Historic Resource Survey Form : Cascade East Annex Wing

5 pagesThis building was designed by Ellis Lawrence and was one of the last of his buildings to be built in his lifetime. It cost the University of Oregon approximately $50,000 by the time it was completed in May 1946. It closely resembles the adjacent Cascade Annex West. At the time of construction, its dimensions and massing mirrored Cascade Annex West, although a few feet longer extending to the south. Drawings from 1952 show this length differentiation but later drawings show them the same length. Documentation of the exact date of this change is inconclusive. It is a simple rectangular poured concrete building with a rough stucco finish and multi-pane metal windows. It is devoid of any detailing except two parallel grooves in the concrete that form a cornice line. It is utilitarian in design, built to house the paint, electrical, mechanical and carpentry shops, which, at the time, had been housed in various temporary structures on campus. The original floor plans show the building subdivided into four sections for theses shops with only three interior east-west walls. A variety of interior modifications were made when the Museum of Natural History and the Herbarium, moved into this building in 1955, then called the Anthropology-Museum building. By 1987, the interior space had been heavily subdivided into smaller offices. In 1961, the Onyx Bridge was built on top of it. The Museum of Natural History was housed in the central and southern half of it until 1987, when this portion was razed to clear the site for the construction of Cascade. Currently, this building sits dwarfed by the Onyx Bridge and connected to Cascade Annex West on the southwestern corner. There is an asphalt parking lot along the north side, a loading dock on the west side, minimal landscaping of trees and grass on the east side, a large bicycle cage on the southeastern corner and a concrete sidewalk along the south side. It is sited adjacent to the Science Courtyard on the southeast corner. This building lacks integrity for listing on the National Register because Onyx Bridge was built on top of the annex, 60% was razed, and interior modifications over time have greatly diminished the existing historic fabric. It has been ranked as a non-contributing resource for its very low significance to the campus and poor integrity. NATIONA