WOU Repository

From the 1800s to the present, Western Oregon University has gone through many changes. The buildings and landmarks on the campus are the face of the University and every single one has a story to tell about the history of the campus and people that have come before. This building tells the story of the history behind each building that has been built or brought onto our campus.

Name of Building: Academic Programs and Support Center

Built: 1951

Architects & Construction:

     The Construction Contractor was E.E. Batterman of Salem.

     Wolff and Phillips of Portland were the architects of the building.

Extra Information:

• A remodel was done in 1966 by adding 19,000 square feet.

• A "Book Brigade" was organized to move the text from the old building to the new Hamersly Library building in 1999. The same technique had been used when the library moved from Campbell Hall in 1951.

• Many complained of the excessive noise problem as the long curving glass windows and open spaces of the mezzanine combined to carry sound.

Present Uses: Currently used as a location for several University support services. These services would include: the Office of Disbility Services, Honors Program, International Admissions and Advising, Multicultural Student Services, Student Enrichment Program, Tutoring, and a Writing Center.

Past Uses: Originally Built as the school's new library from 1951-2000

Name of Building: Ackerman Hall

Built: 2010

Architects & Construction:

Kurt Haapala was the architect of the building

Present Uses: Currently used as a dormitory for students. Each wing has study nooks, kitchen/living and lounge areas. On the first floor are rooms that are used for meetings and classroom space.

Extra Information:

• Ackerman was designed in Compliance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum Standards
• The features of the platinum standard construction include rainwater harvesting used for toilets, triple insulation, green electrical outlets timed to turn off with non use, sensors that turn off lights after detecting a period of inactivity, vegetable oil used in lieu of hydraulic fluid in the elevators and an energy monitoring board showing use of energy for each of the 10 distinct building communities.

Name of Building: Administration Building 

Built: 1936 

Architects & Construction:

     1st and 2nd floor Construction was done by William & L. L. Quigley of Portland

     3rd floor Construction was completed by the Associated Builders of Corvallis

     Remodeling in 1970 was done by J. Moody & Son Construction in 1970

     1st and 2nd Floor Architect was John V. Bennes

     3rd Floor Architect was W. Dorr Legge

Present Uses: The Administration Building houses the major administrative offices of the campus including the President’s Office, Regsitrar, Financial Aid, and others.

Past Uses: From 1936-1970 the third floor housed science classes until the Natural Science Building was built. It also housed Psychology classes until the 1960s.

Extra Information:

• The first and second floor construction began in December of 1935 and completed in September of 1936. Third floor construction began in 1946 and completed in April of 1947.

• In 1970 the basement of the Administration Building was remodeled and the ground floor offices enlarged.

• The third floor was renovated to house student information and publications which had been located in the basement of the College Center (now called Werner University Center)

• The Administration Building's groundbreaking ceremony featured the first use of the 'golden shovel.'

• The Building was flooded in September 27, 1995 due to a broken drain pipe.

Name of Building: Alder View

Present Uses: Alder View is part of the Family Housing Complex which supplies housing for families, Graduate, and Non-Traditional Students. It also offers interim housing for incoming faculty and staff.

Extra Information:

• An apartment in the first floor of Alder View includes a living room, kitchen, dining room, and a half bath. The second level has two large bedrooms, a full bathroom, and laundry area.
• The other building that is included in the Family Housing Complex are the Knox Street Apartments.

Name of Building: Arbor Park 

Built: 2002 

Architects & Construction

     Walsh Construction Company constructed the building

     Architects were the Mahlum Architects of Portland

Present Uses: Dorms for upperclass students

Extra Information:

• Arbor Park consists of 3 separate buildings: Cedar, Spruce, and Noble Hall
• Arbor Park is the only residence hall to provide private bedrooms
• Provides living quarters for 210 students
• Sequoia Commons serves as a common area for Arbor Park residents

Name of Building: Arbuthnot Hall

Built: 1963

Razed: 2011

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for this building was Burns, Bear, McNeil, and Schneider of Portland

     Construction was completed by Robert D. Morrow of Salem 

Past Uses:

     Originally, it was used as a women's dormitory with housing for over 150 women in 75 rooms. In 1986, Arbuthnot Hall merged with new building to become the Oregon Police Academy. The building was razed in 2011. 

Extra Information:

• A new wing was added in 1987 for the Oregon Police Academy.

• The building was named afer Katherine Arbuthnot who was a popular social science teacher from 1913-1947

• The building sits on the former site of a Texaco Gas station.

• The building was nicknamed "Arby" by its residents.

Name of Building: Arnold Arms 

Built: 1925 

Razed: 2009

Architects & Construction:

     Architect information for this building is unavailable

     Construction was done by Newman J. Arnold

Past Uses: Newman J. Arnold built the structure known as Arnold Arms in 1925 for use as a residence hall for women. It was later purchased by the State Board of Higher Education in 1945 for use as a men's dorm and to house war veterans. In the 1950's, it was converted to a women's dorm. Once Arbuthnot Hall was completed in 1962, it was converted back to a men's dormitory. Eventually it became the Mathematics Division's Faculty Offices, and then was later burned down for a 'burn to learn' by the Fire Department in 2009 due to its current structural condition and age.

Extra Information:

• Arnold Arms residents and Butler Hall residents played a charity game of basketball in 1967 that broke the US basketball endurance record.

These very similar dormitories were designed to create a cohesive stylistic grouping of dorms. Gentle, Butler, Barnum, and Landers Halls ring Valsetz Dining Hall and are the geographic centerof residential campus life.  

Present Uses:

     Used as a dormitory for the increasing student size, and is still used as a co-educational dormitory today.

Architects:

     Architects for these buildings were Payne and Settecase of Salem 

Butler

Construction:

     Construction of this building was done by Forester Construction of Salem.

Built: 1964

Extra Information:

• Butler Hall is named in honor of J.B.V. Butler, who was a graduate of Oregon Normal, a history teacher, Dean of men at OCE, Secretary of the Board of Regents of Normal School, Librarian Registrar, and a president of OCE.
• Butler Hall residents played in a basketball game with Arnold Arms residents for a national record of 44 hours.
• In 1972, Butler Hall attempted to set a world record for group toilet sitting, called the "Johnathon" in order to raise money for charity.

Barnum

Construction:

      Construction of this building was done by Forester Construction of Salem

Built: 1968 - present

Extra Information:

• This building was named after Sophie Barnum, who was a teacher from 1929-1947, and retired as an assistant professor Emeritus of Education. She was also a principal of Independence Training School.
• Barnum Hall contains over 24,500 square feet of living space that could accomodate 143 students if needed.

Landers

Construction:

     Construction of this building was done by Forester Construction of Salem

Built: 1970 - present

Extra Information:

• Landers Hall was named in honor of university president Joseph S. Landers who was the university president from 1921-1932.

Gentle

Construction:

     Construction of this building was done by Lorentz Bruun Company of Portland

Built: 1966 - present

Extra Information:

• Gentle Hall was named after Thomas H. Gentle, who was the first director of the Training School Program from 1911-1928.
• This dormitory was originally built as a women's dormitory.

Name: Campbell Hall

Built: 1871

Architects & Construction:

     The Architects for the restoration project of 1993 was McBride Architects. This restoration project was finished in 1995.

     The Construction of Campbell Hall was completed in Four stages:

• The First stage started in 1871 with money raised by T.F. Campbell
• The Second stage ended in 1889 with the completion of the South Wing and the Bell Tower
• The Third Stage ended in 1898 with the North wing built which housed the first library.
• The Final Stage was in 1917 when the second floor of the south Wing was expanded for more auditorium and administrative areas.

Present Uses: Campbell Hall currently houses the Art Department with faculty offices, studios, and classrooms for art students.

History: This building was funded by T.F. Campbell who was the minister of the Christian Church. When he found that the college needed a more commodious and substantial building to start the university, he began traveling and seeking contributions to fund the project that created the brick college building that is Campbell Hall.

The center building is the oldest part of the building and was used as classroom space and for auditorium space for events such as commencement.

The South Wing was built in 1889, which contained the chapel and the model school. An auditorium was later added to the west side of this wing in 1917 which held plays, assemblies, and commencement. This wing was severely damaged from the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and was later razed.

The North wing of Campbell Hall was used as a the University's first library from 1899-1951. It contained about 20,000 volumes to read at the student's leisure. The library then moved across the street to the newly constructed building that is now called The Academic Programs and Support Center.

In the famous Columbus Day Storm on October 12, 1962, there was extensive damage to Campbell Hall. The bell tower of Campbell Hall came crashing down. Photographer, Wes Luchau was lucky enough to catch a photograph of the bell tower falling in action. The photo became a hit around the world and was featured in Life Magazine, New York Times, and the Washington Post. There also was extensive damage to the South Wing and it had to be demolished. The Humanities and Social Sciences Building now stands in its place. For the Grove, many of the trees had to be cut down.

Extra Information:

• The building was named Campbell Hall in 1936 when the administration building was built. It was called by many names prior to that; including, The Brick Building, Adminstration Building, and Main Building.
• Sometime prior to 1882, Campbell Hall caught fire. There are no official records of the event, but there are charred timbers and roof sheathing to tell the story.
• Campbell Hall is the oldest building in the Oregon public higher education system.
• This building is the first old building in Oregon to have a state-of-the-art earthquake resistant foundation.

Name of Building: The Senior Cottage

Built: 1917

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for this building was John V. Bennes

     Construction for this building was done by Hoover and McNeil

Present Uses:

     It currently houses the University Advancement, Public Relations, Communications, and Alumni Association offices.

Past Uses:

     Originally, it was used as a residence hall for 57 years. It included 13 dorm rooms for 26 distinguished women. They were chosen by the Dean of Women for meeting certain academic and social requirements. Because of this, it was nicknamed Honor House. By 1970, the offices of the Dean of Students were moved in ending its use as a dorm.

Extra Information:

• 5,568 square feet
• Built solely from funds created by dormitory profits
• In 1939, proposals arose of transforming it into a student union building
• The ghost of Jessica Todd is said to occassionaly roam the halls

Name of Building: Devolder Family Science Center

Built: 2013

Architects & Construction:

     Construction was done by Fortis Construction of Portland

Present Uses:

     Currently houses lab and classroom space for chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology programs.

Extra Information:

• Partly funded and named after Ron Devolder, who is a WOU foundation member and alumni, and also with his wife Norma. They gave $2.3 million for this project.
• Meets state requirements that public buildings meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Certification.

Name: The Junior House

Built: 1921

Past Uses: From 1920 to 1936, it was used as a dorm for junior women. As one of the two honor houses under the Dormitory Rule, women were carefully selected according to their "academic status, honorable character, and a studious disposition." Every year, the building housed an average of 36 girls and a house mother (1923 Norm, pg 174). In 1936, it was used as a school hospital with offices for the school physician and nurses.

Extra Information:

• It was located two blocks south of the administration building, on the opposite side of the Normal street.

Name of Building: School of Education Building

Built: 1966

Architects & Construction:

      Architects for this building was Wolf, Zimmer, and Associates with cooperation with staff members of the Education, Psychology, and Teaching Research Departments.

     Construction was done by Robert D. Morrow Inc of Salem

Present Uses:  As of 2022, the building is empty. Demolition is planned for 2024 to make way for a new student success building.

Past Uses:  When it was built, it was used as the primary building for the College of Education and the regional Resource Center on Deafness.

Extra Information:

• Prior to it being built, education classes were held in Swindle Hall.
• This building used to be called the General Laboratory and Office Building (GLOB) before being named the College of Education
• The Center on Deafness and the College of Education are nationally recognized and has been awarded numerous grants and honors.

Name: Fallout Shelters

Built: 1960s

Present Uses: May be available for tours with an appointment under the direction of public safety.

Past Uses: During the Cold War, fallout shelters were built as shelters from a potential nuclear attack.

Extra Information:

• The Oregon College of Education was designated as an emergency headquarters for some state and federal agencies and as well as refuge for residents from Portland and Polk County.
• In the shelters were two week's worth of rations for 1,744 people.
• Designated Fallout Shelters are in the basements of Humanities and Social Sciences, Administration, Werner University Center, the Academic Programs and Support Center, Natural Sciences, New PE, Valsetz Dining Hall, Old ED, Landers, Gentle, Barnum, and Arbuthnot Hall.

Name: The First Christian Church

Built: 1877

Architects & Construction:

Past Uses: When Wesrtern Oregon University was first founded, it was placed under the supervision of the Christian Church. This building served as the Christian College and the church. It was located at the present site of Todd Hall and was later moved in 1893 when construction for Todd Hall began.

Before the Church:

• From 1856-1858, prior to the two story church being built, a wooden structure of where the church stood was built as a one room wooden school house. It was used for both church services, and school services. Classes were held in the church in 1856 with only 35-48 pupils.
• In 1858, a two story building was built that served as both the university and the church until the First Christian Church was built in 1877.

Extra Information:

• This was the first church building in town
• The land that was occupied was donated entirely by Christian Church goers.
• John E. Murphy was the first minister of the church.

Name of Building: Gentle House

Built: ~1880

Architects & Construction:

     Construction was presumable done by the original owners. There has been extensive remodeling, and an external apartment to rent to students were added, as well as a conference room.

Present Uses:

     It is currently maintained by the university as a conference and special events center. It is also available to be leased for non-school functions. However, the second floor's bedrooms and study are maintained as a museum of the family's antiques. Tours are available by request.

Past Uses:

     It was purchased by Thomas and Carrie Gentle in 1914 with 150 acres of land. It was then donated to the university by Catherine Gentle in 1981.

Extra Information:

• The land was originally settled by John. B. and Emily Smith in 1886.
• The land was once owned by memebers of the Butler Family.
• In 1970, Catherine and Maurice Gentle did an interior restoration project that was finished after the university acquired the property. The remodeling was done on the parlor, living room, dining room, kitchen, and upstairs bedrooms. A conference room was also added.
• Thomas Gentle was a professor at the college and responsible for the creation of the Campus Elementary School.
• The Ghost of Catherine Gentle is said to be roaming the halls changing the thermostats.

Name: The Grove

Built: 1867 

Information:

• The Grove was planted by volunteers from church in 1867
• The Grove was 11 acres adorned with native fir and maple trees.
• It is considered a prominent location that has been on campus from the start of the institution.

In 1962, the famous Columbus Day Storm destroyed the Grove. Remaining trees had to be cut down. The Class of 1967 gave a gift of the last Grove tree stump as a reminder of the past. In 1972, there was a ceremony for replanting of the new Grove that still stands today.

A surprising discovery was made in a tree whilst cleaning up the fallen trees. The plaque of the class of 1904.

Name of Building: Health and Physical Education Building (Old PE)

Built: 1936

Razed: 1971

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for this building was John Bennes of Portland

     Construction was done by Quigley Brothers of Portland

Past Uses:

     This building provided classrooms for physical education classes for both men and women. It also included a multipurpose gymnasium, handball courts, dancing rooms, men's and women's quarters, faculty offices and a pool. It now houses classrooms and a large stadium used for activities. 

Extra Information:

• This building was provided as a replacement to Maple Hall as the center for the university's athletics activities and events.

The Wolverton Pool

• In 1955, the Wolverton Pool was installed into the Health and Physical Education Building for students and athletic teams to use. Prior to construction of the pool, the intramural swim team held its competitions in the Willamette River.

Name of Building: Heritage Hall

Built: 1989 

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for this building were Stan Chessir and Ron Slusarenko of the WE group of Portland.

     Construction was done by Lance Mattson Construction of Salem.

Present Uses:

     Heritage Hall has been used as an underclassmen dorm and is still used as such today.

Heritage Hall was the first building on campus to have a student groundbreaking. Prizes and gifts were buried in the dirt prior to the student groundbreaking.

Extra Information:

• In 1989, the building was granted the Design Award from the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
• The three wings are named after former faculty memeber, Emma Henkle, Dr. Henry Gunn, and Oscar Christensen.

Name of Building: Humanities and Social Science Building / Bellamy Hall

Built: 1965 

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for this building were Paul F. Griffin and Ronald L. Chatham who were university faculty members.

     Construction of this building was completed by Paul B. Emerick Company of Portland

Present Uses:

     Humanities and Social Sciences houses the classrooms and offices of the Humnaities and Social Sciences Departments.

Extra Information:

• Bellamy Hall was named in a naming ceremony of October 6, 2009.
• Rock and Concrete for the building was supplied by Valley Concrete and Gravel of Independence.

The Carillon

The Humanities and Socail Science Building was built to replace the South Wing of Campbell Hall after it was destroyed in the Columbus Day Storm. A Carillon was added on May 2, 1965 to commemorate the bell tower that once stood in approximately the same location. The Carillon was an Alumni Association Gift.

Name of Building: Instructional Technology Center

Built: 1915

Architects & Construction:

     Architects for the initial building was John V. Bennes

     Construction for the initial brick building was done by Snook and Traver

Present Uses:

     The building currently houses the university's computer and audio/visual centers in addition to classrooms, and office space for faculty

The Instructional Technology Center has additional wings on the East Side of the Main building that holds two computer classrooms along with Digital Production Services and University Computing programmers.

Past Uses:

• In 1915, the building that still stands today was constructed as Monmouth Training School, and then in 1949, the name was changed to Monmouth Training School.
• 1964 - Name changed to College Elementary School to avoid confusion with Monmouth Elementary School.
• 1986 - Building rededicated as the Instructional Technology Center after the college announced it would not renew the lease of the College Elementary School.

Extra Information:

• Before the ITC building was constructed, another building housed the Training School in the 1880's. It was Monmouth's only school until completion of Monmouth High School in 1911. A wooden structure was built to house the College Model School to provide training to future teachers. In 1911, after the high school was built, the model school only housed elementary students (K-8).
• Over the doors stands the quote, "He who dares to learn must never cease to learn" (by John Cotton Dana) was recommended by Mr. Thomas Gentle, the first director of the Training School.

Constructed:     1886

Present Uses:     The bell now resides in Werner University Center and rings to mark the hours of the day.

History:

• Money to purchase the bell was raised from the dinner following The Grove planting.
• The bell was cast in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1886 and was hung in the belfry of the Oregon Normal School Administration Building (now Campbell Hall) since 1889 where its main use was to signal the hours of the day for both students and the people of Monmouth. It served until 1924.
• The bell was sometimes called the "victory bell" because it was rung after every campus victory, large or small. 
• The administration decided that the bell should ring no more in 1924 because of the rebelious students that would ring the bell without permission, which would upset the townspeople. From 1924-1933 the bell was not on display.
• In 1933, Theta Delta Phi secured permission from the University President to restore the bell to its former place in the traditional activities of the campus. It was now mounted on a wooden rollable cart.
• On VJ Day in 1945, students sat on the back of a truck with the Victory Bell and paraded around Monmouth and Independence ringing the bell as a signal of the end of the war.
• Following a Basketball game against Portland State in 1953, The Victory Bell was taken by the team to the Portland Campus. Three weeks later, the bell was returned by Portland State president, Jim Caughlin along with a miniature bell to be used as a traditional exchange bell.

The convict bricks that are in the sidewalk on the south side of the Werner building were salvaged from the demolished smokestack of the old physical plant. They now live on the ground next to the Pergola on the South Side of Todd Hall.

Cupid's knoll was a common place for students to visit as it had a beautiful view overlooking the entire town. Lovers and friends would frequently flock to this location and enjoy the view in the day, or ponder the stars at night. Today, it is the site of the water tower.

The Peter and Gwen Stone Art Pavilion was built in 1995 to house art projects. It currently houses has a raku kiln, soda kiln, natural gas reduction kiln and the capability to pit fire. Frank Boyden was commissioned to design and construct its walls doors, windows and gates through the Percent for Art Program.

The Pergola was built under the direction of Jessica Todd in an attempt to beautify Todd Hall. This was because of the unattractive appearance of the potato cellar and the heating and laundry plants, that were built to house the truck load of potatoes and other vegetables brought in. Therefore, she built the Pergola on the East end of the potato cellar. She also had flowers planted around the fountain which gave it another name of "The Queens Rose Garden." It was designed by John V. Bennes and in a letter from Stebbins to President Rice in 1973 he stated that in a 1922 Monmouth Herald newsletter, the pergola was presented to the school by the seniors as a class gift and the bird bath was given by the student body.

History:

• The tree was planted in 1887 by the graduating class of 1887.
• In 1972, lightning struck the tree and a tree surgeon was brought in to see if the damage would wither the tree or if it would be capped. The decision was to ultimately have the tree topped and capped.
• It was once the tallest Sequoia in the state, but a tree at Willamette University now holds that title.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Every year, the sequoia is adorned with christmas lights to celebrate the holiday season. The first tree lighting was in 1968, and has been celebrated every year since that time.

Vern McFarland, Oregon College of Education employee, was responsible for climbing up the tree and securing the lights. At this time, they used a pulley system to get the string of lights up to the top where Vern secured them. It was during the beginning years of lighting the tree, that pranksters climbed up the tree and stole some of the lights.

Name: The Little Theatre

Architects & Construction:

Built: 1925 

Razed: 1976

Past Uses:

     It was originally used as the gymnasium for Monmouth High School and also as a gym and play area for the Campus Elementary School, but was later used for plays for the drama department when the auditorium in Campbell hall was destroyed from the Columbus Day Storm in 1962. The Little Theatre was later razed in 1976.

Name of Building: Maaske Hall

Architects & Construction:

     Architect for the building was James J. Gathercoal.

     Construction was done by Claude Buerge of Albany

Built: 1956 

Present Uses:

     Maaske Hall currently houses the International Students and Scholars Affairs Office, the Criminal Justice Department Faculty Offices, and other faculty offices.

Past Uses:

     Maaske Hall was originally used as a men's dormitory equipped to house over 100 people in 50 rooms. It was then used as upperclassmen dorms in 1988. It was later also used as dorms for the Oregon Police Academy.

Extra Information:

• Maaske Hall was named in honor of Roben J. Maaske who was a former president of the University.
• The building also underwent a massive remodeling in 1988 that included adding heating, plumbing, and electrical systems.

Name of Building: Maple Hall

Built: 1914

Architects & Construction:

     A.E. Doyle was the architect of the building

     Initial Construction was done by Stebinger Construction

     The 1952 remodeling had Cummings Construction with C. Howard Kable as the architect.

Present Uses:

     This building is currently being used as a Dance Hall for dance classes. Special events and student club functions are also sometimes held in Maple Hall.

Past Uses:

     The original purpose of the building was to be used as a gymnasium from 1914-1936. Until 1960, the building was then used as a recreation hall for the campus. After the construction of the new student recreation center, it became a dance studio and intramural sporting events until the completion of the physical education building.

Extra Information:

• It was a tradition for the juniors to paint the roof of Maple Hall with their year.
• Remodels
  • The original floor was entirely replaced in 1920 due to its weakened state.
  • A snack bar was installed to serve students in 1948.
  • The ceiling was lowered, lighting installed, and a fireplace was finished in 1952.

Name of the Building: Math and Nursing Building

Built: 1988 

Past Uses:

     This building was originally used as a training ground for all city and county police, as well as the sheriff's deaprtments within Oregon until 2006 when it moved to Salem.

Extra Information:

• Arbuthnot and Maaske Halls were used to provide classrooms, offices, and residence room for the academy.

Name: McArthur Stadium

Built: 1980

Present Uses:

       The McArthur Stadium is now home to the athletic field and track. It also features a fully equipped weight room.

Past Uses:

       The Stadium was once called the Memorial Stadium. It was constructed in 1940. The field, was called Butler Field after Dean Butler. After the fire, the stadium was reconstructed and renamed.

Stadium Fire

In June 6, 1978, the Memoral Stadium caught fire, calling for a reconstruction of a new stadium, track, and field. It was then renamed to McArthur Stadium.

Track and Field

The field wasn't reconstructed until 1987. It was rebuilt by volunteers from the football team and the Oregon National Guard. Nowadays the track features a world-class surface such as those used in the Seoul Olympic Games.

Extra Information:

• McArthur Field was named after Head Coach of Football, and Director of PE, Bill McArthur.

Name of Building: Modular Classrooms

Bought: 1986

Present Uses:

     These buildings are now used as extra classroom spaces as well as a computer lab.

Past Uses:

     Bought from spiritual leader, Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshpuram, these units were purchased to ease the school's rooming crunch when enrollment surpassed the space allowed. This temporary residence hall was named College Park.

Extra Information:

• Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshpuram was the leader of a spiritual organization in Wasco County, Oregon and once that organization dissolved, they sold the housing cubicles to the school.

College Park

Students were housed in these small housing units as a temporary residence hall when it was first bought and it was named College Park. Each unit had 7 bedrooms, a living room, study area, deck, two baths, a partial kitchen, and laundry facilities. Two upperclassmen students share a bedroom and with all units combined it could house 150 people.

Name of Building: Natural Science Building

Built: 1969

Architects & Construction:

     Hewlett and Jamison of Portland were the architects of the Natural Science Building.

     Construction was completed by Robert D. Morrow, Inc of Salem

Current Uses:

     This building currently houses the chemistry, biology, and geology deaprtments. Offices, classrooms, and labs are included.

Extra Information:

Until completion of the Natural Sciences Building, most science classes were offered in the current Administration Building, and then prior to that in Campbell Hall.

Name of Building: New Physical Education Building

Built: 1971 

Architects & Construction:

     The Architects of this building was the firm of Payne and Settecase of Salem

     Contractors were Robert D. Morrow, Inc of Salem

Current Uses:

     This building currently supplies a gym, gymnastic facilities, indoor tennis courts, and a multipurpose surface the accomodates baseball, basketball, tennis, and other sports. Additionally, it also contains the health, and athletic offices.

Extra Information:

• The bleachers can seat over 3,000 people.
• This facility was almost not built due to the bleak financial state of the system.

In Addition to On-Campus Residence Halls, there were also Off-Campus Living Quarters. Little Information is available about these small groups outside of campus.

Beckley Hall was the largest dormitory outside of the campus housing in 1924.

Name of Building: Paul Jensen Arctic Museum

Built: 1910

Past Uses:

     The building was originally occupied as living quarters in the 1960's. The school decided to buy it in 1969 and it was boarded up in 1985, but then later dedicated in 1985 to be used to house a museum of artifacts collected by Emeritus Professor of Education Paul Jensen from his work in the Arctic. It housed more than 4,000 pieces that included a 27 foot umiak, a walrus skin hunting boat, a 6000 pound musk ox, and many other interesting artifacts. In 2013, the museum closed and the collection was moved to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Extra Information:

• The Jensen Arctic Museum is one of only two Arcitc preservation and promotion museums in the lower 48 states, and the largest collection outside of Alaska.
• Dr. Jensen was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the university.