The Engineering 1 Building was renamed Harold Frank Hall yesterday, in honor of a longtime Santa Barbara area resident and engineer.

The renaming of the five-story structure was prompted by a generous donation made by Frank and his wife Diana, said Barbara Bronson Gray, director of communications and media affairs for the Engineering Dept. According to Gray, the Frank family’s donation will be used to renovate the building, which was constructed in 1966.

“[Harold Frank] has met with a lot of success in this town and he wanted to give back,” Gray said.

According to Gray, “major donors” often have a building at the school named after them.

“They’re making a gift to UCSB, so UCSB is saying thanks,” Gray said.

Dean of Engineering Matthew Tirrell said Frank is the founder of Santa Barbara-based Applied Magnetics, which designs and manufactures micro-electro-mechanical system devices, and has contributed to the university for many years.

Tirrell said the Frank family has previously contributed to the UCSB community by awarding student scholarships, making donations to update campus technology and hiring UCSB students to work at Applied Magnetics.

“This recognition is for a whole career of contributions with the Santa Barbara campus,” Tirrell said.

Tirrell said he is grateful for the name change because the five-story structure’s new moniker is more interesting than “Engineering 1.”

“Now, when people ask me about [the name of the building], I’ll be able to tell a story of a guy who started an important company,” Tirrell said.

A small, private ceremony was held yesterday in front of Harold Frank Hall to commemorate the Franks and their work with the university.