Historic Resource Survey Form : Computing Center
Loading...
Date
2006
Authors
Johnson, Susan
Welch, Dustin
Blaser, Andrea
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The Computing Center, constructed in 1966 and opened in 1967, was designed in the Modern style by architects Morin and
Longwood. It has a rectangular building plan, 2 stories, and a concrete foundation. The primary exterior wall material is brick, with
stucco as the secondary material. The roof is flat with vinyl roofing material, and the building has aluminum framed pane windows.
Vertical brick coursing and the simplistic, horizontal box massing contradicted by a sense of verticality inferred by the narrow, tall
windows are the only decorative features. The surrounding landscape consists of shrub beds.
Ever since it was erected, the Computing Center has functioned as a resource center for all campus computer needs, and
may prove to be significant for its relationship to the roots of the computer age on campus. The purpose of the center is to both provide
educational facilities and to provide scientific computations for research projects. University faculty and students had to use facilities in
other parts of Oregon as well as California for their computing needs prior to its construction. The Computing Center was supported
partially by a $30,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.1 It was originally a single story structure but it is now rumored to
have been designed to support a second story. This alleged intention was fully realized in 1970 when a second-story addition was
done by the original architects, creating the building that is seen today. The only other changes to the building are the addition of
skylights, replacement of ceiling tiles, and enlargement of bathrooms by architects Robertson and Sherwood in 2001. In addition, the
southern entry plaza was redesigned when the Lillis Business Center was constructed in 2004.
While the building has much of its integrity intact and is in excellent condition, it is not exemplar in style. When it reaches 50
years of age, it will need to be reevaluated for significance to the campus before a judgment can be made regarding its eligibility for the
National Register. For now, it is ranked as a non-contributing resource due to its very low significance compared to other campus
buildings.
Description
4 pages
Keywords
architecture, history, cultural resources survey