Community Hall (Oregon State University)
| Community Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building's exterior in 2017 | |
  Community Hall Location of Community Hall on the Oregon State University campus | |
| Former names | Administration Building (1888–1947), Benton Hall (1947–2017) |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | School |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Location | College Hill |
| Address | 1650 SW Pioneer Place |
| Town or city | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 44°33′58″N 123°16′27″W / 44.5662°N 123.2743°WCoordinates: 44°33′58″N 123°16′27″W / 44.5662°N 123.2743°W |
| Elevation | 240 ft (73 m) |
| Current tenants | University music department |
| Named for | Formerly: The community of Benton Co. which funded its construction Indirectly: Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator 1821-51 (D-MO) |
| Groundbreaking | August 17, 1887 |
| Completed | July 1888 |
| Opened | September 1889 |
| Cost | $25,000 |
| Owner | Oregon State University |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Heavy timber framed |
| Material | Wood |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Floor area | 25,806 sq ft (2,397 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 1 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | W. D. Pugh |
| Other information | |
| Parking | 25 spaces + 4 handicapped (SW Pioneer Pl.) |
| Website | |
| events | |
Community Hall (Oregon State University) | |
 Etching of Community Hall used in class catalogs in this format in 1889-90 and 1890-91 | |
 1915 aerial view of campus with Community Hall shown in the foreground, slightly left of center | |
| Location | SW Campus Way and SW Pioneer Place, Corvallis |
| Coordinates | 44°33′58″N 123°16′27″W / 44.5662°N 123.2743°W |
| Part of | Oregon State University Historic District (ID08000546[1]) |
| Designated CP | June 25, 2008 |
Community Hall (formerly Benton Hall) was the first building constructed on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon and the oldest structure on its campus today. Its original name was simply the Administration Building while the university itself was using the name under which it first organized, Oregon State Agricultural College. It is situated on a gentle slope called "College Hill" just west of the city's commercial center on the west bank of the Willamette River, and there anchors the rest of the school's remaining original buildings on the "Lower Campus" (given with current names and years built): Apperson Hall (1899), Benton Annex (1892), Education Hall (1902) and Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center (1898).
History[]
1860 saw a lien placed on the first building to occupy the site, by a carpenter who had not been paid for his work. The ensuing sheriff's sale resulted in ownership of the building, the land and the school operating there (Corvallis College) by Rev. Orceneth Fisher on behalf of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, to which he was pastor. By 1885, calls from local leaders were growing loud to convert it to a state institution which would be eligible for Federal funds under the Land Grant program and the church agreed to relinquish control.[2] In response, the Oregon State Legislature passed an act that reorganized the school as the state's agricultural college, but skeptical of the actual awarding of Land-grant status decided to require the citizens of Benton County to bear the full costs for the construction of a suitable building to house its offices, which the act stated could be no less than $25,000 (equivalent to ~$675,000 in 2019) though if successful the building would become property of the state upon completion. The 1880 census had reported only ~1,400 households within the entire county, but less than two years later the sum had been raised, permits secured and construction began on the Administration Building still standing largely unchanged today as Community Hall.[3]
”The building's cornerstone was laid by the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Oregon on August 17, 1887.[4] It opened in September 1889.[5]
On Oct. 28, 1987, Governor Neil Goldschmidt signed a proclamation declaring the day as "Benton Hall Day".[4]
Benton Hall was renamed Community Hall in November 2017.[6][7]
References[]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Oregon State University Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved July 9, 2019. With accompanying pictures
- ^ Gazette-Times, ANTHONY RIMEL Corvallis. "OSU report details building of Benton Hall with local funds". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ a b DeWitt, Joce (August 18, 2012). "Happy Birthday, Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ "50 Objects of Corvallis: Music, charm are hallmarks of Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette-Times. August 10, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Schrock, Lillian. "OSU president announces new building names". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ Rimsel, Anthony. "OSU to change names of Avery Lodge, Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
External links[]
Media related to Community Hall at Wikimedia Commons
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