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Howell Hall

Howell Hall

Completed in 1906 to house the Department of Chemistry (which had been in Person Hall), this building was the first on campus to be funded by a direct appropriation from the state. When the chemistry department moved to Venable Hall in 1925, the building, which had been known as the Chemistry Building, became home to the School of Pharmacy and was renamed for the pharmacy dean. When the pharmacy school moved to a new home in Beard Hall in 1960, Howell Hall was renovated for the School of Journalism, which was there until 1999. The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience moved to the building after the journalism department left. A renovation in 2016 added new laboratories for research in human neurostimulation, physiological monitoring, brain imaging, and behavioral observation.

The building is named in honor of Edward Vernon Howell, Carolina's first pharmacy dean. Born in Raleigh, Howell came to campus in 1897. He headed the pharmacy school for thirty-three years. During his tenure Howell worked to enhance professional standards for the state's pharmacists. At a time when faculty could join the varsity football team, Howell was an outstanding player. He is also believed to have been the first person in Chapel Hill to own an automobile.


Date Established: 1904

Date Range: 1904 – Present

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