Olin Hall is named for the F.W. Olin Foundation of New York, which was established in 1938 by Franklin W. Olin, an engineer. In 1892 he founded a powder manufacturing company that grew to include small-arms ammunition and commercial explosives. Olin passed away in 1951. His foundation gave $7 million dollars toward DU’s building, constructed in 1997 to house the biology department and science labs.