Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting received a gift of $200,000 from bp America to enhance its educational programming.
The funds will foster the college’s development of a Heritage Room.
Calumet College president Amy McCormack expressed her gratitude for the gift.
“It enables us to help live out our vision to serve as a vital educational resource not only for our students, but for the community beyond our campus,” McCormack said in a press release. “We look forward to this partnership with bp to help tell the story of the heritage we all share.”
The Heritage Room will be on the 7th floor of the Smidt Building, CCSJ’s main academic building. The architectural firm Holabird & Root designed the building. Standard Oil constructed the building in 1949. It served as a research and development facility until the property was donated to the school in 1973.
The 7th floor of the building has been largely inaccessible and unused. A $15 million Lilly Endowment grant will enable the college to renovate and provide elevator access to the floor. Through floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace, visitors will see the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, Whiting, Hammond and steel mills.
The Heritage Room will help tell how people interacted with the landscape to develop the industries that shaped the Region. The room will be one of three campus spaces to celebrate the land, people and work of the Calumet Region.
“Education is fundamental to community development, and we believe that our investment in the bp Heritage Room will help preserve and celebrate the rich history of our region,” Chris DellaFranco, VP Refining bp Whiting Refinery, said. “This investment underscores our commitment to education and represents an opportunity to foster growth for the next generation of leaders from Northwest Indiana.”
Construction will be complete fall 2025 or spring 2026. The Heritage Room will serve the community as an interactive public educational space that will also be available to rent.
Calumet College of St. Joseph is a graduate and undergraduate degree-granting institution. It is sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
