The Building: From Shackdom to StardomFrom the inception of the journalism program at Oregon in 1912 until the completion of its present quarters in Eric W. Allen Hall in 1954, journalism students and faculty had to put up with quite a few inconveniences. Among these: a vibrating building, a near-catastrophic fire, portable quarters shared with several other interests on campus, and an era referred to by alumni as "shackdom."
When Eric W. Allen came to the Oregon campus in 1912 to direct the infant journalism program, three rooms were cleared out adjoining the chemistry department on the first floor of McClure Hall to house it. McClure Hall, the original building on the site of today's Allen Hall, was named after an early professor of chemistry, Edgar McClure, who was killed in a climbing accident on Mt. Rainier in 1897. Although McClure Hall was an impressive, three-story structure from the outside, inside it was little more than a shack. |
In fact, the building was so shaky that whenever the printing department, located on the first floor in those days, had a job to run, any delicate chemistry experiments had to be postponed due to the vibration of the printing press. By 1913, however, chemistry had yielded most of the ground floor to journalism and University Printing.
Around 1920, a converted, one-story residence was moved onto campus just east of McClure Hall to house the
growing journalism program. In additionto expanded room for journalism classes and faculty offices, the building housed the editorial offices of the Oregon Emerald. Students in those early days had to put up with cramped quarters, roughhewn furniture, and already obsolete typewriters. For years to follow, this building was affectionately referred to simply as the "shack." Continue on the next page
Around 1920, a converted, one-story residence was moved onto campus just east of McClure Hall to house the
growing journalism program. In additionto expanded room for journalism classes and faculty offices, the building housed the editorial offices of the Oregon Emerald. Students in those early days had to put up with cramped quarters, roughhewn furniture, and already obsolete typewriters. For years to follow, this building was affectionately referred to simply as the "shack." Continue on the next page