THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Deady Hall

Architect: William Piper. Builder: W. H. Abrams.

History

For almost ten years UO's only building, Deady Hall has housed many academic units and functions over the years.

• 1873. Construction begins on the university's first building. The problematic construction, plagued by insufficient funds, is covered in detail in Sheldon (see Bibliography).
• 1876.
  When"The Building" opened on October 16, 1876, UO's enrollment was 177 and faculty numbered five, including John Wesley Johnson, the first president. As Eugene had no high school, the student body included 98 students in the preparatory department (grade and high school), and 79 enrolled in college level courses.
• 1891-92. The building's corner urns and balustrade were removed when it was discovered they were rotting.
• 1893.
  The "Old Building" was named Deady Hall for Matthew Deady (1824-93), judge of the Territorial Supreme Court from 1853 to 1859. He also presided over the State Constitutional Convention in 1857. In 1859, Deady was appointed U.S. District Judge for Oregon. Deady served as president of UO's Board of Regents (1873-93). He compiled and annotated the General Laws of Oregon in 1866.
• 1914. Renovation converted Deady's original three stories into five.
• 1972. Villard Hall and Deady Hall are added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• 1977.
  Deady Hall and Villard Hall are designated National Historic Landmarks, among fewer than 2,500 places that bear this distinction. National Historic Landmarks possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.

Bibliography

• "Deady Hall," [electronic resource].  Data Pages and Photographs, Historic American Building Survey (June 1964). Accessed 10 Sept. 2004.

Books and Parts of Books

• "Deady Hall," in Style and Vernacular: A Guide to the Architecture of Lane County, Oregon. Portland: Western Imprints, 1983, p. 46.
• Castro, Ricardo L. Gaining historical immediacy: the clinical history of a place in the design process. Univ. of Oregon Dept. of Architecture Thesis, 1974
• Krause, LaVerne. Deady and Villard : Victorian architectural heritage at the University of Oregon : original prints / by Laverne Krause ; text by Marion Dean Ross. Portland [Or.] : Press, 1974
• Sheldon, Henry D. History of University of Oregon (Binford & Mort, 1940), pp. 28, 34, 38, 40, 49-50, 120.

Journal Articles

• Bleekman, George. "Hands on the Landmarks.: CRM: [bulletin] 18 no. 5 (1995):.18-23.
  Peting, Don. "Building Deady," in "The University of Oregon, 1876: A Commemorative Forum," Oregon Historical Quarterly 102 no. 4 (2001): 480-510.

Newspaper Articles

• 1873-1920
  • "Atmosphere in Deady still vilely polluted," Daily Emerald, 03/15/1911, 3
  • "New buildings will keep pace with growth, Dormitory Deady Hall and library now under-going repairs--ready soon", Daily Emerald, 09/19/1914, 1
  • "Deady Hall. Named for Mathew P. Deady," Daily Emerald, 10/17/1916, 3
  • 1920s
  • "Deady to be dedicated after fifty years of service to the University and its founders," Daily Emerald, 10/19/1926, 1
  • "Long-delayed dedication of Deady to take place at 10 Friday morning," Daily Emerald, 10/19/1926, 1
• 1930s
  • "Again I see in fancy. Dead Man's bones in Deady," Daily Emerald, 04/20/1935, 2
  • "Again I see in fancy. Marooned in Deady," Daily Emerald, 04/23/1935, 2
  • "Poem to Deady Hall written by first University student. Scott,"W. W. ("Billy")", Daily Emerald, 05/14/1935, 1
  • "WPA painters invade Deady," Daily Emerald, 01/21/1936, 1
  • "1876 wheat crop built first UO hall," Daily Emerald, 10/19/1938, 3
  • "Deady rooms soon to be modernized," Daily Emerald, 01/10/1939, 1
  • "Deady Hall ceilings painted pale green: lighting changed," Daily Emerald, 02/09/1939, 1
  • "Rooms modernized in oldest building on Oregon campus," Daily Emerald, 11/08/1939, 1
• 1940s
  • "Deady grows older, fuller," Daily Emerald, 05/08/1942, 6
• 1950s
  • "Deady hall has obstacle course as remodeling continues," Daily Emerald, 10/01/1951, 3
  • "Illustration, 1876", Daily Emerald, 11/02/1951, 1, il.
  • "Work suspended when bones found," Daily Emerald, 11/06/1951, 6
  • "New science building rises to replace vine-covered Deady," Daily Emerald, 11/29/1951, 6
  • "Business school moves into Deady," Daily Emerald, 04/04/1952, 1
  • "Deady to house Math following March completion," Daily Emerald, 09/30/1952, 3
  • "Only 3 floors planned for Deady," Daily Emerald, 10/17/1952, 1
  • "Mathematicians to enter Deady by Spring Term," Daily Emerald, 01/06/1953, 1
  • "Glass seal stored. Deady, Johnson halls remodeled," Daily Emerald, 03/12/1953, 8
  • "Math department moves to Deady," Daily Emerald, 04/10/1953, 6
  • "Deady Hall lives anew after plastic surgery," Daily Emerald, 04/21/1953, 2
• 1970s
  • "Deady and Villard halls honored today as historical landmarks," Daily Emerald, 05/19/1978, 3A
  • "Nation salutes historic halls," Daily Emerald, 05/22/1978, 1