Right ahead, you’ll see a grand red-brick building with tall white columns, an arched entrance, and a white dome on top-just look straight at the stately structure standing at the end of the broad sidewalk.
Welcome to the Memorial Union-affectionately called the “MU” by generations of Oregon Staters. Imagine yourself back in the 1920s, when two determined veterans, Warren Daigh and Tony Schille, walked these very grounds with a dream brewing between them. They’d returned from World War I, their hearts heavy from the loss of friends, and they wanted a place that would honor those who’d fallen. The MU isn’t just a student hub-it’s a living memorial, built with spirit and sweat, dreaming big on every brick.
But how do you put up something this majestic without a millionaires’ club? Here’s the twist: students back then decided, “We’ll pitch in!” So, they voted for a fee-three dollars every term-and mixed it with gifts from friends, family, and anyone rooting for OSU. All together, they raised about $750,000-a mountain of money for the time! Ground was broken on March 3, 1926, and the doors swung open to the public two years later, with a dedication that brought the campus to a hush.
Now, imagine Lee Arden Thomas, former Oregon State student, sketching out the plans with pride-his masterpiece far from ordinary. This building isn’t just pretty on the outside with its neoclassical style and white granite trims: inside, it bursts with life. There’s a ballroom echoing with laughter, study spaces filled with good-natured grumbling during finals, a bowling alley, bustling shops, and the aroma of cafeteria comfort food drifting through the halls.
Today’s MU is still the smallest in the whole Pac-12, but it’s big in heart and memory. So next time you duck inside for a coffee or find yourself dancing at a campus celebration, remember: this building was made with courage, community, and a little bit of “let’s make this happen” magic. Now, isn’t that a story worth sharing?
