The Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building, originally known as the Agricultural Chemistry Building, is a historic structure on the campus of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. It was the site of the discovery of vitamins A and B, as well as the development of

vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 (c ...

processing.

History

The building was part of the expansion of the College of Agriculture undertaken by Edwin B. Hart. Hart assumed leadership of the department in 1906. The next year, Stephen Moulton Babcock and

Elmer McCollum Elmer Verner McCollum (March 3, 1879 – November 15, 1967) was an American biochemist known for his work on the influence of diet on health.Kruse, 1961. McCollum is also remembered for starting the first rat colony in the United States to be u ...

began the

single-grain experiment The single-grain experiment was an experiment carried out at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from May 1907 to 1911. The experiment tested if cows could survive on a single type of grain. The experiment would lead to the development of modern ...

, which fostered the development of agricultural chemistry at Wisconsin. The experiment continued in the Agricultural Chemistry Building when it was built in 1912 and was expended to identify the key elements in nutrition. With . In 1913, McCollum identified a molecule in egg yolks,

vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably bet ...

. The discovery was consistent with the nutrition element proposed by

Frederick Gowland Hopkins Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (20 June 1861 – 16 May 1947) was an English biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929, with Christiaan Eijkman, for the discovery of vitamins, even though Casimir Funk, a Po ...

a year before. The experiment continued, and in 1915, McCollum identified

vitamin B B vitamins are a class of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism and synthesis of red blood cells. Though these vitamins share similar names (B1, B2, B3, etc.), they are chemically distinct compounds that often coexist ...

in rice. McCollum left Wisconsin for

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1917 and was succeeded by

Harry Steenbock Harry Steenbock (August 16, 1886, Charlestown, Wisconsin – December 25, 1967, Madison, Wisconsin) was a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Steenbock graduated from Wisconsin in 1916, where he was a member o ...

. He continued experimentation on the new molecules, isolating and naming vitamin A in 1920. Other research by Steenbock identified iron and copper as effective agents in the treatment of

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...

. Steenbock made his most significant discovery in 1923, when he established a relationship between

and ultra-violet light on bone health. He then founded the "Steenbock Process" in 1928, a method of concentrating vitamin D by irradiating food. This method was employed on a large scale through his Wisconsin Alumni Research Fund.

Conrad Elvehjem Conrad Arnold Elvehjem (May 27, 1901July 27, 1962) was internationally known as an American biochemist in nutrition. In 1937 he identified two vitamins, nicotinic acid, also known as niacin, and nicotinamide, which were deficient directly in hum ...

isolated nicotinic acid (niacin) at the Agricultural Chemistry Building in 1937, which cured

pellagra Pellagra is a disease caused by a lack of the vitamin niacin (vitamin B3). Symptoms include inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia, and sores in the mouth. Areas of the skin exposed to either sunlight or friction are typically affected first. Over t ...

. and

Karl Paul Link Karl Paul Gerhard Link (31 January 1901 – 21 November 1978) was an American biochemist best known for his discovery of the anticoagulant warfarin. Training and early career He was born in LaPorte, Indiana to a Lutheran minister of German descen ...

identified the blood coagulant

dicumarol Dicoumarol ( INN) or dicumarol (USAN) is a naturally occurring anticoagulant drug that depletes stores of vitamin K (similar to warfarin, a drug that dicoumarol inspired). It is also used in biochemical experiments as an inhibitor of reductases. ...

here in 1941. On June 19, 1985, the building was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. A major renovation was completed in 2012 and the building was integrated into the Biochemical Sciences Complex. The building was named after Hector F. DeLuca in 2013. His research, which was all performed at UW-Madison, identified the active metabolites of vitamin D, and resulted in multiple patents benefiting the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. It is located within the Henry Mall Historic District.

Architecture

The building is generally

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

in style with its

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, t ...

, and

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

. It was designed by Warren Powers Laird &

Paul Philippe Cret Paul Philippe Cret (October 23, 1876 – September 8, 1945) was a French-born Philadelphia architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he taught at a design studio in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylv ...

, who also designed six other buildings on campus: the Central Heating Station, the Stock Pavilion, Lathrop Hall, the Home Economics Buildings, Wisconsin High School, and Sterling Hall.

References

External links

Biochemistry Building
in ''The Buildings of the University of Wisconsin'' {{University of Wisconsin–Madison University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Colonial Revival architecture in Wisconsin Georgian Revival architecture in Wisconsin Buildings and structures completed in 1912 Buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison Paul Philippe Cret buildings 1912 establishments in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Madison, Wisconsin