The final beam is officially in place atop the University at Buffalo's newest engineering building, marking a major construction milestone for a project that's been years in the making. University officials, faculty and students gathered to sign the metal beam before it was hoisted into position on Russell L. Agrusa Hall, which is rising across from the Student Union on what was formerly known as Furnas Lot.
A Milestone Years in the Making
The last and final beam has been placed on UB's newest engineering building, according to The Spectrum, which reported that the university held a topping-out ceremony to mark the occasion. The building is set to open in 2029, giving the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences a new home just steps from the heart of campus. Plans for the building were first announced in 2022, according to a University at Buffalo news release marking the project's groundbreaking.
The building's price tag has been described differently across UB's own announcements. The Spectrum's report on the topping-out ceremony put the estimated cost at around $111 million, including $68 million in state capital funding and $20 million from Agrusa himself. A 2023 announcement from UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, however, described it as a $102 million project supported by the same $68 million in state funding. The university has not publicly reconciled the two figures.
A Beam Signed by the Campus Community
University officials, faculty and students signed the metal beam that was placed on top, a ceremonial tradition tied to the topping-out milestone, per the same account from the student newspaper. UB President Caroline Genco said the gesture carries long-term meaning for the campus. Those signatures, she said, “will remain part of the building long after its doors open,” reminding future visitors of the people who helped make it possible and the generations of students who will learn and grow there.
Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, framed the building as more than just new square footage. “Here students will move beyond the classroom to build, experiment, collaborate,” Lewis said, according to the student newspaper's report. The building represents an investment in students and their capacity for innovation, he added.
The Buffalo Alum Behind the Name
Russell L. Agrusa Hall takes its name from the UB alumnus whose gift helped jump-start construction. Agrusa received an electrical engineering degree from UB in 1976 and went on to found ICONICS, Inc., a software company he later led as CEO before retiring, according to the university's groundbreaking announcement. He committed $40 million to UB, with $20 million earmarked to kickstart construction of the new engineering building and the remaining $20 million directed toward supporting engineering and computer science programs at the university.
New York State also put significant money behind the project. Gov. Kathy Hochul, with the support of state lawmakers, set aside $68 million toward the building's construction, the university said in its announcement. Combined with Agrusa's gift, the funding reflects a broader push to expand capacity for a school that has outgrown its existing facilities.
Enrollment Growth Driving the Need for Space
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has seen its enrollment surge to approximately 7,500 students, an increase of 46% since 2013, according to UB's own figures. That growth helps explain why the university has prioritized a new, purpose-built space for engineering students rather than retrofitting older buildings. The new hall is part of a larger wave of construction at UB, which plans to invest $1.64 billion in its built environment across North and South campuses over the next decade, according to a report from buildwcg.com.
With the final beam now in place, Russell L. Agrusa Hall moves into its next construction phase ahead of its planned 2029 opening. For now, the signatures scrawled across that steel beam sit high above the former Furnas Lot, a quiet marker of the people who were there the day the building topped out.
