The MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building is the home of the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

 in Eugene

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

, Oregon. The building was originally built in 1924, expanded in 1948, 1955, and 1977, and was renamed after MarAbel B. Frohnmayer in 2005.

History

Construction on the original Music Building was started in 1922, with plans designed by Ellis F. Lawrence

Ellis F. Lawrence

Ellis Fuller Lawrence was an American architect who worked primarily in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1914, he helped found and was the first dean of the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts, a position he held until his death.Lawrence concurrently served as campus...

, head of the University's School of Architecture and Allied Arts

University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts

The University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts is a public school of architecture and visual arts in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the only school in Oregon to offer architecture degrees accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The school, founded in 1914 by...

 and University Architect. It was part of Lawrence's master plan for the University and the original building's architecture is highly reminiscent of that of the Memorial Quadrangle and the School of Education.

Beall Hall, at the northern end of the building, was the last part of the original structure completed. The building was finished in 1924, though the inscription over the entrance to Beall Hall on the west facade gives "AD 1921." Unlike other buildings on campus, which were built around the same time, the Music Building was funded by private capital, which the University repaid with interest in subsequent years. In 1948 and 1955, additional classrooms, offices, and practice rooms were added to the south part of the building, extending it to 18th Avenue. The 1977 addition included large rehearsal rooms and classrooms on the north side of Beall Hall, and an expansion of the student commons in the center of the building.

In 2005, the University announced the renaming of the building and a $15.2 million expansion and renovation. As of May 2007, construction is currently underway, and is expected to be completed by Fall 2008. Lorry I. Lokey

Lorry I. Lokey

Lorry I. Lokey is an American businessperson and philanthropist. A native of Portland, Oregon, he founded the company Business Wire in 1961 and has donated in excess of $400 million to charities, with the majority of the money given to schools...

, founder of Business Wire

Business Wire

Business Wire is a company that disseminates full-text news releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases and other audiences. The company distributes news via its own patented...

, is among the top benefactors.

Beall Concert Hall

Beall Concert Hall is located in the northern part of the Frohnmayer Music Building. It serves as the performance venue for the School of Music's many ensembles and bands, and is used for over 200 performances each year. During the summer, the hall is home to many Oregon Bach Festival

Oregon Bach Festival

The Oregon Bach Festival is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July. The artistic director is German organist and conductor Helmuth Rilling and the Executive Director is John Evans,...

 concerts. It contains a Jürgen Ahrend

Jürgen Ahrend

Jürgen Ahrend is a German organ builder famous for restoring instruments such as the Rysum organ and the Arp Schnitger organ in St. Jacobi, Hamburg as well as building original instruments...

 organ, which was completed in 1972. A bequest of Robert Vinton Beall, a 1897 graduate of the University, funded the organ and the hall was named in his honor in 1973. The architecture of Beall Concert Hall is reminiscent of the Boston Symphony Hall

Symphony Hall, Boston

Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...

, which was studied by Ellis F. Lawrence during his time as an architecture student in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

.

MarAbel B. Frohnmayer

MarAbel Braden Frohnmayer (16 January 1909 - 2003), the namesake of the Frohnmayer Music Building, graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in Music in 1932. She was a long-time supporter of the School of Music, and taught elementary and secondary school music classes in McMinnville

McMinnville, Oregon

McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...

, Merrill

Merrill, Oregon

Merrill is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The population was 897 at the 2000 census.Merrill is an agricultural area and home to an annual Potato Festival...

, and Medford

Medford, Oregon

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...

. Two of her children received degrees from the School of Music. Mira Frohnmayer (B.Mus. 1960) was Professor and Chair of Vocal Studies at Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. In September 2009, PLU had a student population of 3,582 and approximately 280 full-time faculty...

 and Philip Frohnmayer (M.Mus. 1972) is currently Professor and Chair of Vocal Studies at Loyola University New Orleans

Loyola University New Orleans

Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...

. Additionally, her son John Frohnmayer received his J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from the University of Oregon School of Law

University of Oregon School of Law

The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, on the corner of 15th and Agate streets,...

 in 1972, and was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...

 from 1989 to 1992. Her oldest son, David B. Frohnmayer

David B. Frohnmayer

Dave Frohnmayer was the 15th President of the University of Oregon. He was appointed president on July 1, 1994. His last day as president was June 30, 2009. His tenure as president is the second-longest after John Wesley Johnson. He is the first native of the U.S. state of Oregon to run the...

, was president of the University of Oregon between 1994 and 2009.

External links

• University of Oregon School of Music and Dance - Home
• University of Oregon School of Music and Dance - Capital Project brochure