Community Hall (Oregon State University)

Community Hall (formerly Benton Hall) was the first building constructed on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon and the oldest structure on its campus today. Its original name was simply the Administration Building while the university itself was using the name under which it first organized, Oregon State Agricultural College. It is situated on a gentle slope called "College Hill" just west of the city's commercial center on the west bank of the Willamette River, and there anchors the rest of the school's remaining original buildings on the "Lower Campus" (given with current names and years built): Apperson Hall (1899), Benton Annex (1892), Education Hall (1902) and Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center (1898).

Community Hall
The building's exterior in 2017
Community Hall Location of Community Hall on the Oregon State University campus
Former names	Administration Building (1888–1947), Benton Hall (1947–2017)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	School
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Location	College Hill
Address	1650 SW Pioneer Place
Town or city	Corvallis, Oregon
Country	United States
Coordinates	44.5662°N 123.2743°W
Elevation	240 ft (73 m)
Current tenants	University music department
Named for	Formerly: The community of Benton Co. which funded its construction Indirectly: Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator 1821-51 (D-MO)
Groundbreaking	August 17, 1887
Completed	July 1888
Opened	September 1889
Cost	$25,000
Owner	Oregon State University
Technical details
Structural system	Heavy timber framed
Material	Wood
Floor count	3
Floor area	25,806 sq ft (2,397 m^2)
Lifts/elevators	1
Design and construction
Architect	W. D. Pugh
Other information
Parking	25 spaces + 4 handicapped (SW Pioneer Pl.)
Website
events.oregonstate.edu/community_hall
Community Hall (Oregon State University)
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Etching of Community Hall used in class catalogs in this format in 1889-90 and 1890-91
1915 aerial view of campus with Community Hall shown in the foreground, slightly left of center
Location	SW Campus Way and SW Pioneer Place, Corvallis
Coordinates	44.5662°N 123.2743°W
Part of	Oregon State University Historic District (ID08000546[1])
Designated CP	June 25, 2008

History

1860 saw a lien placed on the first building to occupy the site, by a carpenter who had not been paid for his work. The ensuing sheriff's sale resulted in ownership of the building, the land and the school operating there (Corvallis College) by Rev. Orceneth Fisher on behalf of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, to which he was pastor. By 1885, calls from local leaders were growing loud to convert it to a state institution which would be eligible for Federal funds under the Land Grant program and the church agreed to relinquish control.[2] In response, the Oregon State Legislature passed an act that reorganized the school as the state's agricultural college, but skeptical of the actual awarding of Land-grant status decided to require the citizens of Benton County to bear the full costs for the construction of a suitable building to house its offices, which the act stated could be no less than $25,000 (equivalent to ~$675,000 in 2019) though if successful the building would become property of the state upon completion. The 1880 census had reported only ~1,400 households within the entire county, but less than two years later the sum had been raised, permits secured and construction began on the Administration Building still standing largely unchanged today as Community Hall.[3]

”The building's cornerstone was laid by the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Oregon on August 17, 1887.[4] It opened in September 1889.[5]

On Oct. 28, 1987, Governor Neil Goldschmidt signed a proclamation declaring the day as "Benton Hall Day".[4]

Benton Hall was renamed Community Hall in November 2017.[6][7]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Oregon State University Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved July 9, 2019. With accompanying pictures
3. Gazette-Times, ANTHONY RIMEL Corvallis. "OSU report details building of Benton Hall with local funds". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
4. DeWitt, Joce (August 18, 2012). "Happy Birthday, Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
5. "50 Objects of Corvallis: Music, charm are hallmarks of Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette-Times. August 10, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
6. Schrock, Lillian. "OSU president announces new building names". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
7. Rimsel, Anthony. "OSU to change names of Avery Lodge, Benton Hall". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 2019-07-10.

External links

• Media related to Community Hall at Wikimedia Commons