(University of Oregon, 2010-02) Campus Planning, Design and Construction, University of Oregon
The McMorran House was built for George McMorran in 1925 during a time when Eugene
was experiencing its largest building and population boom, in accordance with the designs of
Roscoe D. Hemenway, a respected architect and George H. Otten, landscape architect. George
McMorran, was a man who greatly influenced the commercial life of Eugene and was also deeply
involved in the organization and life of the community. George McMorran sold the house to the
University of Oregon in 1941. Every resident thereafter has been a president of the University of
Oregon and, therefore, has had a profound impact on the university.
Roscoe D. Hemenway, a UO graduate and an acclaimed Portland architect known for his period
revival style residential work, designed the McMorran house. The house is an excellent example
of the Tudor Revival/Norman Farmhouse-style exemplified by its steeply-pitched, hipped roof;
massive chimneys; dominant façade with decorative brickwork; oriel window; and pronounced
entryway. The expansive gardens are likely the work of George H. Otten, another UO grad and
well-known Oregon landscape architect.
