Education Hall - Oregon State University National Historic District - Corvallis, OR - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

Architectural History:
Education Hall is a four-story, 40,032 square foot, Richardsonian Romanesque style building. It is made of stone, with the ground floor comprised of granite laid in broken-bond with extruded mortar, and the upper stories are Cascade sandstone veneer with rusticated rock faced finish. The roof is gabled and there is a turret with a conical roof to the north side of the west entrance. The original roof was made of dark red metal tile and the cornice was metal painted light gray. Windows are one over one, double hung. Alterations: There were major fires in 1924 and 1927 that caused destruction of original woodwork. In 1939, the building was rebuilt with concrete post beam and slab, using architect John V. Bennes’ plans, and stairs, elevator, and skylights were added. Also in 1939 the north chimney and south gables were dismantled and roof dormers added. In 1964 the building was coated with elastomeric neoprene which was removed in the 1990s and replaced with wire netting. Landscape: Education Hall is on the east side of OSU campus. It is just south of a large, grassy area, and is bordered by 14th Street on its east side. Setting: Education Hall is on the east side of OSU main campus, on the eastern border of Sector C. Alterations: 1924, 1927: Fires 1939: rebuilt w/concrete post, beam, slab (architect John V. Bennes) stairs, elevator, skylights added; 1939: chimney at north and south gables dismantled, roof dormers added; 1964: Coated with elastomeric neoprene; 1990's coating removed

Background History
This campus landmark was originally named Agricultural Hall. It was built to advance instruction and experimentation in agricultural science at Oregon Agricultural College at a time when agriculture was Oregon’s principal industry. The building was renamed Science Hall (commonly referred to as the ‘Chem Shack’) in 1910 when the Agriculture Department moved into Strand Agricultural Hall and the Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Forestry Departments occupied the building. In Early 1920s, Linus Pauling (1922 graduate, 2-time Nobel Prize winner) took classes, labs and taught classes in Science Hall. When the Chemistry Department moved to Gilbert Hall in 1940, the building was renamed once again. It was named Education Hall and housed the Education Department, along with many others. Up until this time, the Education Department had spread classes throughout several buildings on campus. There were major fires in 1924 and 1927 that destroyed the original interior wood framing, though the building’s exterior remained intact. This led the university to replace the interior frame with steel and concrete. However, the stone exterior was never attached to the new inner walls, which created a hazard because the stones were not anchored down. University officials decided to cover the outside of the building in wire in the early 1990s to ensure public safety. Education Hall still houses the Education Department and the building is cherished by many in the Oregon State community. Though the building was slated for demolition in 2001, significant interest in restoring the building has kept it intact and functional. In fact, Education Hall became the first building on campus to go wireless in 2003.

This building is listed in the Oregon State University National Historic Registration Form as site #28 and it was erected in 1902.