Lausanne Hall is a college

residence hall A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

in Salem,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Built in 1920, the red-brick and stone-accented structure stands three stories tall along Winter Street on the western edge of the campus that was originally a residence for women only. The late Gothic Revival style building replaced a home that had also been used as a dormitory. This structure was moved to campus and originally was named as the Women's College before assuming the name of Lausanne. Designed by Fred A. Legge, the new hall is the oldest residence hall at Willamette and can house up to 152 students. This new structure was remodeled in the 1980s and had a minor fire in 2002. The hall is named after a ship that brought reinforcements in 1840 to the

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

, whose members founded the university in 1842.

History

Willamette University's president Thomas Van Scoy purchased the building in 1880 to serve as the school's Women's College.Kuhn, Cheryl. "Living up to Lausanne", ''Willamette Scene'', Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 1985, pp. 12-13. The building purchased was a house that had belonged to the school's first teacher,

Chloe Clark Willson Chloe Aurelia Clark Willson (1818–1874) was an early pioneer of what became the U.S. state of Oregon, and one of the first teachers of the Methodist mission in the Willamette Valley. In 1850, she owned half of the land in Oregon's state capital S ...

.Summerfield, Carol J., Mary Elizabeth Devine, and Anthony Levi. (1998)
''International Dictionary of University Histories''.
Taylor & Francis, p. 715. . Moores, Charles B. (1923)
''Oregon Pioneer Wa-Wa''.
Ivy Press. p. 126. OCLC 8642831. The building was modified and moved from the corner of Capital and Court streets to the north of campus to the western edge of the school from 1880 to 1881.Willamette University Historic Buildings.
''Salem Historical Quarterly''. Retrieved on March 22, 2009. The modifications included adding a mansard roof and another floor to the top in addition to a new wing on the backside.Meyering, Joan Marie
Oregon Historic Photograph Collections: Oregon State Capitol & Willamette University buildings, Salem, Oregon.
Salem Public Library. Retrieved on April 1, 2009. Once it was moved to campus a tower was added to the old home and another floor added to the bottom. Originally named as Young Women's Hall, it was renamed for the ship ''Lausanne'' that brought additional missionaries and workers to the

in 1839. Many of these missionaries helped establish the

Oregon Institute The Oregon Institute was an American school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist M ...

in 1842, the predecessor to Willamette. By 1909 the old building was valued to be worth $5,000. This old building became a fire hazard and was closed in 1915. In 1919, it was demolished to make way for a modern structure. A new Lausanne Hall was authorized by the Board of Trustees at the university and construction began in November 1919, with $40,000 raised to cover the costs of construction. Initial estimates placed the cost at $80,000 for a three-story brick building that included a basement with a capacity of 125 residents. A campaign by the university was launched in 1920 to raise $100,000 to be used for completing the new Lausanne Hall, the reconstruction of

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 ...

that burned in December 1919, and adding a central heating plant to the school. By December 1919, excavation of the site was completed and the laying of the concrete foundation had begun. The new residence was completed by November 1920 at a cost of $140,000, and included a three-room

infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambu ...

on the first floor. Womens College Willamette University

In 1921, the Lausanne Guild was formed by city residents to furnish and landscape the new building.Arends, Hank. "Program linking Willamette, Salem celebrates 80th year", ''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'', April 25, 2001, p. 4C. The organization changed their name to Town and Gown in 1925 and continues to promote connections between Salem and the school. Informal dancing at the dorm was banned in 1922 the hall's board of directors after the all-female residents had been dancing with each other. The concern was peer pressure would cause some girls to dance who otherwise would not dance. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the dormitory was the home of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's College Navy Training Program at Willamette.Gibby, Susan
Salem Online History: Willamette University.
Salem Public Library. Retrieved on March 20, 2009. The program was at Lausanne from July 1943 to November 1945. The rear of the building used to overlook the school's football field, Sweetland Field, until Doney Hall was built in the 1950s.Historic Campus Architecture Project: Lausanne Hall.
The Council of Independent Colleges. Retrieved on October 1, 2008. The structure was submitted to be listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983."Historic place nominees set for review", ''

'', November 11, 1983, p. 3B. Nominated by the student government, it was believed to be the oldest dormitory west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, but the hall was not added to the list. During the summer break in 1985 the building was extensively remodeled at a cost of $900,000. At the time of the remodel, the interior was still in its original state. Work included new carpeting, painting, a new sprinkler and fire system, new windows, new wiring, and restoration of the central staircase among other work. Prior to the remodel, about 50 residents protested in a march to the university president's office over complaints regarding the decision process. Lausanne Hall back

In September 2002, a fire on the third floor caused about $125,000 in damage to the building.Pyburn, Allison. "Fire damages residence hall", ''

'', September 6, 2002, p. 1C. Caused by an unattended candle, the fire was contained to one room and was under control within 30 minutes. In September 2003, the building was evacuated due to a suspicious package found at neighboring Doney Hall that turned out to be a false alarm.Lawrence-Turner, Jody. "Two Willamette dorms evacuated", ''

'', September 27, 2003, p. 1C.

Amenities

Lausanne was designed by architect Fred A. Legge, a Willamette alumnus, in the

Late Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

.Site Information: Lausanne Hall.
Oregon Historic Sites Database. Retrieved on March 20, 2009. The eastern side of the hall are two floors of covered porches. Lausanne has a concrete foundation and composite shingle roofing. The exterior of the three-story tall structure is constructed of red brick and stone. The hall is the oldest residence hall at Willamette. Housing up to 152 people, the hall includes a kitchen, a lounge, and common areas that have a piano and pool table.
Willamette University. Retrieved on March 20, 2009. The individual rooms for residents are large and many have tall ceilings.Jenkins, Maureen. "Dorm, sweet dorm", ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', October 18, 1992, p. L13. Due to these amenities, the hall is one of the more requested dorms at the university.

References

External links

Historic photograph of prior building
{{Willamette University Buildings and structures completed in 1920 Willamette University buildings University and college dormitories in the United States 1920 establishments in Oregon