With minimal fanfare, one of the oldest and most historic buildings on campus has been taken partially offline for an exterior renovation project. Surrounded by scaffolds and draped in tarps and screens, the exterior renovation of Gerlinger Hall started in June and will continue through the end of December.

The project is expected to cost around $4.4 million, according to Patrick Mucker, a project manager for the University of Oregon Campus Planning, Design & Construction department. While faculty and staff continue to use the building, no classes are scheduled there for the fall term.

The renovation project entails restoring the windows, brick and mortar; replacing deteriorated wood, gutters and downspouts; applying new paint and other miscellaneous exterior work. Although it has endured decades of weathering and normal wear-and-tear, the building has remained largely intact since its construction in 1921.

“It's an exciting project that will return Gerlinger Hall to its original 1920s appearance while repairing the exterior building envelope,” Mucker said. “All work is done in compliance with historical guidelines set forth by the U.S. Heritage Preservation Services.”

A beautiful example of classic Georgian architecture, the three-story building was named for the UO’s first woman regent, Irene Hazard Gerlinger. It boasts an ornate alumni hall and lounge, a cavernous gymnasium, sunlit galleries and several large classrooms.

Gerlinger Hall, along with Susan Campbell Hall and Hendricks Hall — together, the Women’s Memorial Quadrangle Ensemble — was added to the National Register of Historic Places in October 1992.

— By Nathaniel Brown, Public Affairs Communications intern