The building that would become known as Allen Hall was erected as the original home for the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research.
The institute was founded for industrial and chemical research by brothers, and University of Pittsburgh alumni, Richard B. Mellon and Andrew W. Mellon.
The institute originally grew out of university's Department of Industrial Research and served as a graduate school managed by the University of Pittsburgh until it was incorporated as an independent non-profit research institute in 1927.

The six story building designed by J. H. Giesey in the Greek Revival style of the university's other buildings that at the time were being constructed in accordance with Henry Hornbostel's acropolis master plan for the university campus.
 It was erected from 1913 to 1914 at a cost of $230,000 ($5.83 million in 2018 dollars) to construct and equip, and it was dedicated on February 26, 1915, in a ceremony in which the Mellon brothers turned over the keys of the institute to university Chancellor Samuel McCormick.

The facility originally contained low temperature and heavy equipment rooms in its basement; general offices, a library, assembly room, dark room and a special apparatus room on its first floor; and research laboratories on its upper floors.

The institute soon outgrew this facility and engaged in the construction of a new facility on the corner of Bellefield and Fifth Avenue across from the grounds of the university's Cathedral of Learning.
After completion of the new facility in 1937, the old Mellon Institute building was handed over to the university on May 9, 1939.
It was remodeled and equipped to provide laboratories and additional classrooms for the School of Medicine, doubling that school's facilities that were then located in Pennsylvania Hall.
The School of Medicine's library, administrative offices, several faculty offices, histology and embryology labs, as well as its departments of physiologic chemistry, physiology and pharmacy all moved into the building, freeing Pennsylvania Hall of all but the medical school's first year courses in anatomy and pathology.
 The School of Medicine began moving into its present facility, Scaife Hall, in the fall of 1955.
Today Allen Hall is home to offices, classrooms, and labs of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The building was renamed Allen Hall in honor of a former University of Pittsburgh Physics professor, Alexander J. Allen, who arrived at Pitt in the 1930s and led a project for the construction of a cyclotron for producing radioactive isotopes for medical applications and atomic research.
This facility, called the Sarah Mellon Scaife Radiation Laboratory, was completed in 1946.
During World War II, Allen also participated in the development of radar systems.
The building that would become known as Allen Hall was erected as the original home for the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. The institute was founded for industrial and chemical research by brothers, and University of Pittsburgh alumni, Richard B. Mellon and Andrew W. Mellon. The institute originally grew out of university's Department of Industrial Research and served as a graduate school managed by the University of Pittsburgh until it was incorporated as an independent non-profit research institute in 1927.
The six story building designed by J. H. Giesey in the Greek Revival style of the university's other buildings that at the time were being constructed in accordance with Henry Hornbostel's acropolis master plan for the university campus.  It was erected from 1913 to 1914 at a cost of $230,000 ($5.83 million in 2018 dollars) to construct and equip, and it was dedicated on February 26, 1915, in a ceremony in which the Mellon brothers turned over the keys of the institute to university Chancellor Samuel McCormick.
The facility originally contained low temperature and heavy equipment rooms in its basement; general offices, a library, assembly room, dark room and a special apparatus room on its first floor; and research laboratories on its upper floors.
The institute soon outgrew this facility and engaged in the construction of a new facility on the corner of Bellefield and Fifth Avenue across from the grounds of the university's Cathedral of Learning. After completion of the new facility in 1937, the old Mellon Institute building was handed over to the university on May 9, 1939. It was remodeled and equipped to provide laboratories and additional classrooms for the School of Medicine, doubling that school's facilities that were then located in Pennsylvania Hall. The School of Medicine's library, administrative offices, several faculty offices, histology and embryology labs, as well as its departments of physiologic chemistry, physiology and pharmacy all moved into the building, freeing Pennsylvania Hall of all but the medical school's first year courses in anatomy and pathology.  The School of Medicine began moving into its present facility, Scaife Hall, in the fall of 1955. Today Allen Hall is home to offices, classrooms, and labs of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
The building was renamed Allen Hall in honor of a former University of Pittsburgh Physics professor, Alexander J. Allen, who arrived at Pitt in the 1930s and led a project for the construction of a cyclotron for producing radioactive isotopes for medical applications and atomic research. This facility, called the Sarah Mellon Scaife Radiation Laboratory, was completed in 1946. During World War II, Allen also participated in the development of radar systems.
Allen Hall (University of Pittsburgh)