Guide to the Marion Dean Ross Papers
1954-1990

Print this Finding Aid | Email this Finding Aid

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Ross, Marion Dean
Title: Marion Dean Ross Papers
Dates: 1954-1990 ( inclusive )
Quantity: 22 linear feet (16 containers)
Collection Number: Coll. 231
Summary: Marion Dean Ross started teaching in the Art History department at the University of Oregon in 1947. When the art history department was established in 1963, Ross became the first chairman of the department. Outside of the university, Ross participated in architectural and historic preservation organizations. He was a founding member of the Society for Architectural Historians. For thirteen years, Ross served on the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation. He retired from the University of Oregon in 1978. Upon his death in 1991, Ross left a one million dollar endowment for library material acquisitions and the construction of the Architectural and Allied Arts Library at the University of Oregon. The majority of the collection consists of materials regarding architects, regional architecture, and specific buildings. A large amount of material relates to Oregon architecture, with an emphasis on Portland and Eugene.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

Languages: Collection materials written in English. 
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical Note

Born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania in 1913, Marion Dean Ross was educated at Pennsylvania State and Harvard University. He received a B.S. in architecture in 1935 at Penn State, studied at the Universidad Nacional in Mexico, and earned a Master of Architecture degree at Harvard in 1937. Ross studied later at Harvard during summer sessions of 1938, 1940, and 1948.

Starting in 1937, Ross taught architectural history and design at Tulane University. In 1946, Ross taught at Pennsylvania State College. In 1947, Ross started teaching in the Art History department at the University of Oregon. When the art history department was established in 1963, Ross became the first chairman of the department. In 1962-63, Ross filled the position of acting Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. He retired from the University of Oregon in 1978.

Teaching the history of architecture, Ross taught a variety of classes including Latin American architecture, Islamic architecture, modern architecture, along with other subjects. His interests ranged from Victorian objects to landscape architecture. He was one of the first to critically study Oregon architecture and also taught a class on the subject.

Outside of the university, Ross participated in architectural and historic preservation organizations. His study of Oregon architecture helped in the creation of stylistic guidelines for the Oregon State Inventory of Historic Properties for the state preservation office. He was a founding member of the Society for Architectural Historians. For thirteen years, Ross served on the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation.

Influential in architectural history at the university, around the state and the nation, Ross’ was remembered after his death in April 2, 1991 as an important figure in the study of architectural history and historic preservation. He left a one million dollar endowment for library material acquisitions and the construction of the Architectural and Allied Arts Library at the University of Oregon. The AAA library reading room was named the “Marion D. Ross Reading Room” on April 27, 1991 during the dedication of completed renovation of Lawrence Hall.

Sources: “Marion Ross.” Biographical Information Files, UA Ref 2, Box 6, University Archives, Special Collections and University Archives.

Sources: “Review,” School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Spring, 1991. University Publications Files, Box 2, University Archives, Special Collections and University Archives.

Content Description

The Marion Dean Ross collection is arranged by subject. The majority of the collection consists of materials regarding architects, regional architecture, and specific buildings. A large amount of material relates to Oregon architecture, with an emphasis on Portland and Eugene. The material for each subject includes newspaper clippings, photographs, brochures, maps, notes and other items. Located at the end of the collection is a section on architectural and historic preservation organizations, which includes newsletters and other publications produced by the specified organization.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access :  

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use :  

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation :  

[Identification of item], Marion Dean Ross Papers, Coll. 231, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Administrative Information

Arrangement :

Collection is organized into the following series: Series I. Architects; Series II. Architecture; Series III. Organizations.

Acquisition Information :  

Gift of Marian C. Donnelly in 1992.


Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Inventory
Container(s)
box
folder
1 1

^ Return to Top

Series I:  Architects
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
1 2 General
1 3 California
1 4 Eugene – Rosters
1 5 Washington State
1 6 Bailey, Van Evera
1 7 Bebb, Charles Herbert
Belluschi, Pietro
Box
Folder
1 8 Churches
1 9 Lecture by Marion Dean Ross February 7, 1984
1 10-12 Miscellaneous
1 13 Broome, Oringdulph, O’Toole, Rudolf, Boles, & Associates
1 14 Burton, E. M.
1 15 Carkin, J. Warren
1 16 Clark, Frank C.
1 17 Crutcher, Lewis
1 18 Dougan, Lee L. (and Firm)
1 19 Doyle, Albert E. (and Firm)
1 20 Edmundson, Kochendoerfer, and Kennedy
1 21 Feig, Elmer
1 22 Gilson, Lloyd
1 23 Gould, Carl F.
1 24 Hacker, Thom
1 25 Hallock, Absolom B.
1 26 Hefty, Henry
1 27 Heide, August Franklin
1 28 Hunter and Shute
1 29 Jacobberger, Francis E.
1 30 Kleeman, Otto
1 31 Knighton, William C.
1 32 Krumbein, Justus
1 33 Lawrence, Ellis F.
1 34 Lazarus, Edgar
1 35 Lewis, David C.
1 36 Linde, Carl A.
1 37 Lutes and Amunson
1 38 Martin, Will
1 39 McCaw, Martin, White
1 40 McMath, George A.
1 41 Mitchell Associates
1 42 Neer, Delos D.
1 43 Nevius
1 44 Parker, Jamieson
1 45 Piper, W. W.
1 46 Pipes, Wade
1 47 Purcell, William Gray
1 48 Rae, George
1 49 Rosenberg, Louis Conrad
1 50 Schact, Emil
1 51 Schwartz, George
1 52 Sherwin, Joseph
1 53 Stanton, Glenn
1 54 Stewart and Richardson
1 55 Storey, Ellsworth Prime
1 56 Storrs, John
1 57 Sundeleaf, Richard
2 1 Thompson, Lewis Irvine
2 2 Tourtellotte, John E.
2 3 Unruh, Richard Lee
2 4 Waechter, H. H.
2 5 Whitney, Harrison A.
2 6 Whidden, and Lewis
2 7 Whitehouse, Morris H.
2 8 Wilen, Stephen
2 9 Willcox, W. R. B.
2 10 Williams, W. H.
2 11 Wolff Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
2 12 Yeon, John

^ Return to Top

Series II:  Architecture
Container(s)
Description
Box
Folder
2 13 Afghanistan
2 14 Africa
2 15 Algeria
2 16 Arabia
2 17 Arctic Regions
2 18 Asia
2 19 Bulgaria
2 20 Cambodia
2 21 Canada
2 22 Ethiopia
2 23 Europe
2 24 Iraq (Mesopotamia)
2 25 North and South America
2 26 Pakistan
2 27 Palestine
2 28 Siam (Thailand)
2 29 Singapore
2 30-31 Switzerland
United States
Box
Folder
2 32 General
2 33 Maps, general
2 34 Alabama – Mobile
2 35 Arizona
2 36 Arkansas
California
Box
Folder
2 37 Los Angeles
2 38 Monterey – Carmel
2 39-40 San Diego
2 41 Colorado
2 42 Connecticut
2 43 Delaware – Newcastle
3 1 Florida
3 2 Georgia
3 3 Idaho
3 4 Illinois
3 5 Indiana
3 6 Iowa
3 7 Kansas
3 8 Kentucky
3 9 Louisiana - General
3 10 Louisiana - New Orleans
3 11 Maryland - General
3 12 Maryland - Annapolis
3 13 Massachusetts
3 14 Michigan
3 15 Minnesota
3 16 Mississippi
3 17 Missouri
3 18 Montana
3 19 Nebraska
3 20 New Hampshire
3 21 New Jersey
3 22 New Mexico - General
3 23 New Mexico - Santa Fe
3 24 New York
3 25 New York – World’s Fair, 1939
3 26 North Dakota
Ohio
Box
Folder
3 28 General
3 28 Cleveland
Oregon, General
Box
Folder
3 29 Barns, etc.
3 30 Bungalow architecture (mainly Oregon)
3 31 Centennial
3 32 Coos Bay Museum
3 33 Covered Bridges
3 34 Duniway, Abigail Scott
3 35 General information
3 36 Jacksonville, HABS
3 37 Landscape material
3 38 List of important buildings
3 39 Maps
3 40 Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene
3 41 Miscellaneous notes
4 1 Miscellaneous
4 2 Miscellaneous, 1988
4 3 Museum Lists
4 4 National Register Lists
4 5-7 National Register of Historic Places nomination forms, miscellaneous
4 8 Oregon architecture, bibliography
4 9 Oregon Historical Society
4 10 OSHHE, buildings of historic value
4 11 Photos – Boychuk
4 12 Photos – Lindsley Hall, in AAA
4 13 Portland AIA, honor awards
4 14 Article, “Oregon Architecture 100 Years Ago,” in Pacific Architect and Builder, vol. 65, no. 5, May 1959
4 15 A Century of Architecture in Oregon, 1859-1959
4 16 Southwest Oregon AIA Guide
Oregon, Places
Box
Folder
4 17 Adams
4 18 Albany
4 19 Antelope
4 20 Arlington
4 21 Arock
4 22-23 Ashland
4 24 Astoria
4 25 Aurora
4 26 Bar
4 27 Baker County
4 28 Bandon
4 29 Beaverton
4 30 Bellfoundation
4 31 Bend
4 32 Bethel
4 33 Bingham Springs
4 34 Birdseye House
4 35 Bohemia
4 36 Boston Mill
4 37 Brooks
4 38-39 Brownsville
4 40 Brunk Corner
4 41 Burns
4 42 Canby
4 43 Canyon City
5 1 Cape Blanco
5 2 Cascade Locks
5 3 Champoeg
5 4 Charleston
5 5 Clackamas County
5 6 Cloud Cap Inn
5 7 Coburg
5 8 Coos Bay
5 9 Cornucopia
5 10 Corvallis - General
5 11-12 Corvallis - Oregon State University
5 13 Cottage Grove
5 14 Cove
5 15 Crater Lake
5 16 Crown Point
5 17 Dallas (incl. Ellendale)
5 18 Days Creek
5 19 Dayton
5 20 Douglas County
5 21 Drain
5 22 Dufur
5 23 Dundee
5 24 Eagle Point
5 25 Elgin
5 26 Empire
Eugene
Box
Folder
5 27 Airport
5 28 Armory
5 29 Banks
5 30 Cemeteries (Pioneer and Masonic)
5 31 Churches
5 32 City Halls
5 33 Civic Center
5 34 Clippings, general
5 35 College Side Building
5 36 Commercial - General
5 37 Commercial - AxBilly Store
5 38 Commercial - Pacific Cooperative Poultry Producers Egg-Taking Station
5 39 Park Willamette Building
5 40 County Clerk’s Office
5 41 Courthouses
5 42 Emerald Canal/Mill Race
5 43 Eugene Conference Center/Hilton Hotel
5 44 Eugene Hotel
5 45 Eugene Performing Arts Center
5 46 Federal Building
5 47 Hospitals/Rest Homes
5 48 Hotels
Houses
Box
Folder
5 49 Destroyed
5 50 Old
5 51 Post WWII
5 52 Tours
5 53 Calkins House
5 54 Hall-Williams
5 55 Johnson, J. W., Dr.
5 56 Morse House
5 57 Peters/Wintermeier
5 58 Shelton-McMurphey
5 59 Kuchel & Dressel, 1859
6 1 Lane Community College
6 2 Library
6 3 Mall
6 4 Maps; lists of buildings
6 5 Masonic Building
6 6 Pamphlets
6 7 Parks
6 8 Pioneer Museum
6 9 Railway Stations
6 10 Schools
6 11 Theaters
University of Oregon
Box
Folder
6 12 General
6 13 A & AA
6 14 Campus Plan
6 15 Chiles Center
6 16 Deady hall
6 17 Deady and Villard Halls
6 18 Erb Memorial Union
6 19 Faculty Club/Collier House
6 20 Johnson Hall
6 21 Library
6 22-23 Museum of Art
6 24 Observatory
6 25 100th Anniversary
6 26 Places of special significance
6 27 President’s House
6 28 “A Quick Look Back”
6 29 75th Anniversary
6 30 Stadium/Dome
6 31 Villard Hall
6 32 Urban Renewal
6 33 Valley River Center
6 34 West University Neighborhood
6 35 Evans Creek
6 36 Forest Grove
6 37 Fort Hoskins
6 38 Fort Klamath
6 39 Fort Rains
6 40 Fort Sheridan
6 41 Fort Stevens
6 42 Fort Yamhill
6 43 Fossil
6 44 Fremont
6 45 French Glen
6 46 Gaston
6 47 Gay House (near Hopewell)
6 48 Gearhart
6 49 Gervais
6 50 Gladstone
6 51 Gold Hill
6 52 Grande Rhonde
6 53 Grants Pass
6 54 Halsey
6 55 Hardman (Morrow Couty)
6 56 Harrisburg
6 57 Heceta Head
6 58 Heppner
6 59 Hermiston
6 60 Hillsboro
6 61 Hood River
6 62 Hoskins
6 63 Hotlake Resort
6 64 Howell Prairie
6 65 Hyde Park (Washington County)
6 66 Island City (Union County)
6 67 Independence
Jacksonville
Box
Folder
6 68 Area Study
7 1 Article by Marion Dean Ross, “Jacksonville, An Oregon Gold-Rush Town,” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, XII, 4
7 2 Beekman Bank
7 3 Ben Drew Commission House
7 4 Boucher Photos
7 5 “Butcher Shop”
Churches
Box
Folder
7 6 General
7 7 Catholic Church
7 8 Methodist Church
7 9 Presbyterian Church
7 10 City Hall
7 11 Clippings
7 12 Commercial
7 13 Commercial, California Street
7 14 Correspondence
7 15 Courthouses
7 16 Democratic Times notes
7 17 Depot
7 18 Dowell Office
7 19 Drug Store
7 20 Fire Station
7 21 General notes
7 22 Highway Question
7 23 Historic District Boundary
7 24 Historic District Ordinance
7 25 W. Hoffman’s Memoirs
Houses
Box
Folder
7 26 General
7 27 Armstong House/Beekman House
7 28 Beall House
7 29 Beekman House
7 30 Britt House
7 31 Bybee House
7 32 Catholic Rectory
7 33 DeRoboam House
7 34 Dowell House
7 35 Helms House
7 36 Jackson House
7 37 McCully House
7 38 Muller House
7 39 Nunan House
7 40 Orth House
7 41 Prim House
7 42 Ross House
7 43 Wetterer House and Brewery
7 44 Insurance Record notes
7 45 O. Jacob’s Memoirs
7 46 Kahler Office
7 47 Kubli-Redman
7 48 F. Linn’s Memoirs
7 49 Livery Stables
7 50 Maps and Plans
7 51 Masonic Building
7 52 McCully – I.O.O.F.
7 53 Newspapers
7 54 Orth Building
7 55-56 Pamphlets
7 57 Post Office
7 58 Ryan’s Buildings
7 59 Schools
7 60 Table Rock Building
7 61 Telephone Building
7 62 United States Hotel
7 63 Views
7 64 Walk
7 65 Walling notes
7 66 West Shore
7 67 Moses Williams Dairy
7 68 Jefferson
7 69 John Day
7 70 Jordan Valley
7 71 Junction City
7 72 Kerby
7 73 King’s Valley
7 74 Klamath Falls
7 75 Lafayette
7 76 La Grande
7 77 Lake Oswego
8 1 Lane County
8 2 Lane County: List of Historic Buildings
8 3 Leaburg
8 4 Lehman Springs
8 5 Lincoln
8 6 Lorane
8 7 Mazama Lodge, Mount Hood
8 8 McMinnville
8 9 Meacham
8 10 Medford
8 11 Metolius
8 12 Milton Freewater
8 13 Milwaukie
8 14 Molalla
8 15 Monmouth
8 16 Monroe
8 17 Mount Angel
8 18-19 Mount Angel Abbey
8 20 Mt. Pleasant (near Oregon City)
8 21 Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church
8 22 Myrtle Point
8 23 Neakahnie
8 24 Newberg
8 25 Newport
8 26 Oakland
8 27 Oakville (Linn County)
8 28 Ontario
8 29 Oregon Caves
8 30 Oregon City
8 31 Paulina Lake I.O.O.F. Lodge
8 32 Pendleton
8 33 Peroria (Linn County)
8 34 Philomath
8 35 Phoenix
8 36 Pine Valley
8 37 Pleasant Grove
8 38 Pleasant Hill
8 39 Polk County
Portland
Box
Folder
8 40 General
8 41 Airport
8 42 Albertina Kerr Nursery
8 43 Albina
8 44 A.I.A, Awards
8 45 A.I.A., List of Important Buildings
8 46 Armory
8 47 Articles
8 47 A.I.A. Bulletin, Climate Control
8 48 Carey, Donald, “Portland: How Its Downtown Became the Lazarus of American Cities.” Architecture, v. 75, no. 7 (July 1986)
8 49 Croly, Arch. Rec., 1912
8 50 Holbrook, Stewart H. “The Portland Story”
8 51 Ross, Marion Dean, “125 Years of Building,” A.I.A.. Journal, June 1968
8 52 Ross, Marion Dean, National Trust
8 53 Art Museum
8 54 Artquake Jury
8 55 Auditorium
8 56 Bridges
8 57 Bus Tour for National Trust
8 58 Cemeteries
8 59 Centennial Exposition Buildings
Churches
Box
Folder
8 60 General
8 61 Ascension Chapel
8 62 Calvary Presbyterian (Old Church)
8 63 Evangelical United Brethren
8 64 First Baptist
8 65 First Christian Science
8 66 First Congregational
8 67 First Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran
8 68 First Methodist
8 69 First Presbyterian
9 1 First Unitarian
9 2 Peace Lutheran
9 3 Precious Blood (Monastery)
9 4 St. James Lutheran
9 5 St. John’s Episcopal (Milwaukie)
9 6 St. Lawrence Catholic Church
9 7 St. Mark’s Episcopal
9 8 St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
9 9 Sixth Christian Science
9 10 Trinity Episcopal
9 11 Westminster Prebyterian
9 12 City Hall
9 13 Civic Center
Commercial
Box
Folder
9 14 General
9 15 Ainsworth Building
9 16 American Bank Building
9 17 Auditorium Building
9 18 Ballou and Wright Building
9 19 Bank of California
9 20 Benj. Franklin
9 21 Berg Store
9 22 Bishop’s House
9 23 Blagen Building
9 24 Blue Cross Building
9 25 Boise Cascade Building
9 26 Cadillac Fairview Development
9 27 Chamber of Commerce
9 28 Clackamas Center
9 29 Corbett Building
9 30 Dekum Building
9 31 Delschneider Building
9 32 Destroyed Buildings
9 33 Doerncecher Building
9 34 Duniway Center
9 35 East End Building
9 36 Equitable Building
9 37 Esco Corp., Administration Building
9 38 Exchange Building
9 39 Failing Building
9 40 First National Bank
9 41 Gadsby’s Building (demolished 1955)
9 42 Georgia Pacific Building
9 43 Gevurtz Building
9 44 Gill Building
9 45 Goudnough Building