Fermilab's Wilson Hall - Batavia, IL
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adgorn
N 41° 50.312 W 088° 15.685
16T E 395268 N 4632617
Named after Robert R. Wilson, the lab's first director, the central laboratory building of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory arches graceful skyward and abounds in odd shapes inside and out.
Waymark Code: WMCDKT
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/25/2011
Views: 1
Learn more about Wilson Hall at (
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"The stately 16-story Robert Rathbun Wilson Hall rises above the surrounding Illinois countryside. Inspired by a Gothic cathedral in Beauvais, France, its twin towers are joined by crossovers beginning at the seventh floor. The distinctive texture of the outer walls was created by using forms with staggered boards when the concrete was poured. Headquarters for the laboratory's administrative staff, Wilson Hall also offers the breathtaking expanse of one of the world's largest atriums, soaring to the very height of the structure. A variety of trees, plants and indoor shrubs contributes to the sense of open space. The laboratory's main cafeteria, on the first floor, provides a central meeting place and is open to the public."
From Emporis at (
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"Built as two towers joined by a large atrium.
Named after Robert Rathbun Wilson, the first director of the Laboratory. Wilson was an artist as well as a physicist, and 4 of his sculptures are on the laboratory grounds.
The design was loosely inspired by the gothic Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais in France.
Alan H. Rider was the principal design architect of the building.
The building is open to the public, and contains the Fermilab Visitor Center on the 15th floor."
Experiments at Fermilab have helped define the proton, a particle inside the atom's nucleus, and the proton's substructure of quarks. Today, Fermilab is a center for the study of the heavy quarks discovered in the past two decades -- the bottom quark, discovered at Fermilab in 1977, and the top quark, discovered in 1995. Now, studying the top quark may give clues to the scientific mystery of why matter has mass.
Robert R. Wilson was Fermilab's first director. Wilson's western roots and Berkeley training prepared him for his frontier work on the Manhattan Project and pioneering developments at Cornell University's Newman Laboratory for Nuclear Studies. In 1967 he was selected to create the National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. Under Wilson's supervision the Main Ring accelerator became the highest energy proton synchrotron in the world. Wilson's creativity extended from accelerators to the entire visual aestheticism of Fermilab, enhancing the site's natural beauty with his artistic touch in sculpture and architecture."
Scientists at Fermilab carry out research in high-energy physics to answer the questions: What is the universe made of? How does it work? Where did it come from?
The Fermilab grounds require a quick security check at the entrance and are accessible by both car or bike. Then you are free to wander and photograph. Tours are offered at the main building. See (
visit link) for more information.
Wilson Hall is clearly visible from the Pine Street entrance. From I-88, exit north at Farnsworth, which becomes Kirk north of Butterfield road.