THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Johnson Hall

Architect: William C. Knighton.

History

• 1915. Built at a cost of $100,000, the Administration Building opened in 1915. It housed, in addition to administrative functions, the Condon Geological Collection, as well as the 200-seat Guild Theater. Architect William Christmas Knighton was Oregon's State Architect and responsible for several significant works in Oregon, including Deepwood, the historic home near Salem. Interior decorative details included a magnificent skylight which covered the entire center of building and was made of stained glass by the Povey Brothers of Portland. (The Povey Bros also designed the glass of First Church, downtown Eugene.) Terracotta details from this building include the UO Logo.
• 1918. The building was named after UO president John Wesley Johnson in 1918.
• 1949. Renovation eliminated Guild Theater whose function was replaced by the new University Theater (Robinson Theater at Villard Hall). Glass panels were dispersed; some were used at Erb Memorial Union.
• 1985. Johnson Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• 1998. Renovation included restoration by Don Peting's historic preservation students of stained glass panels that once formed a skylight in the 1915 building. Panels can be seen in the boardroom of Johnson Hall and in a hallway of Lawrence Hall.
  

Bibliography

Books & Parts of Books

• Ellis Lawrence Building Survey. v.2 (Eugene). Compiled by the Historic Preservation Program, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, University of Oregon ; project directors, Michael Shellenbarger, Kimberly Lakin. [Salem, Or.] : State Historic Preservation Office, [1989].
• Heald, Leslie S. History and Preservation of Stained Glass in the Pacific Northwest : the Povey Bros. Glass Co. of Portland, Oregon. Thesis, Univ. of Oregon, 1999.
  

Journal, Magazine Articles (arranged by date)"

• Johnson Hall." Old Oregon 32 no.4 (Apr. 1951): full page ill.

Newspaper Articles (arranged by date)

• 1910s
  • "Architecture to be Grecian, Improvements for four buildings planned by architect Knighton", Daily Emerald, 02/28/1913, 9.
  • "Start building before June 10," Daily Emerald, 05/09/1914, 8, il.
  • "Building will be best of its kind, Administration Building", Daily Emerald, 09/22/1914, 1.
  • "New buildings to have model theatre," Daily Emerald, 11/14/1914, 3.
  • "Building done in May," Daily Emerald, 01/09/1915, 4.
  • "Dedication program to begin festivities," Daily Emerald, 11/16/1915, 1.
  • "Bronze tablet here for Johnson Hall, Inscription commemorating memory of Oregon's first president to be placed", Daily Emerald, 11/22/1919, 1.
• 1930s
  • "Grass square added to Johnson approach," Daily Emerald, 02/04/1939, 3.
• 1950s
  • "Johnson basement floods Wednesday," Daily Emerald, 11/16/1950, 1.
  • "Johnson Hall to receive renovation," Daily Emerald, 01/10/1951, 5.
  • "Johnson Hall blackboards antidote to student boredom," Daily Emerald, 04/05/1951, 8.
  • "Sometimes progress is deafening, destruction of Guild theater in Johnson Hall", Daily Emerald, 07/23/1952, 1, il.
  • "Former theater to become offices," Daily Emerald, 09/26/1952, 6.
  • "Johnson's office moved from Fenton, (Eldon L.)", Daily Emerald, 01/16/1953, 6.
  • "Work continues in Johnson Hall," Daily Emerald, 02/05/1953, 1.
  • "Glass seal stored,"Deady, Johnson halls remodeled", Daily Emerald, 03/12/1953, II: 8.
  • "Board to ask law makers for addition to Johnson Hall, (State Board of Higher Education)", Daily Emerald, 10/11/1955, 1, il.
• 1970s
  • "North parking opposed by planning committee," Daily Emerald, 02/27/1970, 4.
  • "Students take Johnson Hall; stay all night," Daily Emerald, 04/23/1970, 1.
  • "Strike declared, 61 arrested," Daily Emerald, 04/24/1970, 1.
  • "Two arrested for strike sit-in,"(Jeffrey Freed, Ralph Nussbaum)", Daily Emerald, 04/29/1970, 1.
  • "Conduct during sit-in debated," Daily Emerald, 05/01/1970, 6.
  • "Explosion jars Johnson Hall," Daily Emerald, 12/01/1970, 1.
  • "Bombing investigation finds dynamite used," Daily Emerald, 12/02/1970, 1.
  • "Johnson Hall, bank windows added to rock throwers list," Daily Emerald, 12/08/1970, 4.
  • "35 windows at Johnson Hall don screens," Daily Emerald, 01/19/1971, 1.
  • "Small fire damages Johnson Hall," Daily Emerald, 02/01/1971, 3.
  • "Glass broken near building," Daily Emerald, 05/02/1972, 5.
  • "Bids set to reopen, (bids for cooling system)", Daily Emerald, 05/15/1972, 4.
• 1990s
  • UO News & Views, 10 Oct. 1998.