Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (MEL)

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Built in 1905, the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (MEL) has experienced multiple additions and expansions to reach its current 150,000 square feet of research labs for mechanical science and engineering (MechSE) faculty. 

This lab provides access to some of the most up-to-date manufacturing technologies currently in use, which are rarely found in an academic laboratory.

Historical Note

Since its opening, MEL has seen the birth and fruition of countless innovations. The idea for the ventilation system used in the Holland Tunnel (the highway tunnel beneath the Hudson River that carries cars from New Jersey to Manhattan) was developed by faculty in MEL.

Until 1960, the building held a steam engine developed by a professor and students in 1871. 

The north end of the building has a distinctive X pattern in the brick. This was the site of the original campus coal power plant, which, in 1952, became the home of ILLIAC I, the first computer built and operated by a United States educational institution.

Email grainger-marcom@illinois.edu with questions or feedback.