Gold certification.
Academic West, opened in August 2013, is a 70,000-square-foot building that provides nine state-of-the-art classrooms, 10 flexible project/conference room spaces, a GIS laboratory, 60 faculty offices, and two suites to support cross-disciplinary faculty initiatives, such as the Institute for Public Policy. The building has a vegetated roof, energy efficient design, and is LEED Silver rated. LEED Platinum Certification for Operations & Maintenance was received in May 2020. Academic West is the first academic building in Pennsylvania and one of the first in the northeast to achieve LEED O&M Platinum Certification.
The Animal Behavior Laboratory consists of offices, seminar rooms, computer rooms, and areas for housing animals, including quarantine cages and two all-weather enclosures in which two species of nonhuman primates live. The main building was built in 1947 and rebuilt in 1964 to serve its current function. A major renovation of the facility was completed in 1990. The HVAC and roofing systems were replaced in 2017.
The Art Barn, a converted dairy barn on the west campus, and surrounding buildings, support the art curriculum with more than 10,000 square feet of classrooms and workshops.
The Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library, built in 1951 and named for a generous benefactress, is the center of information services for the campus. Located in one of the landmark buildings at Bucknell University, the library is a leader among peer institutions in providing access to both an outstanding traditional print collection as well as the increasingly important world of digital information. The Information Commons on the library's first floor provides students with one location to get assistance with everything from how to find resources to write a paper, to how to troubleshoot a computer or network problem. The library offers a variety of study spaces including a newly renovated 24-hour study lounge, network connections, databases, media services and computer workstations. The Office of Civic Engagement relocated to the library in 2010.
The Botany Building was renovated in 1992. The building houses the Center for Career Advancement and the Office of Global & Off-campus Education (OGOE).
The Breakiron Engineering Building opened for classes in the summer of 2004. The building is connected at each floor to Dana Engineering to provide continuity between the two buildings in support of the interdisciplinary curriculum. The structure provides state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms, as well as office space. The building is named for Lauren ’52 and Margit Breakiron, whose lead gift made the project possible.
Bucknell Hall, dedicated in 1886, was renovated in 1988 for use as a poetry center and recital hall. It houses the Stadler Center for Poetry, named for benefactors Jack Stadler ’40 and his wife, Ralynn.
The Carnegie Building, constructed in 1905 under a grant from Andrew Carnegie, originally served as the library of the University. The building, which has been modified over the years, had a major renovation in 2015 to restore it to a condition similar to its original appearance and now houses the Teaching & Learning Center, the Writing Center and other academic support offices. The renovation received the 2017 USGBC Central PA "Rise to the Challenge" award and the building is LEED certified.
William H. Coleman Hall, dedicated in 1959, was a gift of the F.W. Olin Foundation and is named in honor of the late Dr. Coleman, who served Bucknell for more than 30 years as a professor of English, dean of the University, and vice president. Renovated in 2002, it houses classrooms, faculty offices, several lecture halls, a number of laboratories and seminar rooms, and a 500-seat theatre equipped for work in the dramatic arts. Renovated in 1996, the theatre was renamed the Harvey M. Powers Theatre in 1997.
The Charles A. Dana Engineering Building is named for a generous benefactor in recognition of his support of engineering and scientific education. Begun in 1921 and completed in 1940, it houses the College of Engineering and provides the many laboratories and classrooms essential to the University’s engineering program. A $4 million renovation and expansion of the building was completed in June 1985. A 2001 addition called the Collaborative Learning Space incorporates the latest teaching/classroom design. In 2011, the Richard J. Mooney Innovative Design Laboratory, a gift to the University in honor of Richard Mooney ’60, was constructed to expand the Product Development Lab.
Attached to the Dana Engineering Building is the Computer Center (built in 1980), which serves as the network and telecommunications hub for the campus. Every student living on campus has easy access to a high-speed connection to the campus network and the internet. Laptops may connect to the wireless network that is available across much of the campus, creating an environment of “any time, any place access.” While student ownership of computers is not required, most students find having one to be a valuable part of the Bucknell experience. A variety of electronic classrooms and labs, the Information Commons in the library, a strong set of network services, and access to the network from student housing provides the Bucknell student with almost ubiquitous access.
The Brungraber Civil Engineering Structural Test Laboratory, east of Dana Engineering, houses a 600,000-pound Baldwin universal testing machine as well as civil engineering offices and other testing equipment.
Elizabeth Koons Freas Hall was given to Bucknell in 1965 by the late A. Guy Freas, a trustee of the University, in honor of his wife. Connecting Coleman Hall with Marts Hall, it houses the admissions offices. The prominent patio atop the building on the Malesardi Quadrangle was renovated in 2002.
The Elaine Langone Center, which opened in 1971, contains the student post office; offices for student life and student government; study, game and lounge rooms; facilities for lectures, performances and meetings; the Samek Art Museum; and dining facilities, including a snack bar. The Roy Grier Bostwick Memorial Dining Room, serving students, is named in recognition of a gift to the University in his honor from the estate of his widow, Marie Leiser Bostwick. In 1990, Bucknell Trustee Ken Langone ’57 provided the naming gift for the student center in honor of his wife, Elaine. The Bostwick Dining Room and Servery were completely renovated in 2002. A major renovation to the snack bar was completed in 2006. A student hearth space was established in 2011 on the ground floor of the building.
Hildreth-Mirza Hall had renovations and a 7,000-square-foot addition added to the former Demosthenean Hall in 2018 (previously occupied by Delta Upsilon fraternity). The project provided new spaces for departments within the humanities including a digital humanities lab, several conference rooms, offices, a great room and other collaborative work spaces. The original 1941 building and 1966 addition were completely renovated. The building contains attractive finishes, new energy efficient HVAC and electrical systems, a green roof terrace and exterior landscaping. The renovation received the 2018 USGBC Central PA "Rise to the Challenge" award and the building is LEED Silver certified.
Holmes Hall, completed in 2021, is a 79,800-square-foot building and houses both the Freeman College of Management and the Department of Art & Art History to enhance our interdisciplinary approach to a holistic education. In addition to nearly 20 technology-rich classrooms, labs and studios, Holmes Hall houses ample collaboration space, a 200-seat auditorium, large central atrium and ground and third floor patios for gatherings, art exhibition spaces, and The Moriarty Investment Lab. This building is anticipated to receive LEED Gold Certification.
The Observatory, constructed in 1963 to replace an earlier one that had been a gift of William Bucknell, includes labs and the Tressler Observing Laboratory (2014) with a retractable roof that houses telescopes.
The O’Leary Psychology & Geology Center opened for the 2002 fall semester. The 40,000-square-foot facility brings together the psychology department staff in one location and provides new office, classroom and lab space for the geology and psychology departments. This building completes the phased development of the science center project. It is named in honor of Brian ’60 and Judith McAllister O’Leary ’60.
Funds for the construction in 1955 of the F.W. Olin Science Building came from the F.W. Olin Foundation. Renovated in 1989-90, it houses the departments of physics and mathematics, and Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment (BCSE).
The Charles M. & Olive S. Rooke Chapel seats 500 on the main floor and 250 in the balconies. In addition to the chaplain’s offices, the south wing houses a reception room and a meditation chapel. The chapel was given to the University in 1964 by Robert L. Rooke, Class of 1913, secretary emeritus of the Board of Trustees, in memory of his parents. Rooke Chapel was renovated during the summer of 2005.
The Robert L. Rooke Science Center, named for Robert Rooke ’13 in 2011, includes the Rooke Chemistry Building completed in 1990 and the biology building completed in 1991. The chemistry building contains classrooms and seminar rooms, faculty offices and modern laboratories for faculty and students. In addition, designated laboratories house special equipment, such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, and an X-ray diffractometer.
The biology building houses faculty offices and research laboratories as well as a variety of laboratories designed for use by both non-majors and majors and a rooftop greenhouse. Students enrolled in the biochemistry and cell biology majors share laboratories in the adjoining buildings. New animal study laboratories were constructed in the building in 2002.
Stephen W. Taylor Hall, named in honor of the author of the University’s charter, was erected in 1849 as the first building on College Hill. In 1994, Taylor Hall was renovated and was home to the Freeman College of Management until their new space in Holmes Hall was completed. Taylor Hall will be utilized as swing space pending finalization of plans to determine its future use.
The Leanne Freas Trout Auditorium in the Vaughan Literature Building was recently restored to its original grandeur. In 2003, it was dedicated in honor of Leanne Freas Trout, Class of 1950, for the years of loyalty, service, time and leadership she and her family have devoted to Bucknell.
The Tustin Building, which was used for many years as a gymnasium, is named in honor of Francis W. Tustin, Class of 1856, who later became a member of the faculty. Dedicated in 1890, the building was completely remodeled and equipped in 1938 and a wing was added in 1961. Tustin is used for academic and extracurricular programs. In 1986, the flexible black box Tustin Studio Theatre was opened.
The Charles P. Vaughan Literature Building and Arnaud C. Marts Hall correspond in design and size to Coleman Hall. A 450-seat auditorium, classrooms and offices for faculty are provided in the Literature Building, completed in 1938 and named in honor of Charles P. Vaughan, a trustee who also served as acting president in 1931.
Marts Hall, built in 1960, houses administrative offices as well as departments of instruction. Arnaud C. Marts, for whom it is named, was the University’s seventh president and a member of the Board of Trustees.
Completed in 1988, the Sigmund & Claire Weis Center for the Performing Arts, a concert hall with seating for 1,300, is located west of the Malesardi Quadrangle at the entrance to the campus, opposite Rooke Chapel.
The Sigfried Weis Music Building, located next to the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, was completed in fall 2000 and houses classrooms, faculty offices, a computerized keyboard lab, practice rooms, a music library and a 176-seat recital hall named in honor of Natalie Davis Rooke. The building is named for Sigfried Weis, former chairman of the Bucknell Board of Trustees.
Athletic & Recreational Buildings
The University added substantially to the facilities available for recreation and athletics with the 2003 dedication of the Kenneth Langone Athletics & Recreation Center. Kinney Natatorium opened in fall 2002, houses an Olympic-size pool, and the Krebs Fitness Center, a 14,000-square-foot fitness center. The Sojka Pavilion is a 4,000-seat, multipurpose gymnasium opened at the beginning of the second semester of the 2002-03 academic year. Renovations to existing facilities include a new training center in the Davis Annex and varsity locker rooms in the Fieldhouse, as well as new coaching offices in Davis Gym. In 2011, the unused tiered seating area for the old pool was converted into an ergometer training facility for the crew teams through a gift from a parent.
The Recreational Sports Complex includes the Gerhard Fieldhouse, completed in 1978, which provides greatly expanded facilities for intramural and recreational activities and sports, as well as indoor practice space for intercollegiate teams. It includes a 350-foot by 180-foot main playing floor that has been laid out to include a six-lane, 220-yard track oval that was resurfaced in 2008. There are five tennis courts, six volleyball courts and seven basketball courts laid out on the floor. This playing area also can be used as a surface for any of the field sports and may be subdivided by a system of nets to permit a number of concurrent activities. An L-shaped building wrapped around the playing floor on two sides includes a dance studio, five handball/racquetball courts, four squash courts and a climbing wall.
The Fieldhouse is connected to Davis Gymnasium, named in honor of the late Warren Davis, Class of 1896, a member of the Board of Trustees. The main part of the gymnasium, completed in 1938, was the gift of 20 trustees.
The William A. Graham IV Building is connected to Sojka Pavilion and was completed in 2016. This 36,000-square-foot addition to the campus brings together health, wellness and athletic resources in a central hub. The first floor is comprised of Student Health, the Counseling & Student Development Center, and a Health & Wellness Center, which provides a dedicated space for faculty and staff wellness initiatives as well as student-focused programming. The second floor contains a world-class training facility for the Bison wrestling team to rival the best campus training centers in the United States. The building is LEED Silver certified.
Depew Field, an artificial surface baseball complex, and Becker Field, a natural grass softball facility, both underwent substantial renovations in 2012. New grandstands were installed in 2017.
The Bachman Golf Facility, an indoor/outdoor instructional golf facility, opened in fall 2011 for varsity and recreational use.
Holmes Stadium, completed in 2007, is a double-sided, 1,200-seat covered grandstand facility that supports both the William A. Graham IV Field, a lighted, artificial turf field for hockey, women’s lacrosse, and recreation that was completed in 2003; and Emmitt Field, a lighted, sand-based natural turf soccer field completed in 2005.
The Pascucci Family Athletics Complex was named in 2021 and includes the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium that seats about 13,000 people and has an eight-lane, all-weather track and grass-like artificial playing field for football and lacrosse. A gift of alumni and friends of the University, the stadium was dedicated in 1924 to the memory of Bucknell men and women who served their country in times of war. After its renovation in 1989, it was renamed to honor Christy Mathewson, a member of the Class of 1902. At the main entrance to the stadium is the Christy Mathewson Gateway, erected in 1928 and presented to the University by organized baseball in memory of the Hall of Fame pitcher. The press box was renovated in 2017. New LED lights programmable to three different lighting levels were installed in 2018 and a new video scoreboard was installed in 2021. Designs are currently being finalized to add a synthetic turf practice field between the north end of the stadium and the Christy Mathewson Gates in 2022, and design efforts have started to construct the Michael C. Pascucci Team Center, which is scheduled to open before the start of fall semester 2024.
Other athletic facilities include: a jogging course, an 18-hole golf course, 10 lighted tennis courts, two lighted platform tennis courts, two lighted outdoor basketball courts, several outdoor lighted sand volleyball courts and additional recreational playing fields.
Residence Halls
Occupying a prominent place on College Hill is a complex of three large residence halls: Rush H. Kress Hall, Main College, and Harland A. Trax Hall. Main College has been designated as Daniel C. Roberts Hall in memory of the man who provided funds for its rebuilding in 1937. Roberts Hall, Bucknell University's oldest residence hall, underwent a $13.7 million renovation in 2016 to restore some of its original splendor while meeting modern code and comfort standards. The renovation included providing air conditioning, elevator installation and ADA accessibility to most of the building, as well as upgraded safety systems, including fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and BUID card access. It provides housing for 136 students, primarily sophomores, in two, three and four-person suites, each with a private bathroom and shower. The building is LEED Silver certified. Nearby Kress Hall is named in honor of Rush H. Kress, Class of 1900, for 36 years as a University trustee and the generous contributions to his alma mater. Trax Hall, built in 1907, is named for a trustee and benefactor, Harland A. Trax. Most rooms in Kress and Trax, which together accommodate 230 students, are singles.
Gateway Residence Center. Completed in 1986, these five buildings – Kalman-Posner Hall, Malesardi Hall, Roser Hall, Silbermann Hall and Vidinghoff Hall – accommodate a total of 250 upper class students. Each floor contains four suites, with each suite accommodating four students. Suites contain four private bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and full bathroom facilities. Common laundry facilities are available within the center. On-grade suites are available for students with disabilities. Kalman-Posner Hall was renovated in 2017.
Larison Hall, renovated in 1995, is a large residential building connected on the west with Bucknell Cottage, renovated in 2010, and on the south with John Howard Harris Hall. Together they accommodate 275 residents. Nearby Hunt Hall, built in 1928, which houses some 150 students, is named in honor of former President Emory W. Hunt and provides private residence rooms and common facilities for Bucknell’s sororities. The building was completely renovated in the spring semester of 2003.
McDonnell Hall, with 300 beds, opened in fall 2000. Two four-story wings are connected by corridors to a two-story center unit containing lounge areas and seminar rooms. Each floor houses two “neighborhoods” with one single and nine double rooms surrounding a common lounge. McDonnell Hall is named in honor of Elizabeth and James McDonnell III and their daughter, Katherine ’94.
Smith Hall. Completed in 1986, this modern residential unit houses approximately 220 students in a three-story building that contains a wide array of common facilities including seminar and study rooms, computer facilities, TV lounges and common kitchen and laundry facilities. The building is named in honor of Robert ’39 and Margaret Farrell Smith ’41.
James S. Swartz Hall, near the Malesardi Quadrangle, is named for a longtime member and chairman of the Board of Trustees, and generous benefactor. Built in 1954, it houses 360 residents. Two wings of the hall were renovated in 2007, another wing was renovated in 2016, and the remaining wing was renovated in 2017.
Vedder Hall, completed in 1965, is named in honor of Lee N. and Grace Q. Vedder in recognition of the transfer to the University of the assets of the foundation that they endowed. It is home to more than 350 residents, most of whom live in double rooms.
Bucknell West, a complex of residential units on the western edge of the campus, provides accommodations for 272 upper class students. Each H-shaped unit has two wings, each containing two bedrooms, a bath and a combination living room-kitchen. The complex is accessible via a pedestrian underpass completed in 1991.
South Campus Student Apartments, a complex of four apartment-style residence halls on the south part of campus, opened in fall 2015 and received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The four buildings, totaling 151,000 square feet, are comprised of 344 beds in 88 apartments to house 340 juniors and seniors. Each apartment building has a first-floor "hearth space" to promote student interaction and living-learning opportunities, and recreational facilities include an outdoor basketball court and two volleyball courts.
South Campus Affinity Houses, four small residential facilities, include two that opened in 2012 and two that opened in 2017. These residential facilities are currently occupied by the Lambda Chi Alpha (LCA) and Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternities as well as one Affinity House and one residence hall. Each of these 12,500-square-foot buildings contain 26 single bedrooms, as well as a first-floor chapter room, a catering kitchen, a large dining and event space and laundry facilities. The first floor of each building, including bathrooms and three bedrooms per house, are ADA-accessible. All four buildings received LEED Silver certification. A concrete staircase between the Affinity Houses and the South Campus Apartments was added in 2017 to enhance connectivity of these residences with the rest of campus.
Other Facilities
In 2010, the University moved the bookstore operation from the Elaine Langone Center to a renovated historic building on Market Street in downtown Lewisburg and partnered with Barnes & Noble to create the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Bucknell University.
The Campus Theatre, a historic Art Deco-styled movie theatre constructed in 1941, was acquired by the University in 2010. The building was renovated and the original interior artwork restored. The facility continues to show movies to the general public as well as hosting special community events and academic-related films for specific classes.
In 2010, the University purchased the former Federal Court House building in Lewisburg, which was vacant except for the post office operation. The building has been renovated into offices for the University’s development staff and continues to house the post office window service operation.
In 2012, the University renovated the DeWitt Building on Market Street. The Small Business Development Center and the Bucknell University Entrepreneurs Incubator are located on the upper floors, and the Downtown Gallery as well as two local businesses are located at street level.
The Walter C. Geiger Physical Plant Building, constructed in 1938 between Tustin and the Power Plant, was named for Walter C. Geiger ’34, who served as superintendent of buildings from 1946-57 and physical plant director from 1957-78. It houses the facilities offices, garages for utility service vehicles, several trade shops and a small storage area.
The Forrest D. Brown Conference Center, about seven miles from the campus, is used primarily for conferences and informal gatherings. It was named in 1966 in honor of the man who served for 30 years as secretary and adviser for the University’s Christian Association. The center provides overnight accommodations for 60 people. Facilities include a kitchen, an outdoor covered picnic pavilion and 40 acres of open area for outdoor recreation. A "Challenge Course," consisting of low and high rope elements as well as a climbing and rappelling tower, was added in fall 2004.
The University also owns a 70-acre Nature Site bordering Chillisquaque Creek a few miles from the campus. The property is used in laboratory work under the environmental science program, but also is open to all members of the University community for research or visiting.
One of the historic buildings on University Avenue, the Robert Lowry House immediately opposite the President’s House, was renovated to provide campus administrative offices. The home was built in 1856 by the Rev. Joseph P. Tustin, then secretary of the Board of Trustees. Robert Lowry wrote some of his most famous hymns during his residence in the house from 1869-75. The home was later acquired by William C. Bartol, a distinguished member of the faculty from 1881-1928, from whose heirs the University purchased the property in 1984.
The Seventh Street Café, built in 1948 as a student recreation center with a snack bar called the Bison, later served as a psychology lab, a biology lab, and a piano lab until 1993, when it was renovated and renamed. The building, which includes exterior and interior student lounge areas and a coffee bar, also contains a craft center called the Seventh Street Studio, which includes a studio and a MakerSpace annex. These two areas are equipped with a wide range of traditional and modern tools. The studio area has five pottery wheels, two kilns, nine sewing machines, a black and white darkroom, and an array of materials. The MakerSpace annex includes high-tech fabrication machines such as 3D printers, a laser cutter, 3D scanners, a vacuum former, a vinyl cutter, a CNC router and various woodworking tools.
Stuck House, located between the Seventh Street Café and Smith Hall and formerly the home of Bucknell's rabbi, was renovated in 2016 and now houses student offices, including the Bucknellian, the weekly student newspaper, and VIA Studio at Bucknell University, a student radio station that streams online under the name VBU Streaming.
Bucknell Co-Generation Power Plant was completed in 1998 with an accompanying Chiller Plant Annex added in 2020 that provides most of the electricity and all of the steam needed by the campus, as well as chilled water to support much of the campus’ air-conditioning needs in a fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. In addition, Bucknell supports the development of renewable energy through the purchase of wind-produced electricity and student-operated solar photo-voltaic arrays that provide electricity to the Bucknell University Center for Sustainability & the Environment and one Bucknell West residential unit.
The MacDonald Commons building, completed in 2015, contains a large multipurpose space and several meeting rooms for use by students, as well as a small dining facility and convenience store. The building received LEED Gold certification and was the first building on campus to achieve that level.