The West University Neighborhood (WUN) is a neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon, United States immediately west of the University of Oregon. The neighborhood encompasses the area west from Kincaid Street to Willamette Street, and north from East 19th Avenue to Franklin Boulevard. [1] 97% of the residences in the neighborhood are renter-occupied. [2] The area has been known in the past as a site of several student riots, most notably in 1998, 2001 and 2002, and has also seen several beautification and improvement efforts over the years. [3] [4] [5]
The WUN neighborhood association was not active for nearly 10 years when it was reformed in 2003. [6] [7]
West University Park, designed in 1979 by students of the university's landscape architecture department and built by students and neighbors, was closed in 1995 because of problems with drug dealing and other crimes. [8] [9] Originally located in the center of the block on East 14th Avenue between Hilyard and Patterson, it is the only park in the 64-block neighborhood. [10] [11] It is also the only Eugene city park that has ever been closed. [10] Plans were made to reopen the park starting in 2007, and it reopened in May 2009 in a slightly different location. [10] [12] A land swap with a property owner adjacent to the park allowed it to be moved to the corner of 14th and Hilyard, which provides better visibility for law enforcement. [11]
In order to increase safety in the area, WUN is one of four neighborhoods in the city that has a public safety station staffed by the Eugene Police Department. [13]
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles (80 km) east of the Oregon Coast.
The University of Oregon is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the university also has a satellite campus in Portland; a marine station, called the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, in Charleston; and an observatory, called Pine Mountain Observatory, in Central Oregon.
The Lane Transit District (LTD) is a public agency that provides public transportation in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The transit district serves the Eugene and Springfield metropolitan areas, including the neighboring cities of Coburg, Junction City, Creswell, Cottage Grove, Veneta, and Lowell. LTD began service in 1970 with 18 buses and two vans, and today carries roughly 10.5 million customers annually with a fleet of 111 buses. Many of LTD's riders are students; University of Oregon and Lane Community College students ride by simply showing their student I.D. Student fees subsidize both programs, as well as limited late-night service until about 1 a.m. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 5,572,300, or about 19,600 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2022.
The Daily Emerald is the independent, student-run weekly newspaper produced at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Its predecessor, the Oregon Daily Emerald newspaper, founded in 1899, trained many prominent writers and journalists and made important contributions to journalism case law. Currently, the Daily Emerald publishes a weekly newspaper on Mondays.
The campus of the University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon and includes some 80 buildings and facilities, including athletics facilities such as Hayward Field, which was the site of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials, and McArthur Court, and off-campus sites such as nearby Autzen Stadium and the Riverfront Research Park. An online guide to the university's built environment, Architecture of the University of Oregon, published by the University of Oregon Libraries, describes campus buildings and provides timelines of key architectural events linked with campus history.
The MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building is the home of the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The building was originally built in 1924, expanded in 1948, 1955, and 1977, and was renamed after MarAbel B. Frohnmayer in 2005.
PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. The Ducks' program was revived in 2009 after nearly three decades as a club sport.
The University of Oregon College of Design is a public college of architecture and visual arts in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1914 by Ellis F. Lawrence, the college is located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, off the corner of 13th and University streets, and also has programs at the historic White Stag Block in Portland, Oregon.
The Oregon Ducks baseball team represents the University of Oregon in NCAA Division I college baseball in the Pac-12 Conference. The home games are played on campus at PK Park.
Southeast is the southernmost neighborhood of Eugene, Oregon, United States. As defined by the City of Eugene, this neighborhood:
The Eugene Public Library is a municipal public library in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It has been in four different buildings since 1898.
Jefferson Westside is a neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
The Global Scholars Hall (GSH) is a building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. Opened in Fall 2012, the 185,000 square foot building serves as an undergraduate residence hall, dining facility, library, classroom, and performing arts complex. The construction of GSH was funded mostly by state bonds and student housing fees.
The Pioneer is a thirteen-foot-tall bronze sculpture formerly located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was the artistic work of Alexander Phimister Proctor, commissioned by Joseph Nathan Teal, a Portland attorney. A ceremony celebrated its unveiling on May 22, 1919. It included attendance from persons all across the state, the majority of enrolled students, and a special section of the crowd was reserved for the remaining settlers. T. G. Hendricks and his granddaughter removed the canvas cover, unveiling the statue. As of June 13th, 2020 the statue is no longer standing on the University of Oregon campus.
Gerlinger Hall is a historic building on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon as part of the Women's Memorial Quadrangle. For the first time, enough women were attending the University that they could occupy their own full quadrangle.
The Eugene millrace was once an integral part of life for many Eugene residents and University students. It contributed to the industrial beginnings of the city and as the site of some of the University of Oregon’s traditions.
The Erb Memorial Union (EMU) is the student union building of the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
Collier House is a historic landmark building located in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1886 by George Collier, a physics and chemistry professor at the University of Oregon, and his two sons to his own design. It was originally built as his residence but was sold to the university in 1893, when it joined Deady and Villard halls as the third building on the fledgling campus. It lies on the corner of University Street and 13th Avenue.
Eugene has a long history of community activism, civil unrest, and protest activity. Eugene's cultural status as a place for alternative thought grew along with the University of Oregon in the turbulent 1960s, and its reputation as an outsider's locale grew with the numerous anarchist protests in the late 1990s. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city was called a "cradle to [the] latest generation of anarchist protesters." Occupy Eugene was home to one of the nation's longest-lasting Occupy protests in 2011, with the last protestor leaving the initial Occupy camp on December 27, 2011. The city received national attention during the summer of 2020, after Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murder of George Floyd grew violent.
The Mims House in Eugene, Oregon is a Gothic-style, single-family home considered to be one of the oldest homes in the area. It is known for being the home of the Mims family, who became one of the first African American homeowners in Eugene when they purchased it in 1948. During the period of racial segregation in Eugene, the Mims family frequently hosted African American visitors to Eugene both at their home and in the adjoining boarding house which they owned. The building is a Historic Landmark located within the East Skinner Butte Historic District. As of 2021, the Eugene-Springfield branch of the NAACP is located in the Mims House, although the home also operates as a museum.