Campus planning celebrates OSU’s National Historic District

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5-7-09

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A ceremony honoring Oregon State University’s rich history, architectural legacy and newly formed OSU National Historic District will be held May 14 on campus. A new National Historic District marker will be unveiled at 1 p.m.

OSU has the only designated National Historic District on an academic campus in the state of Oregon. The university received the designation from the National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior in the fall of 2008, placing OSU on the National Register of Historic Places

The designation is the result of two years of work by Facilities Services. The OSU National Historic District includes 83 contributing resources on approximately 180 acres of the main campus.

The May 14 commemoration takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Jefferson Way, just south of Education Hall. The Historic District marker will be installed in the plaza at this intersection.

At 11 a.m. and at 2 p.m. visitors can take a guided walking tour, lead by Larry Landis of OSU’s University Archives. The 11 a.m. tour will focus on the development of east campus, while the 2 p.m. tour will visit many campus buildings designed by John V. Bennes, a Portland architect who designed more than 35 OSU buildings between 1907 and 1941. Bennes was also known for his distinctive Portland buildings, including the Hollywood Theater.

At 1 p.m. there will be several guest speakers, including OSU President Ed Ray, and OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Sabah Randhawa. The speakers will be followed by the unveiling of the National Historic District marker.

Pamphlets directing self-guided walking tours will be provided.

About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon’s only university designated in the Carnegie Foundation’s top tier for research institutions, garnering more than 60 percent of the total federal and private research funding in the Oregon University System. Its more than 20,300 students come from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.

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