The University of Oregon has reopened the two oldest buildings on its Eugene campus, following structural upgrades.
University Hall—formerly known as Deady Hall—was UO’s first building, completed in 1876. Villard Hall was the second, opening in 1886.
For the past two years, UO said it’s been updating those buildings with new HVAC systems, disability accommodations, and steel and concrete supports.
Tim Allenbaugh, an owner’s representative with UO Design and Construction, said the goal is to bring the halls into “the modern era.” He said they were deconstructed and put back together.
“These are unreinforced masonry buildings that have been standing for a long time, not affected by any seismic events thus far, but we're trying to avoid that,” said Allenbaugh. “We basically built a building within a building.”
Both of the halls are National Historic Landmarks, so Allenbaugh said the exteriors of the buildings had to remain mostly unchanged.
The buildings are now open and hosting classes, while the footpaths that were blocked by construction have cleared. Allenbaugh said some further additions to the halls, like artwork, will be completed in the coming months.
Moving forward, he said University Hall will primarily house mathematics classes, while Villard Hall will still have theater space and be a new home for Cinema Studies.
“Cinema Studies, they have been spread out all over campus in various buildings,” said Allenbaugh. “This is their first time as a department to be all together in one building, with a lot of new equipment and spaces specialized for them.”
According to Allenbaugh, the project cost around $96 million. The university was supported by $58.5 million in bond funding from the Oregon legislature.
