SOU History
Know your Britt! The History of SOU’s Britt Hall
January 27, 2023
By Jewel Blanchard, senior English major
Pictured above: A view of Britt Hall from 1976.
One term has gone by since SOU’s English Program made the move to Britt Hall. The faculty and students are getting settled in on the top floor of the recently-renovated building, and really making the space feel like home. But as we look ahead to this next chapter for the English Program, let’s also take a moment to look back at the history of this storied building.
Britt Hall was first built in 1937 as part of what was then called Southern Oregon Normal School. At the time, the normal school was exclusively a teaching college. Britt was only the second building on campus, after Churchill Hall was built in 1926. However, Britt Hall didn’t initially go by that name at the time; rather, it was called Memorial Court, and held the school’s basketball gymnasium. The building would remain in use as a gym until the 1950s, when the McNeal pavilion athletic center opened.
Pictured above: Memorial Court, unknown date; Southern Oregon University Archives.
By then, Memorial Court was due for a new upgrade. A huge renovation was planned for the building, which finished in 1957. The renovation reimagined the McNeal pavilion as the Britt Student Union, or Student Center. One common misconception about the name of this campus building, a misunderstanding that even the Oregon Encyclopedia perpetuates, is that it was named after famous historical nature and portrait photographer, Peter Britt. Britt emigrated from Switzerland to America in 1845, and eventually made his way to southern Oregon in 1852. He spent much of his career photographing nature and people in Jackson County, and his many photographs of Crater Lake helped the landmark in its campaign to be named as a national park in 1902. When Peter Britt passed away in Jacksonville in 1905, he passed on his body of impressive work to his two children, Emil and Amalia “Mollie” Britt. Peter Britt’s name and legacy live on in the famous annual Jacksonville Britt Music festival, but Britt Hall wasn’t actually named after the photographer.
Pictured above: “Peter Britt, Portrait,” unknown date. This photograph is part of the Peter Britt Photograph Collection at Southern Oregon University and made available courtesy of Southern Oregon University Hannon Library Special Collections.
In actuality, Britt Hall was named after Peter Britt’s daughter, Mollie. Upon her death in 1955, Mollie bequeathed over 2,000 of her father’s photographs, the family estate, and other gifts to the Southern Oregon College of Education (yes, the school’s name had changed again by then). So, when the McNeal Pavilion was renamed as the Britt Student Union, it was a way to thank and honor Mollie and her contributions to the school. This was actually written on the front of a “Britt Student Union” pamphlet and calendar from 1964, which on its cover states that the building was “named in honor of Amalia Britt whose gift made it possible for you, the students, to use and enjoy these facilities.”
This pamphlet, and other relics of this period of Britt Hall’s history, are available to see by appointment at the Hannon Library, as part of the Southern Oregon University Archives. Additionally, a huge portion of Peter Britt’s photographs that were donated by Mollie to SOU are also viewable on the Hannon Library website as part of the Hannon Library Special Collections.
Pictured above: “Mollie Britt, portrait,” photographed by Peter Britt, unknown date. This photograph is part of the Peter Britt Photograph Collection at Southern Oregon University and made available courtesy of Southern Oregon University Hannon Library Special Collections.
The Britt Student Union became a lively hub for student social life, boasting a ballroom, game room with ping pong and pool tables, snack bar, and meeting/office spaces. It was also home to the office for the student-run Siskiyou newspaper. A look into the 1961 yearly report on building affairs from then-Britt Student Manager Terrence Tallis provides a bit more insight into the everyday use of the Britt Student Union. The report includes details like how many hours the ballroom and meeting rooms were in use for, how building maintenance could be improved, and more. Groups including various military branches, Boy Scout troops, and a regional foreign language conference all used the facilities to meet. The ballroom in particular was used for Homecoming dances, Sweetheart’s Balls, Convocations, and band practices and concerts. However, Tallis mentions that there was a bit of poor student conduct after some of these events, including frowned-upon trips to the basement, and messy men’s bathrooms. He notes that the clubs hosting these events in Britt needed to be reminded of their obligations. Despite these apparently scandalous misuses of the Britt Student Union, a lot of fun and memories were made there.
Pictured above: Another view of Britt Hall, unknown date. From Southern Oregon University Archives.
Over the years, the Britt Student Union underwent many milestones and changes. In its ballroom days, it hosted The Grateful Dead on a tour in 1968 (and charged a mere $2.50-$3.00 per ticket), screened films in the space, and held successful campus and club celebrations and events. There is unfortunately not as much available research and history on this chapter of the building’s history. But what we do know is that, eventually, the space became the Britt Hall we know today. Its uses also became more focused around scholarship rather than students’ social lives, as it added classrooms and faculty offices. It received a new roof, and a top-floor remodel of the ballroom (where the English Program resides today), among other smaller projects.
In 2015, new funds were received to begin a more crucial renovation of Britt Hall. The renovation would be purely structural, as the curved-roof design, while beloved and recognizable, was particularly susceptible to earthquakes and seismic activity. Departments that occupied Britt moved to other locations on campus throughout 2019, like the Service Center, OHSU nursing, Admissions, and Student Services. The structural changes took a few years to complete, and thousands of current students and recent alumni can recall walking past the hall while it was under construction. However, Britt Hall finished these seismic updates this past fall of 2022, and became home to classrooms, faculty offices for the school of Business, Digital Cinema, and Communications, and our very own English Program.
“We love being the current Britt Hall denizens– being part of all the history behind these walls.”
– Dr. Margaret Perrow
While Britt Hall has an extensive and storied history, its time with the English Program is only getting started. But with such a rich history that includes athletics, local historical figures, friendships and social events, and multiple areas of scholarship, there is no doubt that SOU’s English scholars are in good hands – or rather, good walls – at Britt Hall.
Interested in being featured on the English Program blog? Or know someone who is interested? Contact English Program blogger Jewel Blanchard at blancharj@sou.edu .
