U-PARC was founded as the research labs of
Gulf Oil in 1933 in the
Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Work began on its current
Harmar Township location in August 1934 with the opening of the first three buildings in 1935. For many decades it was one of the leading industrial research centers in the world, with labs encompassing research ranging from petroleum, chemical, polymers, refining to even nuclear applications thanks to a three million volt
Van de Graaff particle accelerator. It also served for a time as the site of geophysics research by
John Bardeen, before he turned to solid state physics and won the
Nobel Prize in Physics twice. Products developed in its labs included the airborne
magnetometer, the marsh
buggy, No-Nox gasoline, Gulf Spray pesticide, and processes for the
hydrodesulfurization of
sour crude oil and
shale oil extraction. and by the late 1970s, it employed 1,500.
General Matthew Ridgway keynoted the dedication of three new research laboratories at the center in May, 1957 with
Richard King Mellon and about 600 others in attendance. In 1985 Gulf Oil was acquired by
Chevron Corporation which maintained its own research facilities in
Richmond, California, the complex had grown to with 54 multi-story lab buildings and employed nearly 2,000 scientists and engineers with an annual operation budget of over $100 million. The University of Pittsburgh proposed that it would be able to maintain and operate the facility in order to keep the center open for the benefit of the region. Gulf and Chevron agreed to the university's proposal and donated the site, valued at $100 million including the fully furnished and equipped laboratories, a computer telecommunications center, an executive office building, and unique facilities such as large cold room containing a wind tunnel. Chevron also added a $3 million start up grant, and the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania added a $3 million matching grant for economic development. The donation was announced by university Chancellor
Wesley Posvar at a press conference in April, 1985. The university took over the facility in early 1986 and renamed it the University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center. On March 17, 1986, the university signed its first major tenant,
General Motors Corporation, to a four-year, $13 million contract Buildings are connected indoors throughout the campus via tunnels. On-site amenities include 24-hour monitored access points, free parking, catering service, meeting/conference space, a
U.S. Postal Service sub-station, a
credit union,
ATMs, picnic areas, outdoor dining,
volleyball courts, locker rooms, and shower facilities. In addition to the companies that occupied the facilities at U-PARC, the University of Pittsburgh's
Swanson School of Engineering maintained research groups and laboratories at the site, including the Manufacturing Assistance Center. Beginning in 2010, the
University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences initiated a Masters of Science program in Physician Assistant Studies headquartered at U-PARC. The space for the Physician's Assistant program includes classrooms, breakout rooms, student lounge, computer room, conference room and offices for faculty and administration. ==Manufacturing Assistance Center==