Sycamore Hall housed father of Breathalyzer

Breathalyzer tests and college students have an infamous history. Sycamore Hall, where students now attend class, once housed the man responsible for the original law enforcement-approved test to determine blood alcohol levels.\nThe inventor of the Breathalyzer, professor Robert F. Borkenstein, once had an office in the building, said Judy Kelley, building manager for Sycamore Hall. \nHis original homemade Breathalyzer was much larger than the one he later developed. While his Breathalyzer has since been replaced in most jurisdictions by more recently developed instruments, Borkenstein's invention is still used in some jurisdictions more than 50 years after he invented it in 1954, according to a biography published by the Centre of Forensic Sciences.\nSycamore Hall was built in 1940 and is part of Wells Quadrangle, located on Third Street, west of Merrill Hall and the Music Addition. The original purpose of the building was to serve as a dormitory for female students, according to a brochure published by IU in 1964. At one time, Sycamore Hall housed around 275 women. \nThe building cost $355,090, with an additional $96,810 spent on furnishings. The costs were paid by bond sales and funds from the Residence Hall Reserve Fund, according to the brochure. \nSycamore Hall has undergone many renovations since its early days. \n"Before I started here, the place was so cruddy that I almost didn't even go up the steps for the interview," said Kelley, who began working in Sycamore Hall in 1982. "Shortly after, they began doing renovations to the rooms." \nSycamore Hall is made of Indiana limestone in Collegiate Gothic style, Kelley said. And despite many renovations throughout the years, it still has the original look in many areas of the buildings. Rooms -- formerly lounges -- are still home to fireplaces.\nToday classes are held in Sycamore Hall and it houses departments such as the School of Nursing, as well as philosophy, religious studies, India studies and Latino studies, Kelley said. A few Jacobs School of Music rooms are in the building as well, including a practice studio on the first floor.