Historic Buildings Surveys

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/28779

Within the established period of significance (1876-1974), forty-nine buildings were also surveyed and recorded for the Campus Heritage Landscape Plan. The survey forms used for the forty-nine buildings are similar to the forms in common use by the City of Eugene.

All of these historic resources received rankings based on their historic significance and integrity, creating a hierarchy that allows for protection of the most important resources while allowing for needed new development.

For more information, visit the Historic Buildings Surveys webpage.

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Open Access
Cover Sheet for Grouped Resources : Education Complex
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Chapman Hall
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
Chapman 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.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Education Annex, East
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
The Education A Building, or Education East, designed by Ellis Lawrence, was built at the same time as the Education West building. Education East was originally built as the home for the School of Education, begun in 1910 and the 4th professional school at the U of O. Lawrence’s 1916 Education Building (now Gilbert Hall) was the home for this School for only 5 years until Education East was completed in 1921, adjacent to the University High School. It still serves as the School of Education’s home along with the other buildings of the Education Complex. The Colonial Revival style was recommended for secondary buildings by Lawrence in his 1914 Campus Plan. Education East’s massing and detailing place it within that style, especially with the front entry Tuscan Doric columns, broken pediment with lamp medallion (representing the lamp of learning), and formal entablature over the door. The scholar’s walk between East and West is part of the original Lawrence plan, while the covered walk to the south and the enclosure of the courtyard follow the principles of the Oregon Experiment. This 1-story building is an important part of the Education Complex and in the history of the School of Education at the U of O. As seen in Lawrence’s other groupings (Women’s Memorial Quad, The Memorial Quad, etc.), the Education Complex uses buildings organized with clear relationships to each other and which form exterior spaces. Education A/East encloses a courtyard (formerly the high school exercise court) that was designed by Will Martin, a U of O architecture graduate who also designed the Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. The covered walk to the south is also attributed to Martin and was added in 1980, the same year as the courtyard enclosure. According to the Lawrence Survey, “the 1980 addition to the School developed and enhanced this courtyard, forming one of the most successful spaces on campus.” Exterior restoration work was done in 1992 and the building maintains high exterior integrity. Despite an interior remodel in 1960, a rear attic extension in 1960, and an attic remodel in 1978, the interior of Education East also maintains a good level of integrity. That is, it maintains the feel of its original use through materials and layout.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Education Annex, West
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
The Education B Building, or Education West, designed by Ellis Lawrence, was built at the same time as the Education East building. Education West was originally built as the home for the University High School when it opened in 1921. The 1924 Oregana praised the newly constructed building and described the functions of the University High School. It says, “A model high school…, furnishing an excellent laboratory for the training of teachers and working out of new methods in educational practice. The [university] students not only do actual teaching under supervision here, but also have the opportunity of observing some of the best specimens of educational work done in the state.” A notebook containing the minutes of the Senior Class Meetings of 1924 records visits of University professors visiting the weekly gatherings (all Seniors were expected to attend) to give lectures and musical performances. During the U. S Depression, the University High School faced serious financial cuts and nearly closed its doors. The teachers and principal fought to keep the school open and endured large paycuts that left them with salaries lower than teachers in nearby Corvallis. At this time, Dean James Ralph Jewell restructured the school by having subjects such as math and science taught elsewhere. The High School remained open until 1953. It now houses the U of O’s School of Education along with the other buildings in the Education Complex. The Colonial Revival style was recommended for secondary buildings like the Education buildings by Lawrence in his 1914 Campus Plan. Education West’s detailing, especially the broken scroll pediment at the south entry and broken pediment over the west entry, place it within that style. Other decorative features include a brick soldier head and base course, a wood louvered cupola, and molded fascia.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Fenton Hall
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
Designed by prominent Eugene architect Y. D. Hensill in 1906, Fenton Hall was built to house the University’s library collections, which at that time were dispersed among several buildings. Fenton is located in a prominent site on the Old Campus Quad along what became the primary campus pathway, the “Hello Walk.” The first floor was intended to house the library, a reading room, and related spaces while the second story was for classrooms and faculty offices. Within ten years of its construction, the library collection had increased dramatically (from less than 15,000 volumes to 53,000), necessitating the expansion of the stacks. Oregon’s first State Architect, W. C. Knighton, designed a five-story stacks addition for the west elevation in 1914. Around this time, the elevator and stair tower were also added and the front façade’s classical wooden columns and detailing were replaced with brick veneer. The original building and the first three floors of the western addition are built of brick bearing walls, while the upper two stories of the stacks addition are of steel frame with brick veneer. The first 3 stories of the stacks addition were completed in 1914 and the upper 2 in 1924. The 1937 completion of Knight Library left Fenton to be remodeled as the Law School. Alterations at that time were funded by the Works Progress Administration, designed by Lawrence and Holford, and included a new lecture room to hold 200 people, lowering the main entrance, thus altering the front façade once more, underpinning the foundation, and various cosmetic changes to windows and doors. Wayne Morse, who would later be Oregon’s eminent member of Congress, was the Dean of the Law School at the time and assisted with design decisions. Light posts were intended for the main entry but only the bases were ever installed. In 1944, steel beams were added to reinforce the first floor as the basement lecture room was completed. Also at that time, lower south windows were bricked in and the Civilian Pilots Corp moved into the building. The Law School moved to a new facility in 1970 and was replaced by the Math Department, Fenton’s current occupant. Additional interior remodeling has not drastically changed the integrity of the interior and much original woodwork survives as well as several original offices at the top of the stairs.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Hamilton Hall Complex, East and West
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
Built in two phases, Hamilton Hall is less than fifty years old and is an example of Modernist design ideas on the UO campus. It echoes specific International style examples in its design and construction, especially in the piloti on the Agate St. façade which resemble the arrangement of the ground floor of the Seagrams Building by Mies van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson, perhaps the most famous example of the International style. Other decoration include use of contrasting construction panels to create a sort of decorative checkerboard effect, the brick and hollow tile lattice work on McClain, Boynton, Collier, and Robbins units of the complex and the pink aggregate panels and lattice work on Dunn and Cloran units. Hamilton Hall’s many semi-enclosed internal courtyards and common areas reflect Modernist ideas about reorganization of living space. Hamilton was named for Judge James W. Hamilton, member of the Board of Regents and president from 1913-1925. The building consists of ten separate rectangular, 4 story units: Boynton, Cloran, McClain, Tingle, Spiller, Robbins, Dunn, Collier, Burgess, and Watson. Each unit is named for a former faculty member of the UO. Hamilton Hall has good integrity. No discernible changes have been made to the fabric or design of the exterior. Interior changes have been limited to minor remodeling work and changes in use. Hamilton Hall may contribute to a campus historic district once it reaches 50 years of age as an example of Modernist architecture at the peak of its ascendancy and how it was applied to campus residential life. However, at this time Hamilton Hall is ranked as a non-contributing resource.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Mauro, Jeremy; Lingo, Shawn
The University of Oregon’s Museum of Art was constructed in 1930 for the purpose of housing Gertrude Warner’s collection of Asian art and antiquities as well as the Condon fossil collection (now stored in the Museum of Natural History). Beginning in 1925, funds for the construction were raised by public subscription. Work was delayed and the design, originally a 3-winged plan, was changed due to the Great Crash of 1929. The building has been surrounded by controversy ever since its construction. Gertrude Warner initially refused to allow her collection to be housed in the new museum, citing security concerns. Other controversies have included cost over-runs, design disagreements (the original Lawrence plan was for 3 wings instead of 1), and the effects and benefits of the 2004 rehab and expansion work. The Museum of Art was the work of Ellis Lawrence. Stylistically it is difficult to classify due to the various opinions and unique characteristics. Marion Dean Ross, the University of Oregon’s eminent architectural historian, noted Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic, Eclectic, and Modernistic influences. This survey follows the assessment given in the Lawrence Survey of 1989 with the classification of “Exotic.” Lawrence’s use of materials and modern mechanical systems was commented on favorably by Frank Lloyd Wright during that great architect’s visit to Eugene.
Open Access
Historic Resource Survey Form : McKenzie Hall
(University of Oregon, 2006) Johnson, Susan; Lingo, Shawn; Mauro, Jeremy
McKenzie Hall was completed in 1970 to house the Law School, which had outgrown it previous home, Fenton Hall. McKenzie has an interesting interplay of Modern architecture elements with strong references to Fenton Hall. This is accomplished through its massing, brick building material, and even the color of the brick veneer. With its exposed concrete construction, it is a Modern interpretation of Fenton, the campus’ first library and an important resource to the University. Designed by architects Wilmsen, Endicott and Unthank, McKenzie Hall is a fine example of the Brutalist style with its overscale geometric massing and use of rough cast concrete for textural effect. Wilmsen, Endicott, Unthank, all graduates of the UO School of Architecture, designed numerous Eugene buildings together and individually. Decorative elements are limited to the strong geometric play of shapes and the contrast between building materials. The extensive modern landscape planning by Lloyd Bard and Associates adds to the building’s potential significance. One of the most important events to have occurred at McKenzie Hall was the address given at its grand opening as the Law Center by United States Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. It is bounded on the south by the terminus of the historic Deady Hall Walk Axis and on the east by the Dads’ Gates Axis.

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