Johnson, SusanLingo, ShawnMauro, Jeremy2023-09-062023-09-062006https://hdl.handle.net/1794/288015 pagesChapman Hall, designed by Ellis Lawrence, was constructed in1939. The building is named for Charles H. Chapman, President of the University from 1893-1896. The project was funded by the Public Works Administration, a New Deal era program. It is part of the Lawrence plan for the central campus area anchored by the Memorial Quadrangle. Originally, it was part of a three-wing humanities complex intended to mirror the similar science complex of which Condon Hall was the only section constructed. Like its sister buildings on the Memorial Quad, Chapman Hall is stylistically complex and difficult to classify. The arrangement of the diverse elements that constitute the architectural composition is generally Classical in feeling. The individual elements draw on a wide range of Greek and Roman archetypes and there are even a few Egyptian echoes, such as the corner pilasters that represent bundled reeds. Much of the terra cotta detailing has a definite Art Deco or Moderne machine-inspired feeling. This represents the last use of terra cotta ornamentation on a U of O campus building. Chapman reflects design elements common to the other buildings on the Memorial Quad, such as the frieze with round arch details, to create a unified design language. These stylistic elements are perhaps best understood in Lawrence’s own terms. In his 1914 campus plan, he recommends that “the more monumental buildings… be erected in the Classic style, while the buildings of the minor groups in Renaissance and Colonial styles…” Lawrence himself characterized it as a “composite, not a true historical style.” As a matter of interest, Chapman Hall was designed to mirror Condon Hall architecturally yet Chapman’s structure is concrete walls with brick veneer while Condon is made of brick bearing walls. Chapman Hall displays a high level of craftsmanship in its detailing. One especially noteworthy interior feature is the mural in room 223 by E. R. Scott. It is executed in the New Deal social realist style and depicts a number of American radicals and social thinkers including Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Dewey. It was completed by Scott as part of his thesis work for a Masters degree from the U of O.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-UScultural resources surveyhistoryarchitectureOther