| Architect/Builder: Edgar M. Lazarus
Date of Construction: 1889
Historic Name: Administration Building
Additional building names/dates changed: Benton Hall
Building’s original use: Held all academic departments and offices
Subsequent use of building/dates changed: 1889- was whole college; 1948: Music Department
Benton Hall was the first building constructed at Oregon State University. At the time of construction, the campus totaled 35 acres and was called Agricultural College Farm. As the dominant campus building, the hall housed the academic departments, library, and museum, as well as the registrar, business, and administration offices. There was an auditorium on the second floor where compulsory chapel was held until 1906. Benton Hall also housed the president’s office until it moved out in 1922. The library collection moved from Benton to Kidder Hall in 1918.
There is clock tower on the building that houses a clock made by the E. Howard Clock Company of Boston, MA, in the early 1900s. The clock previously occupied the tower of the Pacific Gas and Coke Company in Portland, OR. Though the clock was built in the 1900s and the tower was built in 1896, a clock was not installed until 1989 because funds were not available. The clock was a gift of the Northwest Natural Gas Company and the OSU class of 1988.
After 118 years on campus, Benton Hall is no longer expected to house all aspects of university life. The hall is now the exclusive home of the OSU music department. Though the campus has added numerous buildings since 1889, Benton Hall stands in its original location and speaks to the significant growth and longevity of the university. |
