Building Oregon
23710
Items
View all
- Alternative Title
- Mitchell Playhouse, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)
- Creator Display
- Edgar Marks Lazarus (architect, 1868-1939)
- Creator
- Date
- 1898
- Description
- National Register of Historic Places
- View
- exterior
- Temporal
- 1890-1899
- MODS Note
- From the National Register Nomination: Description: Alterations: 1899: added bowling alley; 1910: replaced floor, heating system, wiring; 1936: renovated for Horner Museum; 1951: Renovated for Mitchell Playhouse; 1990: condemned for use without major restoration; 1992 added handicapped ramp and elevator; 1992 restored The building was first remodeled in 1906 when the bowling alleys installed in 1899 were removed to provide space for locker rooms. In 1910 military activities were discontinued in the Center, so the building was remodeled again, including new wiring, installation of steam heating, a new floor in the main hall, and new locker rooms and bath facilities in the basement. More changes of the gym occurred in 1915 to remodel the center for the exclusive use of women. In 1936 the building was converted into museum space in both the main hall and the basement. In 1950 it was remodeled again, this time into a theater, including the addition of an auditorium, classrooms, and dressing rooms. The building remained largely unchanged until a major renovation in the early 1990s converted the space to a modern gymnasium. Landscape: The Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center site on the east side of OSU campus, just east of Valley Library. The land slopes dramatically from the building’s front to back. Setting: The building is on the east side of OSU’s main campus, in sector C. History: The Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center has served a variety of functions on the OSU campus since its construction in 1898. Appropriately named the Armory-Gymnasium Building, it was used for those activities, and was a social gathering point and center for O.A.C. commencement. In 1910 the new McAlexander Fieldhouse became the armory, so the Center was renamed the Gymnasium Building and served exclusively as a gym until 1927. When the men’s gym was completed in 1915, the Center’s name changed to the Women’s Gymnasium and was used for gymnastics, basketball, and indoor baseball. The building’s names and uses continued to change. After the new Women’s Building was completed in 1927, the Center was used for Cadet Band practice, as well as concerts and assemblies. In 1936 the building was converted into the Museum Building, housing the Horner Collection. The Center was converted to a theater in 1951 and served in this capacity for forty years. As a theater, it was first called the College Playhouse and was renamed Mitchell Playhouse in 1961. In 1990 the building was condemned barring major restoration, leading to another remodeling in 1992. With this renovation, the building returned to its original use as a gym. It is called the Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center and houses the practice facility for the OSU women’s gymnastics team.
- Teague, Edward H. "Introducing Edgar Lazarus, The Architect of Vista House," Vista House Views, FOVH Newsletter, Spring 2011, p. 1-2, 7, 9, 10-11.
- Subject
- Work Type
- Location
- Rights Holder
- University of Oregon
- Identifier
- pna_11041
- Item Locator
- 726 AmO C81 60-2 01 ; 76 - 141
- Provenance
- Design Library, University of Oregon Libraries
- Citation
- National Register of Historic Places, http://www.nps.gov/nr/
- Oregon State University Historic District National Register Nomination, http://oregondigital.org/u?/archpnw,16894
- Newsome, Dan.
- OSU Archives Memorabilia Collection, Box 29 – Buildings – Mitchell Playhouse
- ear, McNeil, Schneider, Bloodworth, and Hawes. Feasibility Study For Mitchell Playhouse. Corvallis: Oregon State University, 1963.
- Mitchell Playhouse: Past, Present, and Future.” 1989.
- OSU Archives Memorabilia Collection, Box 29 – Buildings – Mitchell Playhouse Bear, McNeil, Schneider, Bloodworth, and Hawes. Feasibility Study For Mitchell Playhouse. Corvallis: Oregon State University, 1963.
- Binder, Doug. “Mitchell Playhouse to be renovated for gymnastics.” The Daily Barometer. 1991.* Newsome, Dan. “Mitchell Playhouse: Past, Present, and Future.” 1989.
- Binder, Doug. “Mitchell Playhouse to be renovated for gymnastics.” The Daily Barometer. 1991.
- Is Part Of
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon); Oregon State University Historic District (Corvallis, Oregon)
- Institution
- Conversion
- This image is derived from a master TIFF (3000 x 5000 pixel, 16 bit) created by scanning a 35m slide which remains as the archival artifact. Digital editing may have included cropping, color correction, and removal of dust, scratch, or other artifacts reproduced in the scanning process.
- Submission Date
- 04/22/2015
- Modified
- 08/11/2022
- Collections
- Building Oregon (open)
APA
Building Oregon, University of Oregon. (25 Apr 2024). Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon) Retrieved from https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67h3224
MLA
Building Oregon, University of Oregon. "Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)" Oregon Digital. 25 Apr 2024. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67h3224
Chicago
Building Oregon, University of Oregon. "Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)" Oregon Digital. Accessed 2024-04-25. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67h3224
Wiki
{{cite web | url= https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df67h3224 | title= Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center, Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon) |author= |accessdate= 2024-04-25 |publisher= }}
Please use the contact form to submit inquiries about this system; to report a problem you are experiencing with the system; to request assistance using the system; or to provide general feedback. See the Help page for additional information about this system.
Oregon Digital is a joint collaboration between the University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon State University Libraries & Press.
Oregon Digital hosts materials from both institutions, as well as collaborating partners.
Please use the following form to send us feedback: