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A Photographic History of Oregon State University Main Menu A Photographic History of Oregon State University Welcome to A Photographic History of Oregon State University OSU's Early Years, 1858 - 1889 Builders of a Great University Architectural Harmony and Function: Development of OSU's Campus Academics at OSU Producers of Knowledge Campus Life and Culture Campus Organizations at OSU Student Athletes at OSU The West Point of the West Prominent Faculty and Alumni OSU Libraries & Press

Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898

5629 Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898. The fire that destroyed Mechanical Hall the night of September 26, 1898 was a devastating, but temporary, setback for OAC. Though classrooms, shops, athletic facilities, and electrical generating facilities were destroyed, the college persevered. The new gymnasium and armory, already under construction, was completed in early 1899. Through the efforts of regent and former legislator John Apperson, state funds quickly were approved for a new mechanical hall. A new powerhouse was completed in 1900, providing a stable source of electricity for the campus. (P101:517)

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Architectural Harmony and Function: Development of OSU's Campus Korey Jackson
Contents of this path:
1. Administration Building, ca. 1895
2. Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898 Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898. The fire that destroyed Mechanical Hall the night of September 26, 1898 was a devastating, but temporary, setback for OAC. Though classrooms, shops, athletic facilities, and electrical generating facilities were destroyed, the college persevered. The new gymnasium and armory, already under construction, was completed in early 1899. Through the efforts of regent and former legislator John Apperson, state funds quickly were approved for a new mechanical hall. A new powerhouse was completed in 1900, providing a stable source of electricity for the campus. (P101:517)
3. Stock judging pavilion, 1912 Stock judging pavilion, 1912. This facility, designed by John Bennes, was used by the Animal Husbandry Department for the showing of animals and to afford students “an opportunity to examine, score, test, and otherwise study the splendid specimens” of the college stock and those of farmers and breeders. Unfortunately the facility burned a few months after completion due to a malfunctioning woodstove. It was replaced with a similar, but more modest, structure. The recently completed (2012) James E. Oldfield Animal Teaching Center, which has a large demonstration area, includes a number of design elements similar to the 1912 pavilion. (P25:1161)
4. Construction of the temporary war barracks, 1918 Construction of the temporary war barracks, 1918. The implementation of the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) in 1918 necessitated additional housing for male students. This building was quickly constructed to the west of the Forestry Building (visible to the right) and later used as a dormitory for men (Poling Hall). The dorm rooms held from two to six men, and the basement area included a cafeteria. The dormitory was used until 1928, when a new Men’s Dormitory (now Weatherford Hall) was built on the location. (HC 1342)
5. YMCA, Y Hut, ca. 1920
6. View of the Library Quad and West Campus, ca. 1930
7. Aerial sign on the roof of the Armory, ca. 1940
8. Delivering fuel to the steam plant, ca. 1940 Delivering fuel to the steam plant, ca. 1940. This delivery truck from the Corvallis Lumber Company is unloading wood chips (hogged fuel). The lumber company’s mill was located at the confluence of the Marys and Willamette Rivers in Corvallis, and its mill waste was an important fuel source for the college. Hogged fuel, which also arrived by rail car for many years, was used by the steam plant into the 1970s. (P16:803)
9. Married students at Adair Village housing for veterans, ca. 1946 Married students at Adair Village housing for veterans, ca. 1946. The large number of returning veterans after World War II created a severe shortage of student housing at OSC. As a temporary measure to alleviate part of the shortage, the college utilized part of the former Camp Adair military training cantonment to house returning veterans, many of whom were married. The Adair Village housing, which consisted of 326 units, opened in the fall of 1946. (HC 816 #13)
10. Students walking by Quonset huts, ca. 1946 Students walking by Quonset huts, ca. 1946. Like many colleges and universities, Oregon State experienced a significant increase in student enrollment immediately after World War II. The resulting space challenges were met in a variety ways, including the use of Quonset huts as temporary buildings in many locations on campus. The buildings in this photograph were located on the west side of the Home Economics Building (Milam Hall). Quonsets were developed during the war as all-purpose buildings that could be assembled quickly and in almost any location. (P25:1807)
11. Dearborn Hall, ca. 1950
12. College Playhouse, ca. 1951 College Playhouse, ca. 1951. The old armory and gymnasium building was converted to a playhouse for Oregon State’s excellent theatre program in 1950. It was renamed Mitchell Playhouse in 1961, in memory of C.B. Mitchell, longtime chair of the Speech Dept. and director of the theatre program. The building was used as the playhouse until 1990, when fire safety concerns closed it for that purpose. In 1992 it was restored with gift funds from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, and reopened as the Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center. (P16:814)
13. Freshman co-ed with new campus street signs, fall 1953
14. Chemical Engineering Building, February 1957
15. Oceanography Building, July 1965
16. Clearing snow on campus, January 1969
17. Crop Science Building, 1981
18. Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, ca. 1988 Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, ca. 1988. Opened in October 1988, it contains a smokestack from the 1909 heating plant that serves as a solar heated air return for the building’s heating system. The building was renamed Owen Hall in 1999, in memory of Professor Thomas Owen, chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept. and Dean of Engineering from 1990 until his death in 1997. Today it houses the School of Civil and Construction Engineering. (P3, 1989 Beaver Yearbook photos)
19. Industrial Building fire, July 1992 Industrial Building fire, July 1992. The fire destroyed half of this building, including most of OSU Printing & Mailing Services’ facilities and equipment. The losses were valued at $1.9 million for the building and $4 million in printing equipment. The Industrial Building was originally constructed in 1947 to house the Forest Products Lab. The destroyed portion of the building was reconstructed in 1996, and the entire building was renamed Cascade Hall. (P120, Accession 2009:011)

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1890s Keenan Ward
Contents of this tag:
1. Administration Building, ca. 1895
2. Cadets in Front of Benton Hall, ca. 1892 Cadets in front of Benton Hall, ca. 1892. What is now known as Benton Hall was the first building constructed on the original college farm, and has been the centerpiece of the eastern side of campus ever since. The cadet corps is in formation in front of the building in this photograph, perhaps to welcome the college's new president, John Bloss. In 1872 the college became the first in the Pacific Northwest to offer military instruction. (HC 38)
3. Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898 Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898. The fire that destroyed Mechanical Hall the night of September 26, 1898 was a devastating, but temporary, setback for OAC. Though classrooms, shops, athletic facilities, and electrical generating facilities were destroyed, the college persevered. The new gymnasium and armory, already under construction, was completed in early 1899. Through the efforts of regent and former legislator John Apperson, state funds quickly were approved for a new mechanical hall. A new powerhouse was completed in 1900, providing a stable source of electricity for the campus. (P101:517)
4. Zoology Lab with Museum Collection, ca. 1892
5. OAC Cadets, ca. 1895
6. Portrait of W. W. Bristow, ca. 1894
7. Students Haying on the College Farm, ca. 1890 Students haying on the college farm, ca. 1890. One aspect of student life at OAC in the late 19th century was the requirement that agriculture students work five hours per week on the farm or in the garden during fall and spring terms. According to the 1890-91 college catalog, students received no pay for this work, but the “labor will be made instructive as far as possible.” During winter term, students worked in the mechanical shops. This photo was taken along the southern boundary of the original college farm. Sitting on the farm implement and holding a haying fork is E.E. Wilson, Class of 1889, who was enrolled as a post-graduate student in 1890-91. (P25:1288)
8. Joaquin Miller Visiting OAC, Winter 1897-1898
9. Professor John Letcher and Calculus Students, ca. 1892 Professor John Letcher and calculus students, ca. 1892. Letcher (1853-1938, front row center) came to OAC in 1888 and taught mathematics, engineering and military science and tactics. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1873 with a degree in civil engineering, and was the son of Virginia’s Confederate governor. Letcher served as acting president in 1892 after Benjamin Arnold’s sudden death and before John Bloss arrived later that year. Letcher was one of the candidates for the position of president, but Bloss had an edge because of his experience as an education administrator. Letcher left OAC in 1894 to teach mathematics at the University of Oregon. (P25:1554)
OSU Buildings Keenan Ward
Contents of this tag:
1. Administration Building, ca. 1895
2. Crop Science Building, 1981
3. YMCA, Y Hut, ca. 1920
4. Dearborn Hall, ca. 1950
5. Stock judging pavilion, 1912 Stock judging pavilion, 1912. This facility, designed by John Bennes, was used by the Animal Husbandry Department for the showing of animals and to afford students “an opportunity to examine, score, test, and otherwise study the splendid specimens” of the college stock and those of farmers and breeders. Unfortunately the facility burned a few months after completion due to a malfunctioning woodstove. It was replaced with a similar, but more modest, structure. The recently completed (2012) James E. Oldfield Animal Teaching Center, which has a large demonstration area, includes a number of design elements similar to the 1912 pavilion. (P25:1161)
6. Industrial Building fire, July 1992 Industrial Building fire, July 1992. The fire destroyed half of this building, including most of OSU Printing & Mailing Services’ facilities and equipment. The losses were valued at $1.9 million for the building and $4 million in printing equipment. The Industrial Building was originally constructed in 1947 to house the Forest Products Lab. The destroyed portion of the building was reconstructed in 1996, and the entire building was renamed Cascade Hall. (P120, Accession 2009:011)
7. College Playhouse, ca. 1951 College Playhouse, ca. 1951. The old armory and gymnasium building was converted to a playhouse for Oregon State’s excellent theatre program in 1950. It was renamed Mitchell Playhouse in 1961, in memory of C.B. Mitchell, longtime chair of the Speech Dept. and director of the theatre program. The building was used as the playhouse until 1990, when fire safety concerns closed it for that purpose. In 1992 it was restored with gift funds from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, and reopened as the Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center. (P16:814)
8. Cadets in Front of Benton Hall, ca. 1892 Cadets in front of Benton Hall, ca. 1892. What is now known as Benton Hall was the first building constructed on the original college farm, and has been the centerpiece of the eastern side of campus ever since. The cadet corps is in formation in front of the building in this photograph, perhaps to welcome the college's new president, John Bloss. In 1872 the college became the first in the Pacific Northwest to offer military instruction. (HC 38)
9. Chemical Engineering Building, February 1957
10. Oceanography Building, July 1965
11. Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898 Mechanical Hall fire aftermath, September 1898. The fire that destroyed Mechanical Hall the night of September 26, 1898 was a devastating, but temporary, setback for OAC. Though classrooms, shops, athletic facilities, and electrical generating facilities were destroyed, the college persevered. The new gymnasium and armory, already under construction, was completed in early 1899. Through the efforts of regent and former legislator John Apperson, state funds quickly were approved for a new mechanical hall. A new powerhouse was completed in 1900, providing a stable source of electricity for the campus. (P101:517)
12. Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, ca. 1988 Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, ca. 1988. Opened in October 1988, it contains a smokestack from the 1909 heating plant that serves as a solar heated air return for the building’s heating system. The building was renamed Owen Hall in 1999, in memory of Professor Thomas Owen, chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept. and Dean of Engineering from 1990 until his death in 1997. Today it houses the School of Civil and Construction Engineering. (P3, 1989 Beaver Yearbook photos)
13. Cadet Corps and Band in Formation on Lawn in Front of the Administration Building, 1916
14. Students and Faculty Assembled in the Administration Building, ca. 1905 Students and faculty assembled in the Administration Building, ca. 1905. The assembly hall, sometimes referred to as the chapel, was located in the middle of the second floor of what is now Benton Hall. In the first few years after the building was opened, the space was used for chapel services, which students were required to attend. It was also used for general assemblies, as well as lectures and musical performances. This area later became the library reading room. (P16:699)
15. Construction of Quonset Huts, July 1946
16. Waldo Hall Reception, ca. 1910
17. Students Sunbathing on the Roof of Snell Hall, ca. 1962
18. Students Working with Farm Equipment in the Farm Mechanics Building, ca. 1912 Students working with farm equipment in the Farm Mechanics Building, ca. 1912. The building featured space for demonstration and operation of heavy farm equipment, machinery for testing farm equipment, and included a wide variety of representative machines. The 1914-15 college catalog stated “all of this expensive equipment is available to students in Farm Mechanics in the regular and short course work.” This building is Gilmore Hall today. (P47:1)
19. Teaching in the New Wing of the Home Economics Building, January 1954
20. Residents in the Margaret Snell Hall Living Room, ca. 1925
21. View of the Library Quad and West Campus, ca. 1930
22. New Kerr Library and the Old Bandstand, 1963
23. OSU Antarctic Station, 1974 OSU Antarctic Station, 1974. OSU oceanographers studied Antarctic under-ice water temperature, currents and salinity as part of a National Science Foundation research grant. The four-member team lived in one of the ten feet by twelve feet huts in the photo; the other served as their workspace. In September and October 1974, the crew experienced air temperatures with a wind chill of more than minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This photo first appeared in the January 1975 Oregon Stater. (P57:4948)
24. Dedication of the Chemistry Building, December 2, 1939 Dedication of the Chemistry Building, December 2, 1939. President Peavy (front row, right), Governor Charles Sprague (front row, center) Chancellor Frederick M. Hunter (second row, second from left) and members of the State Board of Higher Education attended the dedication of the building – one of a handful of buildings built at any public higher education campus in Oregon in the 1930s. Board member Beatrice Walton Sackett is in the front row, left. Linus Pauling (not pictured) was also at the building’s dedication. (P16:733)