Fairbanks Hall - Oregon State University National Historic District - Corvallis, OR - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

Fairbanks Hall is the second oldest building on campus, erected around 1892 and is listed as site #87 in the Oregon State University National Historic District. The following verbiage is taken from the Oregon Historic Sites Database website (link below) to describe this building's history:

Architectural History:
Alterations: 1886: added steam heat for bathing; 1906: added modern toilets; 1915 renovated for women's dorm; 1935 renovated for classrooms; 1959: stone walls pointed up and repaired; 1964 stairwell to 4th floor attic blocked; 1990's handicapped ramp s to basement added Fairbanks Hall has undergone many internal and external renovations. Internal changes include: 1886: added steam heat for bathing; 1906: added modern toilets; 1915 renovated for women's dorm; 1935 renovated for classrooms; 1959: stone walls pointed up and repaired; 1964 stairwell to 4th floor attic blocked; 1990's handicapped ramps added to basement. On the building’s exterior, a first-story porch with recessed entry and veranda above were replaced with a smaller, enclosed porch beneath the roof’s center gable. Also, a cupola with pyramidal shaped roof atop the front gable was removed after reputedly being “blown off” during the Columbus Day Storm in 1962. Landscape: Fairbanks Hall is just west of the Memorial Union and is on the southwest corner of a campus quadrangle. It is surrounded by foliage and is on the corner of Jefferson Way and 26th Street. Setting: Fairbanks Hall is near the center of OSU’s main campus, in sector C.

Background History
Fairbanks Hall was the second building constructed at O.A.C, built just three years after Benton Hall. It was then named Cauthorn Hall, after Senator Thomas Cauthorn, who helped secure funds from the state legislature to construct the dormitory. The building was originally a men’s dorm, housing 75 male students. Cauthorn was converted to a women’s dormitory in 1912, however the women had to move out at the start of World War I to make room for the student army training corps. Women once again occupied the dormitory at the completion of the war. The building’s first name change came in 1927 when the College opted to rename the building Kidder Hall, in honor of Ida Kidder, O.A.C.’s first professional librarian, who passed away that year. Though it was a popular dormitory, low enrollment during the Depression forced its closure in 1931. In 1935, the building was renovated to provide classroom and office space for the College. Formerly scattered across various campus buildings, the Art Department found a permanent home in Kidder Hall. Other departments that moved into Kidder included the departments of Modern Language, History, and Architecture. The attic was renovated as a gymnasium to serve as a space for physical education instruction. The building’s name was changed again in 1964, attaining the title Fairbanks Hall. This name honored Professor J. Leo Fairbanks, a renowned artist and chairman of the OSU Art Department. Not only has the name continued on to today, but the Art Department still occupies much of the space in Fairbanks Hall. There are three galleries in the building – Fairbanks Gallery, West Gallery, and a basement exhibit space in Art Underground, a student lounge for OSU art majors.

In a little bit of trivia in regards to Fairbanks Hall, Pinto Colvin, who played the original Bozo the Clown from 1946 to 1956, was a resident of Fairbanks (then known as Cauthorn Hall and a male dormitory) as a student at OSU. He also was the original voice of Disney's Goofy. He graduated from Oregon State at 18 years of age. Impressive.

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Oregon State University National Historic District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link] Address: 220 SW 26th St. Oregon State University Corvallis, OR How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

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