Oregon School for the Blind

Last updated
Oregon School for the Blind
Howard Hall in 2015.JPG
Howard Hall, part of the Oregon School for the Blind, a week before demolition
Address
Oregon School for the Blind
700 Church Street SE

Salem
,
Marion County
,
Oregon
97301

United States
Coordinates 44°55′56″N123°02′14″W / 44.932342°N 123.037318°W / 44.932342; -123.037318 [1]
Information
Type public/blind
Established1872
Closed2009
GradesK-12
Number of students46 [2]

The Oregon School for the Blind (OSB), was a state-run public school in Salem, Oregon, United States, serving blind and vision impaired students of kindergarten through high school grades through residential, day school, and part-time enrollment programs. [3] [4] Opened in 1873, the school was operated by the Oregon Department of Education. The school's closure in 2009 had been the culmination of several years of contentious debate that continued after the closure when lawsuits were filed concerning the sale of the campus.

Contents

It was also known as the Oregon State School for the Blind (OSSB) and Oregon Institute for the Blind. [5]

History

Established in 1872 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly as the Institute for the Blind, the school was to provide free public education to blind children. [3] [4] The next year the school opened on February 26, and its first classes were held in a private home. [3] [4] In 1881, former Portland mayor Henry Failing donated land to build the school. [6]

In late 1911, a new pipe organ was installed on the campus at a cost of $2,000. The school's organist instructor T. S. Roberts gave the dedicatory recital on November 28. [7]

In 2005, by order of the state legislature, a study was begun on the potential benefit of moving the school to the Oregon School for the Deaf campus. [8]

The 2009 Oregon legislature eliminated funding for the OSB, with plans to sell the property. [9] OSB closed in July 2009 with the 8.33-acre (3.37 ha) site set to be put up for sale in May 2010. [9] [10] However, a group composed of opponents of the school closure and Failing's heirs are suing the State to prevent it from selling the property. [6] Salem Hospital, Willamette University, and Western Oregon University all expressed interest in acquiring the land. [11]

In March 2010, the legislature passed a law that allocated half the proceeds from the sale of the former school site to educating blind students in Oregon. [12] The other half of the funds are to go towards improvements at the Oregon School for the Deaf's campus. [12] [13] The law settled the lawsuits filed against the state from the descendants of the land donors, [13] and the campus was sold to Salem Hospital for $6 million in August 2010. [14]

Salem Hospital demolished the last remaining historic school building, the John V. Bennes-designed Howard Hall, in 2015. [15] [16]

Campus

Howard Hall served as the dormitory. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem, Oregon</span> Capital city of Oregon, United States

Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilsonville, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. It was founded as Boones Landing because of the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location; the community became Wilsonville in 1880. The city was incorporated in 1969 with a population of approximately 1,000. The population was 13,991 at the 2000 census, and grew to 19,509 as of 2010. Slightly more than 90% of residents at the 2000 census were white, with Hispanics comprising the largest minority group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamette University</span> Private university in Salem, Oregon

Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission. The name was changed to Wallamet University in 1852, followed by the current spelling in 1870. Willamette founded the first medical school and law school in the Pacific Northwest in the second half of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemawa Indian School</span> Public school in Salem, Marion County, Oregon, United States

Chemawa Indian School is a Native American boarding school in Salem, Oregon, United States. Named after the Chemawa band of the Kalapuya people of the Willamette Valley, it opened on February 25, 1880 as an elementary school. Grades were added and dropped, and it became a fully accredited high school in 1927, when lower grades were dropped. In 2005, it continued to serve ninth through twelfth grades. It is sometimes referred to as Chemawa High School. It has primarily served students of tribes from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corban University</span> Christian university in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

Corban University is a private Christian university in Salem, Oregon. There are about 1,200 full-time students enrolled on the Salem campus and 2,800 worldwide. Athletically, it is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

The Willamette University MBA (Atkinson) is the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of only two MBA programs in the world accredited for both Business Administration and Public Administration (NASPAA). Atkinson was established by Willamette in 1974 and has an enrollment of approximately 312 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon School for the Deaf</span> State (public) school in Salem, , Oregon, United States

Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) is a state-funded school in Salem, Oregon, United States. It serves deaf and hard of hearing students from kindergarten through high school, and up to 18 years of age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waller Hall</span> Building on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing the university's administrative offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark O. Hatfield Library</span> Library on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

The Mark O. Hatfield Library is the main library at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1986, it is a member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance along with several library lending networks, and is a designated Federal depository library. Willamette's original library was established in 1844, two years after the school was founded. The library was housed in Waller Hall before moving to its own building in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallie Ford Museum of Art</span> Museum on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus. Hallie Ford exhibits collections of both art and historical artifacts with a focus on Oregon related pieces of art and artists in the 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) facility. The museum also hosts various traveling exhibits in two of its six galleries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamette University College of Medicine</span>

Willamette University College of Medicine is a former school of medicine that was part of Willamette University. Founded in 1867 as the first medical school in Oregon, the school relocated between Portland and the main university campus in Salem several times. The school was merged with the University of Oregon's medical school in Portland in 1913. That school later became Oregon Health & Science University.

Salem-Keizer School District (24J) is a school district in the U.S. state of Oregon that serves the cities of Salem and Keizer. It is the second-largest school district in the state with approximately 40,000 students and nearly 4,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. It serves more than 172 square miles (450 km2) of Marion and Polk counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Civic Justice Center</span> Building on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several programs of Willamette University College of Law. Prior to the law school's moving into the facility in 2008, the building was used by the adjacent Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) from 1971 to 2006.

<i>Willamette Law Review</i> Academic journal

The Willamette Law Review is a law review academic journal published by Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1959 as a successor to an earlier publication, the triannual publication is housed in the Oregon Civic Justice Center. The journal is edited by students of the law school with oversight by the college's faculty. As of 2019, the Willamette Law Review has published a total of 55 volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willamette Bearcats</span> Athletic teams of Willamette University

The Willamette Bearcats are the athletic teams of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Competing at the non-scholarship National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III level, the school fields twenty teams. Most teams compete in the Northwest Conference with their primary rivals being Linfield College. The main athletic venues of the school are McCulloch Stadium, Cone Field House, and Roy S. "Spec" Keene Stadium. Willamette moved to the NCAA's Division III in 1998 after previously being a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institution. The 1993, men's basketball team won the school's only team national championship, while the 1997 football team lost in the national championship game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lausanne Hall</span> Building on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

Lausanne Hall is a college residence hall at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1920, the red-brick and stone-accented structure stands three stories tall along Winter Street on the western edge of the campus that was originally a residence for women only. The late Gothic Revival style building replaced a home that had also been used as a dormitory. This structure was moved to campus and originally was named as the Women's College before assuming the name of Lausanne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland University</span> Former private university in Portland, Oregon

Portland University was a private, Methodist post-secondary school in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1891 in a split from Willamette University, the school closed in 1900. The campus was located in what is now the University Park neighborhood and later became home of the University of Portland. The original campus building, West Hall, still stands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Bunn</span> American politician

Stan Bunn is an American politician and lawyer in the U.S. state of Oregon. Born and raised in Yamhill County, he is part of a political family that includes his brother Jim Bunn who served in Congress. A self-described moderate Republican, Stan served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, including a successful run for the Oregon House of Representatives while in law school in 1972. Later he served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1999 to 2003, in a political career spanning four decades. In non-elective offices, he was chairman of the state's ethics commission and on the Oregon Traffic Safety Commission between stints in the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Hall (Willamette University)</span> Building on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

Ford Hall is a four-story academic hall at Willamette University in Salem in the U.S. state of Oregon. Completed in 2009, the building houses classrooms, offices, and laboratories from several disciplines of the school's College of Liberal Arts. The 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m2) structure cost $16 million and earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification upon completion for environmentally friendly features and construction. Ford Hall is named in honor of Hallie Ford, who contributed $8 million towards construction of the building.

References

  1. ↑ "Oregon School for the Blind". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1993-09-01. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  2. ↑ "Per-Grade Statistics for Oregon School for The Blind". School Tree. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Oregon State School for the Blind". Salem Online History. Salem Public Library. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
  4. 1 2 3 "Special Education". Oregon Blue Book (Online). Oregon Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Oregon State School for the Blind (Salem, Oregon)". oregondigital.org. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Manning, Rob (August 21, 2009). "School For The Blind Supporters Trying New Legal Tactic". Oregon Public Broadcasting.
  7. ↑ "Blind Pupils Have Pipe Organ" (PDF). The Diapason . 3 (2): 1. January 1, 1912.
  8. ↑ Hays, Kevin (June 10, 2006). "State Seeks Comment on Combining Salem-Based Schools for Deaf, Blind". Salem-News.com. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  9. 1 2 Hammond, Betsy (June 10, 2009). "Vote closes Oregon School for the Blind". The Oregonian . Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  10. ↑ Lund-Muzikant, Diane (February 18, 2010). "Oregon School for the Blind is Going on the Market". The Lund Report. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  11. ↑ Liao, Ruth (February 23, 2010). "'For sale' sign might appear soon at Oregon School for the Blind". Statesman Journal . Retrieved 10 March 2010.[ dead link ]
  12. 1 2 Currie, Don (March 12, 2010). "Proceeds from school sale to help students". Statesman Journal . Retrieved 8 April 2010.[ dead link ]
  13. 1 2 "Clinic Students Help Win Favorable Decision for Oregon Schools". College of Law News. Willamette University College of Law. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  14. ↑ Jung, Helen (August 10, 2010). "Salem Hospital will pay $6 million for Oregon School for the Blind, plans parking lot for part of site". The Oregonian. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  15. ↑ Rose, Michael (September 4, 2014). "City's Howard Hall Demo Decision Appealed to State Board". Statesman Journal . Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  16. ↑ Soo, Saerom (February 6, 2015). "Howard Hall Demolition Begins". Statesman Journal. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Description of Campus". Oregon School for the Blind. 2005-10-25. Archived from the original on 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.