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Spokane Health Sciences Building opens with state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories

The $39 million, 145,000 square-foot Health Science Building was the third building opened on the WSU Spokane campus and houses pharmacy, speech and hearing sciences, exercise science, health policy and administration, and food sciences and human nutrition. Other WSU programs inside include the Health Research and Education Center, Area Health Education Center, Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training (WIMIRT), and the Institutional Review Board-Spokane.

Eastern Washington University programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and dental hygiene are also housed here.  The Health Science Building adds to Spokane’s status as an important regional medical community, the largest between Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

 

Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education opens

The Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE), a $32 million, five-story, 94,000 square-foot building, opened in early 2002 as a hub for student-centered and active learning.  The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, the WSU Writing Program, General Education Program, and the Student Computing Services Lab are all housed in the building along with 20 classrooms of various sizes.  The building was named for WSU’s eighth President, Samuel H. Smith, who served from 1989-2000.

 

Herbert Eastlick passes away at 94

Herbert Eastlick, a devoted mentor and self-described “taskmaster and autocrat in the classroom” who taught at WSU for 33 years, passed from complications to Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 94.  Eastlick came to then-WSC in 1940 as an assistant professor in zoology from the University of Chicago where he earlier became acquaintances with President Holland.  He was chairman of the Department of Zoology from 1947 to 1964 and chaired the Faculty Executive Committee in 1955-56.

He also helped create WSU’s nationally ranked Honors Program and presented the University’s eighth Faculty Invited Address on his research in 1961. In 1979 the new Eastlick Biological Sciences Building was dedicated in honor of the Herbert and his wife Margaret Eastlick.

 

WSU Regents rename two buildings

The WSU Regents renamed two Pullman campus buildings. Wilson Hall became Wilson-Short Hall, honoring James F. Short, Jr., influential WSU sociology professor. This building was first named for James Wilson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1897 to 1913. The Plant Biosciences Facility I, part of a multi-building bioscience complex, became the Orville A. Vogel Plant Biosciences Building, named for one of WSU’s great agricultural researchers and wheat breeders.

 

 

Construction begins on Plant Biosciences Building

Construction began on the new Plant Biosciences Building, the first of several new buildings that will create a new research and education complex along Stadium Way. The building was dedicated on October 14, 2005 and named for wheat researcher Orville Vogel in 2007.

 

 

WSU dedicates McEachern Hall in honor of former Regent Robert and his wife Margaret McEachern

WSU dedicates McEachern Hall in honor of former Regent Robert and his wife Margaret McEachern, both long-time benefactors and alumni. McEachern Hall was originally known as the Graduate Residence Center and was built in the early 1970s.

Roger and Margaret McEachern at McEachern Hall dedication.
Roger and Margaret McEachern at McEachern Hall dedication.

Washington Mutual Bank donates a former Union Pacific train depot in downtown Pullman to WSU.

Washington Mutual Bank donates a former Union Pacific train depot in downtown Pullman to WSU. As the Cougar Depot, it opens on July 13, 1988 as home to the athletic ticket office, visitor center, and community meeting facility. In 2014, the Brelsford Visitor Center opens and the Cougar Depot is sold to Umpqua Bank.

Union Pacific Railroad Depot (Cougar Depot)
Union Pacific Railroad Depot (Cougar Depot)

WSU dedicates science building to James H. Hulbert, 50-year advocate of Washington agriculture and WSU.

Agricultural Science Phase II Building, built in 1971, is dedicated to former Regent, Skagit County farmer, and 50-year advocate of state agriculture and WSU, James H. Hulbert.

James H. Hulbert
James H. Hulbert
Agricultural Science Phase II (now Hulbert Hall) shortly after construction in 1972
Agricultural Science Phase II (now Hulbert Hall) shortly after construction in 1972
Dedication of James H Hulbert Agricultural Sciences Building
Dedication of James H Hulbert Agricultural Sciences Building

The college names Bryan Hall library and auditorium

Though originally dedicated on June 9, 1909, a 1916 naming ceremony honors the presidential contributions of E.A. Bryan, who led the college from 1893 to 1915. Designed by respected Spokane architect J. K. Dow and built in 1908 and 1909, the highly eclectic building was is not dominated by a single architectural style. The broad bracketed eaves and the round arched windows link it with the Italianate Style. The tall clock tower is related to the Italian Campanile. The elaborate bracketing under the eaves may have resulted from an oriental inspiration.

First commencement held at Beasley Coliseum

The recently constructed Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum opened for hosting the 1973 commencement ceremonies. In previous years, commencement ceremonies had been held either in Bohler Gym or, weather permitting, at Rogers Field (now Martin Stadium).

 

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The Administration Building opens

The dedication of the Administration Building, known today as Thompson Hall, serves as a tangible sign of the college’s growth under President Bryan’s leadership. The regents describe the building as ”an excellent piece of work and one that in point of convenience, strength, and architectural beauty compares with any state building.” Built with granite quarried from Spokane and brick from clay deposits near Stevens Hall, the building’s two large contrasting towers make it one of the campus’s most distinctive landmarks.

 

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Frances Penrose Owen named to the Board of Regents

Frances Penrose Owen is the first women named to the Board of Regents, she served for 18 years and was twice elected president. The Owen Science and Engineering Library is named in her honor. Owen was a life-long community volunteer, serving the boards of both the Seattle Childrens Hospital and the Seattle School Board. In 1990, Owen receives the Medal of Merit, the state’s highest award.  Frances Penrose Owen passed away on March 9, 2002 in Seattle.  She was 102.masc-ua333b82f04_undated1

Home Ec building opens

The building opens with “all the latest in equipment.” Later it’s renamed White Hall in honor of Mary Elmina White, who served  33 years as a WSC cooperative extension leader. In 2000, White Hall is remodeled to include a 117-student, 67-room dormitory area for Honors Program students. White Hall is renamed Honors Hall in fall semester 2001.

The building covers a part of one of the university’s most significant open spaces, the original walk to Thompson Hall (former Old Administration Building) from Reaney Park. The brick building mass is symmetrically balanced, making a cross formation with the central section protruding on the east/west axis. The overall style of the building is Georgian Revival, which creates an elegant architectural statement.

 

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