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Historical organization keeps charm on campus

By By Joshua Bickel

Thursday, February 3, 2005



Marilyn Gridley is a self-proclaimed historian. So, it’s no surprise that she wants to help preserve and protect the history that lies throughout the University of Kansas campus.

She, along with other members of the Historic Mount Oread Fund, are doing just this.

The Historic Mount Oread Fund is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of the University and its buildings.

The purpose of Historic Mount Oread Fund is to preserve the historic character of the campus, Jeff Weinberg, assistant to the chancellor, said.

In the last 25 years, it has made a significant difference in what the campus looks like today.

The Historic Mount Oread Fund has been responsible for many preservation projects around campus, including adding five KU landmarks to the National Register of Historic Places.

Most recently, it advocated the preservation of the 1887 powerhouse, the University’s oldest surviving structure.

The front of the powerhouse, an old powerplant was incorporated into the design for the recently constructed Hall Center for the Humanities, southwest of Watson Library.

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“Some of our members played a big part with that,” Armitage said. “If it hadn’t been for their work in setting the value of the building, it probably wouldn’t be there.”

The Historic Mount Oread Fund also provides information detailing the historical significance of buildings on campus.

“I think that the historic significance of many of the buildings is something that needs research,” Gridley said. “We can help out with that.”

Edited by Megan Claus

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