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OSU Buildings Histories in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center

Building History

An image of the Mechanical Hall, now known as Kearney Hall.

 

In 1900, two years after the original Mechanical Hall had been destroyed by fire, a new Mechanical Hall - designed by Portland architect Edgar Lazarus - opened. Built of stone, and featuring a tin roof, at its construction the new Mechanical Hall was a little over three times the size of the original at roughly 19,900 square feet. The new building featured woodworking and machine shops, a printing office, drawing rooms (for both free and mechanical drawing), physical laboratories, and botanical room.

In 1920, to provide additional room for Civil and Electrical Engineering, a third floor was added to Mechanical Hall; the name of the building was subsequently changed to Apperson Hall (it was referred to colloquially as Mechanical Hall until well into the 1920s).

General Information

Address

1491 SW Campus Way

Architect

Edgar Lazarus

Year Built

1899

Renovations

1920

Square Footage

~ 19,900

Purpose/Usage

Engineering

Previous Name(s)

Mechanical Hall (1889-1898)

Namesake

Functional

Historic District

Yes; Historic Contributing Structure

Blueprints

Unknown

Maps

Facilities Services Records, 1888-2003. Series XX:  Campus, Farm, and Property Maps, 1899-1990. Campus and Farm Maps

Oregon State University Campus Maps, 1894-1994

Photographs

Oregon State University Historical Photographs, 1868-1980

Further Archival Information

SCARC: SCARC's holdings include personal papers, photographs, and university records documenting Mechanical Hall. It should be noted that a search for "Mechanical Hall" returns results for both the original hall, built in 1889, and the replacement, built in 1899/1900.

Oregon Digital: Includes both photographic and textual materials documenting the history of Mechanical Hall. It should be noted that a search for "Mechanical Hall" returns results for both the original hall, built in 1889, and the replacement, built in 1899/1900.

Map