The Eugene G. Blackford Memorial Hall was designed to accommodate 120 people in the Dining Room on the first level and could accommodate 30 people in the bedrooms on the upper level. It was architecturally innovative, being among the first residential buildings to be constructed entirely of reinforced concrete, which was poured at the site. Conveniently, the huge amounts of sand and water needed for the concrete were available right on the Lab grounds and the cement and pebbly aggregate were delivered by barge to the Jones Laboratory dock. Designed by architect Robert W. Gardner, who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete floors and walls for homes, Blackford Hall was featured in the book Concrete Country Residences published in 1907.