The Art Building is an academic hall at
Willamette University in
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...
, United States. Built in 1905 for the
Willamette University College of Medicine
Willamette University College of Medicine is a former school of medicine that was part of Willamette University. Founded in 1867 as the first medical school in Oregon, the school relocated between Portland and the main university campus in Salem se ...
, it is the third oldest building on campus after
Waller Hall
Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing t ...
and
Gatke Hall
Gatke Hall is the second-oldest building at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. A two-story structure, it was originally built in downtown Salem in 1903 across the street from the Marion County Courthouse and served as a post o ...
. The Beaux-Arts style red-brick building stands three stories tall and contains of space.
History
In 1905, Willamette University opened the Medical Building as the first permanent home for the College of Medicine.
[Historic Campus Architecture Project: Art Building.]
The Council of Independent Colleges. Retrieved on October 1, 2008.[Cowan, Ron. "Redo in works at college", '' Statesman Journal'', March 17, 2002, Life, p. 1D.][1840-1990 Keepsake Edition: Willamette University. '' Statesman Journal'', October 26, 1990.] The medical school, the first in the Northwest, merged with the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
's medical school (now
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a
public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...
) in Portland in 1913 and vacated the building.
[Gibby, Susan]
Salem Online History: Willamette University.
Salem Public Library. Retrieved on April 8, 2009. That year the law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
moved into the now Science Hall, which was the first regular home to the school on campus.[''Celebrating 125 Years of Outstanding Legal Education and Bar Leadership''. Editor Anne Marie Becka, Willamette University College of Law, 2008. p. 19, 50.] Willamette's high school department, Willamette Academy, was also located in the building from 1913 until 1920.[Willamette University Historic Buildings.]
''Salem Historical Quarterly''. Retrieved on October 3, 2008. The science department also occupied the building at this time.[ and in 1941 the science department moved to neighboring Collins Hall.][ In 1941, the then College of Music moved into the building, remaining until 1976.][ That year the building finished renovations begun the previous year after the structure had declined to the point where the top floor was declared unsafe by the fire marshal.][ The remodel prepared the building for use by the art department, who moved there in 1976 with the building renamed as the Art Building.][ After the art department relocated to the hall, a gallery for the school's art collection developed on the top floor and was named the Hallie Brown Ford Gallery.][ The collections were moved in 1998 to the new ]Hallie Ford Museum of Art
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtow ...
located one block to the west.[
In 2002, a wing was added and the existing structure was extensively remodeled and upgraded in a $3.5 million project.][ The three-story and wing was added to the east with covered walkways connecting it to the existing structure on each of the three floors.][ Renovations on the original building included seismic retrofitting, adding bathrooms, and reconfiguration of the basement and the top floor.][ Soderstrom Architects' Jon Wiener designed the new brick-faced wing,][ while Walsh Construction served as general contractor.][Basalyga, Stephanie. "Willamette University buys Salem property", '']Daily Journal of Commerce
The ''Daily Journal of Commerce'' (DJC) is a U.S. newspaper published Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Portland, Oregon. It features business, construction, real estate, legal news and public notices. It is a member of American Court & Commercial ...
'', July 15, 2003.
Details
The original building contains spread over three stories and a full basement.[ It is the oldest building at Willamette after Gatke and Waller halls,][ though Gatke was built elsewhere and moved to campus in 1938.][ Originally featuring wood floors, the now carpeted hall includes a ceramics studio in the basement attached to an outdoor kiln,][ teaching studios, galleries, offices, and work rooms.][ The Beaux Arts style brick building is at the corner of State and Winter streets on the north end of the campus across from the ]Oregon Civic Justice Center
The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several pr ...
.[ The hall has a concrete foundation faced with bricks with the roof made of composite shingles.][ The new wing includes a gallery for the display of student art,][ a 35-seat classroom, offices, painting and printmaking studios, and storage areas.][ Both the art history and art department occupy the buildings.][
]
References
External links
Historic photograph of building
{{Willamette University
School buildings completed in 1905
Willamette University buildings
1905 establishments in Oregon