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Furman Hall is a survivor.

The Oregon State University building, constructed on the Corvallis campus in 1902, was struck by two fires in the 1930s. Renovation work fixed the damage, but the resulting concrete rebuild was done a way that prevented the interior of the building from being connected to its exterior.

As seismic standards increased over the years, Furman Hall became a seismic nightmare, deemed structurally unsound and separated from the rest of the campus – and the university’s students – by a wrap of fencing.

With an eye toward bringing Furman Hall back to working order, the university pulled together a team to renovate the building.

In order to maintain the historic accuracy of the exterior, the sandstone surface was mapped with lasers. The entire facade was then stripped down to columns, beams and slabs. The project team, led by general contractor Fortis Construction, then rebuilt a limestone exterior that is an exact match to the original stonework.

A shear wall system was added for seismic support during first-phase work, which was then followed by an interior upgrade of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as the creation of a new atrium space, and office and classroom renovations.