Today, before more than 300 attendees and media representatives, members of the board of
directors of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center joined with federal, state and local officials as well as regional civic and business leaders to officially break ground on the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Speakers included U.S. Senator from Missouri Christopher "Kit" Bond, and Dr. Rita R. Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation.

"Today is a momentous event. This groundbreaking combined with the recent appointment of our first two principal investigators moves us forward in our goal of discovering new solutions for fighting hunger and disease while conserving the earth's natural resources," announced Dr. William H. Danforth, chairman of the board, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. "I am excited by the prospect of watching the new facility spring forth and take shape during the various stages of construction." 

Designed by the internationally recognized London-based architectural firm of Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners in association with St. Louis-based Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), the Danforth Center's research facility will be completed in June 2001. The $75 million budget for the construction project, which is being managed by the St. Louis-based McCarthy Company, includes state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and the installation of a world-class information technology infrastructure. When the Danforth Center's laboratory groups are fully staffed, it will be one of the world's largest and most advanced research facilities dedicated to basic research in plant science.

"Since my appointment as president of the Danforth Center at this time last year, our partners, architects and staff members have been working tirelessly to design a research facility that will exceed the expectations of scientists from around the world, while providing the best value for the dollars invested in the project," explained Dr. Roger N. Beachy. "Today, I am proud to say that we have accomplished both of these goals."

The new building will provide outstanding research and training facilities, as well as a library, a lecture auditorium with video-conferencing capabilities, compartmentalized greenhouses, and environmentally-controlled growth chambers and growth rooms. In all, the campus will include approximately 170,000 square feet of building space on a 40 acre site located near the intersection of Olive Boulevard and Warson Road.

Officially launched in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center was designed to increase understanding of basic plant biology; apply new knowledge to help sustain productivity in agriculture, forestry and allied fields; facilitate the rapid development and commercialization of promising technologies and products; and, contribute to the education and training of graduate and postdoctoral students, scientists and technicians from around the world.

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center news release
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