In 1966, the university proposed a physical plant building to “house the administration staff, workshops, stores and related services provided by the Department of Buildings and Grounds.”  Some of these offices had operated out of Science B, but were rapidly outgrowing the rooms allocated, and the Science departments needed the space to expand.  Meanwhile, the library hosted the administrative space for Buildings and Grounds but the rapid accumulation of books meant these offices needed to go.  In addition, storage locations were scattered across campus “due to very crowded conditions in the Shipping, Receiving and Stores Building.” The university needed a centralized building to house these vital functions.

By the spring of 1966, the Department of Public Works had designed two phases for the Physical Plant. Phase I, of 11,200 square feet, with an occupation date of November 1967, and Phase II, consisting of 15,400 square feet due in 1975.

Construction started in 1968 on a much bigger design of 58,065 square feet that included a warehouse.  The building opened in 1969 for an estimated cost of $778,225.