Palmer Hall, on the University of Toledo’s Engineering campus, has recently been demolished, marking the end of an era for many students and alumni of the university. Constructed in 1971, Palmer Hall, originally called South Engineering, served as home to engineering majors for decades, playing a crucial role in the university’s history and development of the College of Engineering up until today.
Palmer Hall was named in 1998 in honor of the first dean of Engineering, Delos Palmer Sr., who was integral in establishing the first engineering curriculum. Palmer, who attended the University from 1917 to 1918, received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After completing his master’s degree at the University of Michigan, he returned to the University of Toledo as faculty in 1927. He was named chairperson of what was then the engineering program and appointed dean in 1932.
Left: Portrait of Delos M. Palmer. Courtesy of the UToledo College of Engineering.
Right: The appointing of Palmer to dean of engineering, published in the Campus
Collegian, November 4, 1932. Image courtesy of the University of Toledo Digital Repository.
With the expansion of the main campus, the engineering program, which was then housed in the health and human services building, the current site for Palmer Hall was purchased from Owens-Illinois and a new space was built for the budding program. As the College of Engineering has continued to expand, Palmer Hall has served thousands of students within its classrooms until it closed in preparation for demolition in spring 2024. Over time, Palmer Hall faced challenges, including structural deterioration and outdated infrastructure. As part of the new master plan that began renovation on the College of Engineering Campus in 2018, the need for modernized facilities with multipurpose spaces became apparent. After years of consideration, the UToledo Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to demolish Palmer Hall beginning on June 4, 2024.
The demolition of Palmer Hall is a bittersweet moment for UToledo students, alumni, faculty and staff who spent countless hours within its walls. While the building’s physical presence is gone, its legacy will live on in the memories of those who experienced its unique atmosphere and the pioneering educational opportunities it provided.
The site where Palmer Hall once stood will now be repurposed for an academic quadrangle, as outlined in the 2017 updated campus master plan. According to Jason Toth, senior associate vice president for administration, facilities and construction, and supply chain, the green space will include trees, other native plants and a hammock park. This new development, which is part of the final phase of the engineering campus renovations, is expected to enhance the campus environment and provide connections to the campus’s modern facilities that meet the evolving needs of the university’s community.
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