Foundry (1902)

The Foundry, a small two-story building now known as Laurie A. Leshin Global Project Center, was built in 1902 to serve as a commercial and educational iron foundry where students learned to case machine parts from molten metal. It was later converted into a high-tech forge shop that generated sizable revenue and produced many of the intricately designed components Robert Goddard used in his experiments. Today the building serves as the administrative center for the WPI Plan, the university's innovative, project-based learning undergraduate program. It is home to the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division, which oversees student Interactive Qualifying Projects and manages more than 40 WPI project centers around the world.