Benton Hall Tower Clock - Corvallis, OR
N 44° 33.970 W 123° 16.446
10T E 478234 N 4934795
This tower clock resides at Benton Hall on the Oregon State University campus.
Waymark Code: WMQ255
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/04/2015
Views: 2
Located on the Oregon State University campus and in front of Benton Hall is a tower clock. There's a nearby plaque monumented on a small boulder that reads:
BENTON HALL TOWER CLOCK
THE CLOCK IN THE TOWER OF BENTON HALL WAS MANUFACTURED IN 1913 BY THE E. HOWARD CLOCK COMPANY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. FROM THAT TIME UNTIL IT WAS DISMANTLED IN 1988, IT MARKED THE HOURS IN THE TOWER OF THE OLD GAS PLANT IN PORTLAND FOR COMMUTERS TRAVELING ALONG ST. HELENS ROAD. IT WAS REFURBISHED AND PRESENTED TO OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE CLASS OF 1988 BY NORTHWEST NATURAL GAS COMPANY ON OCTOBER 29, 1988. THE PRESENTATION TOOK PLACE FOLLOWING THE CENTENNIAL YEAR OF HISTORIC BENTON HALL AND RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OSU ALUMNI HAVE MADE AS EMPLOYEES OF NORTHWEST NATURAL GAS COMPANY.
CLASS OF 1988
Wikipedia contains a nice biography of the clock company here as well as a list of notable clocks located across the United States that were made by the company over the years.
Sadly, the Portland Gas & Coke Co. building where this clock once stood was recently demolished because it was unsafe and contained hazardous materials. You can read an article about the historic building, which sat empty for 57 years, here. Below are pictures of the clock back in the day when it was part of the gas company's clock tower as well as a recent picture of the dilapidated building.
