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

Architectural History:
Structure Gill Coliseum is a two-story building with a vaulted ceiling, plus full basement. The arena is built of concrete and reinforced steel frame with similar façades on all sides. The north and south facades are identical, while the east façade differs from the west due to the building’s entrance. Exterior The exterior is comprised primarily of beige concrete with dark red trim and multi-colored detailing along the gabled roofline. Is gabled appearance a false facade? Is roof flat? What is it made of (I have an account of materials but am not sure how to interpret it)? Beige pilasters cover all facades and are topped with geometric ornament in red, light blue, pink, and black. The north and south façades of the coliseum have the appearance of concrete setbacks due to the two-story, oversized entry/exit ramps that project out and scale the lower half of each façade. The ramp structure is supported by columns that mimic the arena’s pilasters and has a wide red band across its top. Behind the ramps on each side there are wide flights of concrete stairs that lead to three sets of orange double doors, each with stacked, octagonal window panes, that open onto the first floor. Multi-paned transoms top each doorway. Similar doorways on the second story provide access to the building from the large ramps. Six over six metal windows flank the doorways on both levels in groupings of two. The windows and doorways are not prominent features of the north and south façades, however, because the ramps extend in front of them. The east façade, or front of the building, has a one-story entry portico that projects out, creating a similar appearance of a concrete setback to compliment the northern and southern sides. This entry has seven wide flights of stairs separated by single-story columns that mimic the pilasters on the arena. There is a covered walkway at the top of the stairs leading to a ticket booth in the center that is flanked by sets of glass doors lining the entire walkway. There are two-story stair enclosures on either side of the entry. The main façade above the entry features seven brick glass panels between pilasters. However, these are now covered from the inside. The building’s western façade features the pilasters found on all other sides, however there is no further adornment. As evidenced by historic photographs Gill Coliseum has a high level of integrity. Interior Gill Coliseum is a two-story building, with full basement, that houses a large central arena with arena seating, as well as numerous offices, athletic facilities, and storage space. The building is accessed through doors located on each side of the building, as well as external stairwells on each corner of the coliseum and internal stairwells surrounding the arena. On the first and second floor, office spaces and restrooms are located around the perimeter of the central arena space, with a wide corridor providing entry to the arena at multiple locations. The corridor around the arena on the first floor has linoleum floors and acoustic tile ceilings. Walls are painted concrete with wood paneling. There are large trophy cases in the corridor nearest the entry way on 26th Avenue. The second floor corridor holds numerous offices for athletic departments at OSU and a student-athlete computer lab. There are also concessions booths for event spectators. The second story floor is rubberized and walls are concrete with carpet covering. The large arena is the primary architectural feature inside the coliseum. The building has twelve, 222’ rigid frames with a rise of 84’ at the center. Each frame weighs 60 tons. These frames are exposed and visible from the arena. A wooden basketball court covers the floor with large lettering spelling “OREGON STATE” on either end. Wooden, orange and black seats surround the court in tiers, accommodating 10,400 spectators. Aisles extend between rows, however access between second-story seating and floor seating is restricted. Large scoreboards are suspended from the ceiling at either end of the court on the east and west sides, and murals celebrating OSU athletic teams and their accomplishments adorn the walls on the north and south side. On the east end of the arena, paint conceals brick glass panels. The full basement is finished and provides space for athletic training facilities beneath the central court. Twenty percent of the basement is now a storage facility for artifacts belonging to the Horner collection. It was operated as the Horner Museum until 2001. The basement also houses maintenance offices and a woodshop to serve the coliseum. Alterations: Alterations to Gill Coliseum have primarily been superficial. Historic photographs reveal that the exterior paint scheme was altered from monochromatic to brightly colored pilaster caps. A 1984 remodel updated the administrative areas and the corridors, including the addition of carpeted walls. In 1993 new scoreboards were installed and the press area was enlarged. In 2000 the locker rooms were refurbished and 2001 renovations involved removing seating to provide greater accessibility to aisles. Recent changes in 2005 focused on modernizing the building, including the addition of new office space, updating the arena’s lighting, and removing portions of the carpeted walls. A new annex to the coliseum is currently under construction and will include practice and training facilities for OSU athletics. Landscape: Gill Coliseum sits on a flat lot. There are large trees on the building’s north and east side, and younger trees planted throughout Parker Plaza to the south. Setting: Gill Coliseum is bordered by Washington Way to the north, Ralph Miller Lane to the south, and has a front entrance to the east on 26th Avenue. The building is located in Oregon State’s grouping of athletic facilities, and is surrounded by them. To the north, across the train tracks and Washington Way, are the campus intramural fields and tennis courts. To the south is Reser Stadium, with Parker Plaza separating the two athletic venues. Across 26th Avenue to the west is a parking structure to serve spectators, and behind Gill to the west is a practice field with the Merrit Truax Indoor Practice Facility beyond.

Background History
Overview In the context of the multiple property listing, “OSU Buildings in Corvallis, OR, 1888-1957,” Gill Coliseum is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion “A” for Entertainment/Recreation as part of that collection of buildings that defined Oregon State University. Gill Coliseum opened as the largest building in the State in 1950 with no internal structural supports to hinder spectator views. History of the Building Oregon State University constructed Gill Coliseum in 1949 to fulfill the needs of the growing institution by providing space for athletic events and campus gatherings. Educational institutions nationwide began building large-scale athletic venues in the early twentieth century. Collegiate athletics gained popularity among participants and spectators, leading colleges to construct arenas to accommodate the growing crowds.1 While this movement first occurred on the East Coast, led by Ivy League schools Harvard and Yale, universities in the West were early participants, as well. The first indoor, collegiate arenas on the West Coast built to accommodate 10,000 people or more include: University of Oregon’s McArthur Court, 1926; University of Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion, 1927; and UC Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion, 1933. Construction of Gill Coliseum began in 1947, a time when university enrollment was growing quickly at OSU, and throughout the country, to accommodate returning World War II veterans. The popularity of athletics was growing, as well, and memorial stadiums were being constructed quickly. Commenting on the new stadiums, a 1948 Corvallis sports editor pointed out that “most of them you’ll find are going up in basketball hot beds of the country.” He reported that Princeton, Syracuse, and Florida were building new gymnasiums, Springfield College and Kentucky were building new field houses, and football stadium editions were going up at Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Tulane, and Chattanooga. At Oregon State, the popularity of athletics on campus was growing, as was the need for spaces large enough to serve the gathered student body. The need for recreational facilities expansion was nothing new to the university that started with a single building in 1888. OSU’s first athletics building was the Armory, now known as Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center, built in 1898. It provided space for an armory and gymnasium, and was a social gathering point. OSU’s construction of other athletic facilities followed with the erection of McAlexander Fieldhouse in 1910, the Men’s Gymnasium in 1914, and the Women’s Building in 1927. In 1947, the university’s athletic structures were out-of-date and there were no longer buildings large enough for the student body to congregate. Men’s basketball games and the university’s commencement ceremonies were held in the Men’s Gymnasium, with a seating capacity of 2,500. However, the construction of Gill Coliseum created an arena that accommodated 10,000 people. The University and local residents were excited for the new arena, and contractors worked overtime to complete it by the winter of 1948 to begin hosting men’s basketball games. A 1951 magazine wrote of the locals’ excitement about the new arena. “Corvallis, you see, is a college town…its leather-lunged citizens sardine themselves into a splendid new athletic pavilion, there to cheer-on the fortunes of the Oregon State College basketball team… such was their enthusiasm that they almost blew the roof off the old basketball gymnasium.” The arena now seats 10,400 people. Men’s basketball and wrestling competitions are held in the arena. Women’s sports have benefited from construction and the continued growth of OSU athletics, as well, with gymnastics and volleyball contests held in Gill. The building also accommodates athletic offices, serving all OSU sports ranging from golf to softball. The services of Gill Coliseum will continue to expand with the erection of Gill Annex slated to open in 2008. Gill Coliseum is named after Amory “Slats” Gill, head men’s basketball coach for 21 years and a university alumnus. During construction local Beavers fans informally referred to the arena as “Gill Pavilion” and “Gill Coliseum,” and the name stuck. The court was named Ralph Miller Court in 1989 to honor the Hall of Fame coach who headed the Beavers basketball program from 1971-1989.

This building is listed as site #121 in the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form.