[3] Built in 1889 under the leadership of President Merrill Edward Gates, it housed the Agricultural Experiment Station.

The building's construction was funded by the Hatch Act of 1887, which was passed with the purpose of implementing and conducting agricultural research programs.

When Rutgers was declared the land-grant college of New Jersey, it opened opportunities for innovation and expansion.

[6] The profits received from the sale of this land to private individuals, allowed New Jersey to fund departments in agriculture and mechanical arts.

[7] On May 11, 1888, plans and funds were excepted by the Rutgers Board of Trustees to build New Jersey Hall, in order to house the NJAES as well as new laboratories.

These experiments also enabled chemists to act as an official food and drug administration for New Jersey residents at the time.