NORMAN —
The University of Oklahoma’s College of Architecture is finally housed under one roof.
The university hosted a dedication ceremony Wednesday morning for the new Gould Hall, 830 Van Vleet Oval. The new building — with more than 107,000 square feet — replaced the old Gould Hall, the former home of OU’s petroleum geology program.
“There was a joke that if a tornado would hit anything on campus, let it be here,” OU President David Boren quipped of the old building.
The new Gould Hall is the first building to house all five disciplines within the college: architecture, construction science, interior design, landscape architecture and regional and city planning.
The building opened for classes during the summer. Much of the college operated in former retail space in the 500 block of West Main Street while construction took place.
The three-year, $33 million project was financed largely by bond issues that were approved by OU regents.
“This was built with bond money at a time our economy was very tight,” College of Architecture Dean Charles Graham said. “Students are the winners in this investment.”
OU senior Lynnsee Turner told Boren and college supporters that the new Gould Hall will empower students.
“The College of Architecture has entered a new phase that has already affected a change in the culture,” Turner said. “You have brought a breath of fresh air to our classrooms and our studio spaces.”
Boren said he wanted construction to go forward because of the college’s importance to its students and the state.
Boren said graduates from various programs within the college will “rejuvenate smaller communities in our state” and prevent urban sprawl in larger cities with better planning.
He also said the concepts of architecture, construction science and interior design taught at OU will preserve the aesthetics from the past, while creating the best buildings, design and space for the future.
Boren and Graham acknowledged the family of Haskell and Irene Lemon of Oklahoma City and Jane and Joe Buskuhl of Dallas.
The construction design division will be named in honor of Haskell and Irene Lemon for the family’s $3 million donation to the college.
The two-story vaulted gallery that will host exhibits, receptions and speaking events will be named the Buskuhl Gallery in honor of the longtime college supporters.
The Division of Interior Design was established in 1916 as a domestic art, and the first architecture classes started in 1922.
The School of Architecture separated from the College of Engineering in 1970 and became the College of Environmental Design. The name was changed to College of Architecture in 1984.
James S. Tyree 366-3541 jtyree@normantranscript.com
