Gerlinger Hall is a historic building on 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 ...

campus in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

as part of the Women's Memorial Quadrangle. For the first time, enough women were attending the University that they could occupy their own full quadrangle.Shellenbarger, Michael, et al. "Ellis Lawrence Building Survey." Salem, OR: State Historic Preservation Office, 1989.

Name

Irene Hazard Gerlinger Irene Strang Hazard Gerlinger (December 3, 1876 – April 5, 1960) was an American fundraiser and the first woman on the University of Oregon Board of Regents. She is the namesake for Gerlinger Hall on the University of Oregon campus. Irene Hazar ...

campaigned for the construction of Woman's Memorial Hall starting in 1913; the Hall was built 6 years later (1919-1921). The building was named after her because of her involvement in the fundraising and construction of the Hall, as well as her involvement with the University of Oregon on a larger scale as the first woman Regent. She was also an important fundraiser for the University of Oregon Museum of Art (now the

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art :''see also the ''Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art'', Washington State University, Pullman, Washington Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The original building ...

Design

Gerlinger Hall was designed by Ellis Lawrence and

William Holford William Graham Holford, Baron Holford, (22 March 1907 – 17 October 1975) was a British architect and town planner. Biography Holford was educated at Diocesan College, Cape Town and returned to Johannesburg. From 1925–30 he studied archite ...

. They had studied at MIT together and were architectural partners from 1913 to 1928. Ellis Lawrence was employed in 1914 to create an architecture program and an architectural plan for the University of Oregon. The Quadrangle, including the Hall, is finished with brick and Classical details. The buildings feature gambrel roofs, and are Georgian Revival in style.National Park Service. "Women’s Memorial Quadrangle Ensemble: National Register Nomination." Department of the Interior, National Park Service. (accessed November 2013). Gerlinger Hall is the most distinctively Georgian of the buildings. It is rectangular in plan with a wing on both the east and west sides. The structural system of the hall is heavy timber and the exterior walls are brick. There are three stories and no basement.

Construction

Construction lasted from August 1919 to May 1921. The general contractor was W.O. Heckart of Eugene. Washington Brick of Spokane did the brick, Rushlight and Hastorf did the heating, City Iron Works in Portland did the ironwork, and Standard Artificial Stone Company of Portland did the cast stone. The carvines on the mantels and the grand stairway were based on designs done by students in the Art Department and Professor Larry Schroff did the over-mantel paintings The Hall was designed for women's physical education, featuring classrooms, ballrooms, a swimming pool, and an alumni hall.

Campus role

Gerlinger Hall is one of three halls (Gerlinger Hall, Susan Campbell Hall, and Hendricks Hall) that make up the Women's Memorial Quadrangle Ensemble, a group recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. The group was nominated under Associated Property Types for the Architecture of Ellis F. Lawrence Multiple Property Submission, previously accepted by the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination has three contributing buildings, the contributing site of the Quadrangle, and one contributing object: the Pioneer Mother statue. In the 1930s Ellis Lawrence considered converting Gerlinger Hall, with a rear addition, into a student union but Erb Memorial Student Union was designed instead. In the 1940s, the third floor of Gerlinger Hall briefly served as a girls’ dormitory. This was the same period during which the second floor of Villard Hall was converted into a living space for male students."Remodeling of Gerlinger, Villard Halls nears end; Living quarters for 40 girls, 80 men to be ready by start of winter term," Daily Emerald, 12/05/1945, 21. In the 1970s, Gerlinger Hall saw some remodeling: the enlarging of locker rooms and compliance with safety regulations"Remodeling will enlarge locker rooms," Daily Emerald, 10/1/1975, 7 AND "Emergency board funds facelift, Gerlinger Hall must comply with safety program," Daily Emerald, 9/22/1977, 3).

Current status

Among the Women's Memorial Quad, the main interior spaces of Gerlinger Hall, Alumni Hall, Gymnasium, and the south gallery are "essentially intact." They are among just a couple historic interiors with good integrity remaining on the University of Oregon campus. Gerlinger Hall's uses have changed little aside from the brief use of the 3rd floor as a girls’ dormitory in the 1940s

References

{{coord, 44.043604, -123.075768, type:landmark_region:US-OR, display=title University of Oregon buildings 1921 establishments in Oregon