Workers check the blueprints for renovations of historic Townsend Hall.

The building was constructed in 1903 as a nurses’ dormitory for the Erie County Almshouse.

This pillar is one of the few original features of the building.

A view of the attic. The building was renovated in 1931-32 — with work led by architect E.B. Green — to house UB's biology department. The name Townsend Hall was transferred to the building in 1954 when UB gave up ownership of a building on Niagara Square that carried the name.

The brick fireplace is another original feature of the building.

Townsend Hall was named for Harriet A. Townsend (1839-1916), a prominent figure in Buffalo’s progressive movement.