Building 20 was constructed during the Second World War, and initially served as the home of the Radiation Laboratory. It will be torn down in 1998 to make way for a new complex of buildings to house MIT activities in computer, information, and intelligence systems, to be named after Ray and Maria Stata.

In its 55 years, Building 20 has housed many MIT activities. It was never intended to last this long. "The building was constructed in...1943 as a war building and is of a temporary nature," reads an architect's memo, "...the life of said building to be for the duration of the war and six months thereafter."

Its "temporary nature" permitted its occupants to abuse it in ways that would not be tolerated in a permanent building. If you wanted to run a wire from one lab to another, you didn't ask anybody's permission – you just got out a screwdriver and poked a hole through the wall. Of course this was in the days before the dangers of asbestos were recognized.

This building cast a spell over those who worked in it. Many former occupants have noted the magical power of the building to bring out the best from those in it, and the very real feeling that this was a special, even a unique, place. At the same time it served as a breeding ground, or incubator, of many research areas, of the minds of its students, and of new organizations. Many MIT laboratories and centers had their origins in Building 20, or else were formed by people who had spent years there.

MIT is planning a commemoration of Building 20, to be held March 26-27, 1998. This will be a reunion for those who have lived in the building during the decades since its erection in 1943, a celebration of all the diverse activities that have gone on in the "plywood palace," and a chance to reflect on how many great activities, at MIT and elsewhere, had their humble beginnings there. It is sponsored by the provost, the School of Engineering, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, the Research Laboratory of Electronics, the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, the Association of Alumni and Alumnae, Resource Development, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Invitations to this event were mailed in January, 1998. If you did not receive one, please send your name and address to <building-20@mit.edu>. Or, you can use the on-line registration form that is linked on the EECS home page <http://www-eecs.mit.edu/>. Or, you can call Commemoration Central, (617) 253-4624.

A list of those who have already registered for this event is posted on the Web site.

The people who occupied Building 20 over the years have wonderful stories to tell. Many appeared in a recent version of RLE Undercurrents, and many more have been submitted by people registering for the commemoration. You can read them all on the web site, and you can submit your own.