Waller Hall

Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing the university's administrative offices.

Built in the Renaissance style of architecture, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The building has been gutted twice by fires with the interior rebuilt each time, and went through renovations in 1987 to 1989 and again in 2005.

Due to a variety of factors, including the deterioration of the main campus building dating from 1844 and the need for additional space, the university considered building a new building designed specifically for the university beginning in the 1850s. Then on October 3, 1860, the board of trustees for the school resolved to begin the process of building a new primary hall to be used by the university. Reverend Alvin F. Waller was placed in charge of the efforts to raise the funds needed for a building. However, this was unsuccessful and on November 19, 1862, the board again passed a resolution calling for a new structure and forming a committee of Waller, Gustavus Hines, Josiah Lamberson Parrish, J. Lamson, and John H. Moores to prepare plans.

On December 2, the trustees authorized subscriptions to be solicited and paid to Waller with a goal of $20,000. On May 20, 1863, the board met again and learned that $12,800 had been pledged and the board then set up a building committee of Waller, Hines, Moores, E.N. Cook, and Thomas Milton Gatch. It was mainly through the efforts of the Reverend Waller that the hall was built. Several designs were then considered for the new building, and on February 22, 1864, by a vote of 16 to 1 the board selected the final plan that called for a brick building with a stone foundation. The foundation was to rise to a level 3 feet (0.91 m) above the ground to prevent moisture from the ground seeping into the bricks.

Construction of the new building began in February 1864 with excavation of the basement. This was on the north section of Willamette's campus in downtown Salem. Then on July 24, the cornerstone of the building was laid into place in a ceremony. The President of the Board of Trustees, David Leslie, laid the cornerstone of the hall. This ceremony included a time capsule and a speech by Governor A. C. Gibbs.

All of the bricks used in the construction were fired on campus using clay excavated from the construction site in order to build the foundation. The builders ordered 500,000 bricks total for the construction project. Construction was completed in 1867 and the building was named University Hall. The school "marched" from the old school building to the new and began using it on October 21, 1867.

Total costs for the building were $40,000 at occupation with a need for approximately an additional $17,000 to finish and furnish the building. The building was first used for classrooms, a library, parlors, recitation rooms, and some physical education in the attic. Also in the early years the structure housed the chapel services of the school, and some temporary accommodations for students.

The old school building, the Oregon Institute, burned down in December 1872 leaving University Hall as the only building on campus. As a result, all departments were housed in the building including the College of Law from 1884 to 1923 when it moved to Eaton Hall and the Medical School from 1867 until 1880 when it moved to Portland. University Hall remained the only permanent campus building from 1872 when the Oregon Institute building burned down until 1906 when the Medical Building (now Art Building) was built. Other school buildings such as the first Lausanne Hall were located off campus.