Memorial Union (Oregon State University)

The Memorial Union is the student activity center at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. It contains a ballroom, cafeteria, bowling alley, shops, and study areas. It was designed by Oregon Agricultural College graduate Lee Arden Thomas.HistoryThe idea to build the Memorial Union building originally came from veterans Warren Daigh and Tony Schille, Oregon State students. Their vision was that the building would be in commemoration of their fellow soldiers who had been killed in the line of duty during WWI. Groundbreaking occurred March 3, 1926 Construction was funded by contributions from past and present students. The building was officially dedicated by Judge James K. Weatherford, chair of the OAC Board of Regents. Thomas, the building's architect, was an alumnus based in Portland. Memorial Union opened to the public on June 1, 1928. It is of Neoclassical design, with an exterior built mainly with red-colored bricks with white granite accents including a dome in the center. The MU is the smallest union building in the PAC 12, and the oldest.The building is one of the few OSU buildings of that era not attributed to John Bennes, and has been described as "one of the finest examples of neoclassic architecture in Oregon." It has been "known to generations of Oregon Staters as simply the MU", and "was built in 1927-28 as a monument to those who have given their lives in defense of the nation, as well as a center for student life on campus."