It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because it was designed by the firm of Daniel Burnham and because it marks an expansion of the science curriculum at the college.

[1] The hall was built using funds donated by and named after Dr. D. K. Pearsons,[2] a Quaker man from Pawnee, Illinois.

A second renovation in 1985 by architect Edward Ware was completed and the building was rededicated as the Jeffris-Wood Campus Center.

The bookstore was moved from Smith building to Jeffris-Wood Campus Center after this renovation.

[4] In the summer of 2024, the first floor of Pearsons was renovated to reopen DK's, a grab-and-go style dining facility.