Hatch Lab at UMass meets wrecking ball

AMHERST — Hatch Laboratory, a late 19th century Colonial Revival wood-framed building and remnant of the Massachusetts Agricultural College at the University of Massachusetts campus, was demolished this week.

Located at 140 Holdsworth Way, the 133-year-old building had been next to the three-story brick Chenoweth Laboratory, which houses the Food Science department, and behind Stockbridge Hall and Bowker Auditorium.

Hatch Laboratory was one of a series of buildings constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s associated with veterinary science. The building was named for U.S. Rep. William Hatch, who was behind the Hatch Act of 1887 that enabled state agricultural experiment stations to receive funding from the federal government.

Its demolition was anticipated for several years. In a 2007 report, Hatch Lab was listed as one of 16 campus buildings that should be razed, along with Hills House, West Experiment Station, the Student Union and South College. Since that time, both Hills House and West Experiment Station were knocked down, while the Student Union and South College were both renovated and remain in use.

A UMass library website provides a description of the building:

“Hatch Laboratory barn is a 2½ story front gable structure with one-story side gable wings on its north and south sides. The building has a T shaped footprint, with the front gable section projecting forward of the wings on its east elevation. The front gable section is flush with the wings on its west elevation. Hatch Laboratory has a slate roof, wood shingle walls, white painted wood trim, and a brick foundation. The building has four hip roof cupolas with ventilation louvers. The front gable section contains two of the cupolas and each of the windows has a single cupola. The building is 11 bays wide and three bays deep.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.