Apperson Hall, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)

Title: Apperson Hall, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)
LC Subject: Architecture, American Architecture--United States
Alternative: Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)
Creator: Lazarus, Edgar M.
Photographer: Shellenbarger, Michael
Creator Display: Edgar Marks Lazarus (architect, 1868-1939)
Description: National Register of Historic Places
View: exterior: masonry detail, stone, beaded joint, not tuck pointing
Provenance: Design Library, University of Oregon Libraries
Temporal: 1900-1909
Work Type: architecture (object genre) built works views (visual works) exterior views universities (buildings) components (objects) classrooms office buildings
Location: Benton County >> Oregon >> United States Oregon >> United States United States Corvallis >> Benton County >> Oregon >> United States
Date: 1900
View Date: 1985
Identifier: pna_15929.jpg
Item Locator: Shellenbarger Collection, S:16 00-5598
Rights: In Copyright
Rights Holder: University of Oregon
Source: Gift of Michael Shellenbarger
Type: Image
Format: image/jpeg
Set: Building Oregon
Primary Set: Building Oregon
Is Part Of: Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon); Oregon State University Historic District (Corvallis, Oregon)
Institution: University of Oregon
Citation: Oregon State University Historic District National Register Nomination, http://oregondigital.org/u?/archpnw,16894 National Register of Historic Places, http://www.nps.gov/nr/ Bear, McNeil, Schneider, Bloodworth, and Hawes. Feasibility Study For Apperson Hall. Corvallis: Oregon State University, 1963. “Devoured by the Flames,” Corvallis Gazette. Sept. 30. 1898* Snead, Sally. “Apperson Hall: An Historical Stylistic Analysis.” 1968. Warren, Tom. Corvallis Gazette-Times. Nov. 3, 1972. OSU Archives Memorabilia Collection, Box 25 – Buildings – Apperson Hall
Note: From the National Register Nomination: Current Use College of Engineering Rectangular with Turrets. Apperson Hall was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and has three stories and a full basement, totalling 29,426 square feet. The building’s exterior is made of Oregon Grey granite on the lower portion and cement stucco above. The nearly square building has two short semi-circular towers on each side of its east-facing front. The main entrance consists of two archways with a single column in the center and two short pilasters on either side. Cherub faces surround the capital of the center column, and are present on the inner side of each pilaster. Windows are recessed from the stonework, and are wooden, double hung sash. The majority are rectangular, with the exception of five on the second floor directly above the arched entryways. These are arched with columns resembling the center column below. The building has a shingle roof with flat sections and sheet metal caps on tower. Alterations: Apperson Hall was built in 1898 but was destroyed by fire the same year. The college rebuilt the hall that year as 2-story stone structure with tin roof. In 1920 they added a 3rd floor, and remodeled the interior of the structure. There was also remodeling in 1928, 1949, 1955, including a new roof. Further renovations to the building have included fire code updates during the 1960s and exterior rehabilitation in 1999. Construction is underway currently (2007) to modernize its interior. Landscape: Apperson Hall in the northeast section of OSU and is located just off Monroe Ave., the border of campus. It is north of a grassy area surrounding Benton Hall. Setting: Apperson Hall is in the northeast section of OSU’s main campus, in the very northeast corner of sector C. It is located just south of a busy street, Monroe Avenue. History: Apperson Hall (first referred to as “Mechanical Hall”) was constructed as a classroom building primarily to house the School of Engineering, although other subjects, such as botany, woodworking, and millinery, were taught there. The building replaced the first Mechanical Hall, which a fire destroyed in 1898. The quality of the new building was such that a biennial report from 1899 stated that it was expected to greatly improve engineering scholarship and training at the college. The college catalog from the same year called the structure one of the most substantial and elegant on campus. The name, “Apperson Hall,” was assigned to the building after the third story was added in 1920. It was named for Honorable J.T. Apperson, an early member of the Board of Regents of OAC, who died in 1917. The remodel was the consequence of increasing enrollment—it took place in part to meet the needs of the large number of students who had joined the college in the fall of 1920. During World War I the regular building program of the college had been delayed and modified. Therefore, by 1920, Mechanical Hall was due for an update. A complete renovation of Apperson’s interior currently underway (2007) will result in a modern facility for OSU’s cutting-edge engineering programs. The building may soon be renamed Kearney Hall to honor Lee Kearney, a recent significant donor and an OSU engineering alumnus. Teague, Edward H. "Introducing Edgar Lazarus, The Architect of Vista House," Vista House Views, FOVH Newsletter, Spring 2011, p. 1-2, 7, 9, 10-11.