Oregon State University campus recognized as historic district

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Sep 18, 2008 by Report

Oregon State University's Corvallis campus has been designated as a historic district by the National Park Service. The district includes OSU structures, green spaces and plans, and includes 83 historic resources such as Weatherford Hall, the Memorial Union and Benton Hall. Campus planning manager Patty McIntosh has been working for the university's nomination for two years; the effort was supported by a $190,000 grant from the Getty Foundation.

OSU is the first college or university campus in Oregon to receive such a designation. One reason for its listing on the National Register of Historic Places is its campus plan, which was created in 1909 by architect John C. Olmsted of Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. The plan includes distinguishing campus features such as buildings surrounded by open-space quads with diagonal crosswalks. The university has also requested that brown historical markers be placed on Interstate 5 to make travelers aware of the new historic district, and campus planners are working with an architectural design firm to create signage for campus and street signs in the district perimeter.