Construction on the Petrie Science and Engineering Building began in 1967. It officially opened in 1968, and in 1969 an observatory was added to the building. It was here that undergraduate and graduate students studied meteorological sciences in the only program of its kind in Canada.
The building is a low-rise structure, similar to other buildings across the campus. The building's design includes an emphasis on concrete, grid patterns, windows and entries that are recessed into the building.
