The Conlon of Fine Arts Building would have been named Hammond after “Mr. I.A.” (Industrial Arts), President James J. Hammond if it wasn't for the intervention of alumni. Originally, Hammond wanted to name the building after himself, but the alumni decided to bypass Hammond and lobby the state legislature to propose a different name for the building. It was a success, and the name they chose represented the female professor who had dedicated 40 years to the institution and made arts and working with your hands the primary focus. Her name was Florence D. Conlon.

 

The planning to build the facility took place in 1967, when the Massachusetts legislature provided a $250,000 grant to build two separate structures with a wing connecting them and a 286-seat recital hall which is now known as Kent today.

 

The reason why James Hammond wanted to name the building after himself has to do with what he was known as on campus: Mr. I.A. It was a nickname relating to his long-time leadership of the university's Industrial Arts department.

 

However, there was a controversy surrounding the building's official name while it was still under construction in the early 1970s. The staff members assumed the building would be named Hammond, but because the alumni changed the name, they bypassed the system to name the building Florence D. Conlon. This angered many staff members and administrators who felt the honor belonged to Hammond.​

 

The construction of the building began in 1974, the same year Conlon died, and the name was official before it was even finished because the governor signed the legislation one year before the building opened its doors.