Stovall Building (Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene)

465 Henry Mall

Built in 1953

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) was established in 1903, at the urging of H. L. Russell, to provide facilities and expertise in the diagnosis of diseases common in Wisconsin at the time, such as typhoid, diphtheria, rabies, anthrax, and glanders. The lab, which also was set up to examine milk and water quality, was housed in several different campus buildings until the Stovall Building was built in 1953. Russell was lab director until 1907, when he became the dean of the College of Agriculture. Dr. W. S. Stovall became director of the lab in 1918 and served as director until 1962. The WSLH has expanded to multiple locations and has evolved to take on numerous functions vital to the environmental health of the state and nation, including analytical services, research and development, public health programs, laboratory proficiency testing, and training and education of students and professionals. Today, the Stovall Building houses the WSLH administrative offices and the newborn screening, biochemical genetics, cytogenetics, and cytology laboratories.