VALSETZ DINING HALL
CONSTRUCTION DATES: Valsetz Dining Hall was built in 1970 and dedicated
in early 1971. The building was rededicated as Valsetz Dining Hall in
1991.
REMODEL: There have been several remodel and redecoration of Valsetz.
In 1978 Hugh Donnelly painted interior graphics in the dining and service
areas. The graphics were changed in 1980 by Neal Werner. In 1985 and 1988,
remodels and additions were completed to accommodate the increasing student
population of the university. In 1989 a weight room was added to the basement
for residents. In 1991, the building was renamed Valsetz. A stained glass
design by Jack Archibald was installed on the clock tower in 1998.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: The general contractor on the job was Batterman
Construction Company of Salem.
COSTS: Valsetz Dining Hall cost over $1,000,000 when completed in 1971.
ARCHITECTS AND BUILDING STYLE: Valsetz Dining Hall was designed to blend
in with the architecture of the surrounding dormitories. The Salem firm
of Payne and Settecase were the architects.
CURRENT USES: Valsetz is the dining facility for on campus residents.
The dining hall can accommodate approximately 1,300 students in its more
than 4,000 square feet of floor space. The food service administrative
offices are located in Valsetz, along with the University Residences offices.
HISTORY: Valsetz was designed and built as a food service hall. Originally
called Food Service Building, the hall was renamed Valsetz in 1991.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS: A mill town west of Monmouth, Valsetz was named
after the Siletz and Valley Railroad that collected raw lumber from the
town’s mill. Homesteaded in 1884 under the name Sugar Loaf, the
town grew rapidly and by 1922 was producing 325,000 board feet of lumber
daily and was known as Valsetz. In 1926 an elementary school and dorm
was built in Valsetz. Oregon Normal School sent 16 to 20 student teachers
for six week sessions in Valsetz. In 1931, the mill and the training school
closed. The mill reopened in 1936 and town of Valsetz started modernizing.
In 1984, only two years after the completion of a new high school, the
mill closed and for the final time and the town was destroyed.
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