Historic Resource Survey Form : Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

6 pagesThe University of Oregon’s Museum of Art was constructed in 1930 for the purpose of housing Gertrude Warner’s collection of Asian art and antiquities as well as the Condon fossil collection (now stored in the Museum of Natural History). Beginning in 1925, funds for the construction were raised by public subscription. Work was delayed and the design, originally a 3-winged plan, was changed due to the Great Crash of 1929. The building has been surrounded by controversy ever since its construction. Gertrude Warner initially refused to allow her collection to be housed in the new museum, citing security concerns. Other controversies have included cost over-runs, design disagreements (the original Lawrence plan was for 3 wings instead of 1), and the effects and benefits of the 2004 rehab and expansion work. The Museum of Art was the work of Ellis Lawrence. Stylistically it is difficult to classify due to the various opinions and unique characteristics. Marion Dean Ross, the University of Oregon’s eminent architectural historian, noted Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic, Eclectic, and Modernistic influences. This survey follows the assessment given in the Lawrence Survey of 1989 with the classification of “Exotic.” Lawrence’s use of materials and modern mechanical systems was commented on favorably by Frank Lloyd Wright during that great architect’s visit to Eugene