The building was constructed in 1859 and expanded in 1876. It served as the primary bulding for what is now Oregon State University until 1888, when the new Administration Building (Benton Hall) was completed on the west edge of the original college farm.
Prominent in the foreground is the Bandstand. Visible from left to right are the Administration Building (present day Benton Hall), the Paleontology Lab (present day Women's Center) and Science Hall (present day Furman Hall). Downtown Corvallis is seen in the distance. Visible are the Benton County Courthouse, the central school and the Presbyterian Church.
The building had been remodeled and expanded in 1876 in order to accommodate a year-round preparatory department and an additional faculty member. Much of the lumber for the addition was donated by a member of the board of trustees, R. W. Brock of Corvallis.
This image shows some of the preparatory and college level students enrolled at the time. The 1872-73 college catalog lists ninety-eight students at all levels, including twenty-six “agricultural students.”