F. W. Olin Science Center - Willamette University - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.237 W 123° 01.947
10T E 497439 N 4975983
Science center named for a noted arms maker and philanthropist
Waymark Code: WMJ5NG
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 09/28/2013
Views: 1
The Place: This four-story university building contains more than 44,000 square feet of space and houses the
Willamette University chemistry and biology departments. The building was funded by a $1.6 million grant from the
F.W. Olin Foundation.
The building was designed by Soderstrom Architects and dedicated in 1996.
The Person: Franklin W. Olin was the founder of the Western Cartridge company, an ammunition maker founded in 1898. The company was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation which continues today as a major ammunition manufacturer. In 1931, Olin also acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, famous as maker of the Winchester rifle. Olin was also, briefly, a professional baseball player in the mid-1880s, playing for Washington and Toledo in the American Association, then considered a major league.
In 1938, Olin created the Olin Foundation (renamed the F.W. Olin Foundation), and upon his death in 1951, a portion of Olin's fortune was willed to the Foundation. It provided funding for many buildings across the nation. The foundation closed in 2005 after it's remaining balance was transferred to the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (founded in 1997).