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West Hall

From Our Past

August 18, 2013

waldschmidt150August 24, 1891 marked the cornerstone dedication of West Hall, home of the Methodist-sponsored Portland University. West Hall, now renamed Waldschmidt Hall, was a five-story multi-purpose structure in “Richardsonian Romanesque” style designed for classrooms, offices, dining and dormitory living. The architects, McCraw, Martin and White, were influenced by the nationally-known architect, H.H. Richardson, and possibly patterned the structure as a simplified version of Sever Hall at Harvard. A Portland architectural commission eventually designated the building an historical landmark in the 1960s. It was red brick with ground floor masonry of random coursed grey stone, approximately 85 by 135 feet, with two projecting bays in front and one in the rear. The chapel, dining hall and kitchen occupied the first floor, while the second floor contained classrooms, offices, and library. The third and fourth floors were used for dormitory purposes with the fifth or attic floor serving eventually as a small game room and scientific laboratory-museum. Methodist Bishop Oscar P. Fitzgerald laid the cornerstone on August 24, 1891, and the construction cost of the building was $32,500, according to the Report of the Oregon Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in August 1892. One of the University’s great iconic structures, West Hall was completely refurbished in 1991-1992 and renamed in honor of Rev. Paul Waldschmidt, C.S.C., who served as president of the University from 1962 to 1978.

For more University history see the University Almanac at www.up.edu/almanac.

Filed Under: 08-19-2013, From Our Past Tagged With: Rev. Paul Waldschmidt C.S.C., Waldshmidt Hall, West Hall

From Our Past

June 10, 2013

aerialJune 8, 1911 saw the groundbreaking for Christie Hall, named for Archbishop Alexander Christie of the Portland Archdiocese, founder of Columbia University (renamed the University of Portland in 1935). When the campus property purchased in 1901 from the University Land Company, the terms called for the construction within ten years of a major building. A huge athletic field house had been built in 1903, large enough for indoor track meets and even baseball games, but Christie Hall would be the building which officially satisfied the terms of the sale. The archbishop himself turned the first shovelful of earth, and photographs show him, shovel in hand, towering above the gathered boys and faculty. Aerial photographs from the time show West (now Waldschmidt) Hall, Christie Hall, and the Columbia Colosseum huddled together on the mostly blank campus; Christie and West Halls survive, but the colosseum, which was located roughly where Howard Hall and the Pilot House are now, collapsed during a winter storm in 1927.

For more history from this week, see the University of Portland Almanac at www.up.edu/almanac/.

Filed Under: 06-10-2013, Campus Services, From Our Past Tagged With: , Archbishop Alexander Christie, Christie Hall, Columbia Colosseum, Waldschmidt Hall, West Hall

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Natalie Nelson-Marsh, communication studies, participated as a panelist at the BizWomen Coalition Thought Leader Forum on January 26. Nelson-Marsh was invited as an expert to participate in the discussion of “Organizational Transformation – The Impact of COVID on the Future of Work.” Nelson-Marsh also attended a Western States Communication Association (WSCA) Teaching Workshop about “Preparing Students to Self-Advocate and Articulate the Value of Communication to Future Employers.”

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UPbeat is a newsletter for University of Portland faculty and staff published through the marketing & communications office; submit information to Marc Covert, upbeat editor, at 8132 or upbeat@up.edu. Submission deadline is noon the Thursday prior to publication. Submissions may be edited for clarity, consistency, brevity, or style.

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