The Future of GFU’s Newberg Campus

By: Natascha Lambing    

In the past decade, George Fox University’s (GFU) Newberg campus has seen a multitude of physical changes, and it will not stop anytime soon—by 2024, students will see the results of the university’s long-term vision in the form of a new chapel building, new academic buildings, and an updated quad. 

GFU’s future transformations will be driven by the installation of a new chapel building. Designed by Soderstrom Architects, the chapel will host a maximum capacity of 300 people, aiming to help “incorporate sacred symbols into the community,” President Robin Baker said. He continued, “[It’s] strictly what you’d think of as an old-fashioned chapel.” According to President Baker, the 7-million dollar project is inspired by Fay Jones, a prior apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright who famously designed sprawling glass chapels. In collaboration with Soderstrom Architects, the design incorporates the imagery of Jones’ arching ceilings and well-lit interiors, while maintaining a design more suited to Oregon and the university’s existing infrastructure. To complete the design, GFU’s art department will design the stained glass windows, focusing on Biblical imagery. Bauman Auditorium will remain as the primary designated space for chapel services, leaving the new building to host more intimate events, from morning prayer to musical performances by students. 

The new chapel will be built where the tennis courts currently reside on campus, prompting further changes to the campus layout. “The goal was then to eliminate traffic and make it a pedestrian campus,” President Baker said, touching on the future elimination of the road that passes by Edwards Hall and North Street Annex. Walking paths will replace the existing roads, but in order to perfect the harmony of the area, Minthorn Hall will be moved. 

  Minthorn Hall arrived at its current location in 1892, rolled on logs behind horses from across town. Over a century later, the building is showing signs of a failing foundation, and given its historical nature, it's just as easy to pick it up and move locations to better fit the campus vision as it is to simply replace the foundation. Moving only slightly northwest, Minthorn’s move will require the demolition of both North Street Annex and Brougher Hall.  Some nostalgics may be sad to see the end of Brougher Hall, built in 1947; its shell is constructed around old barracks from Camp Adair in Corvallis, Oregon. The facilities it hosts, primarily art studios, will be relocated to two new buildings to be constructed between Pennington Hall and the Engineering Maker Hub. These changes will be rounded out by slight shifts to the layout of the main quad: a reimagining of the sidewalks to form an ellipse around the Clocktower, and the Rose Garden’s pivot to be positioned directly in front of Bauman Auditorium. This is all inspired by the long held idea that “you would be able to see [directly] from Stevens all the way to Bauman '' across the Quad, President Baker said. 

For a project like the chapel, funds must be gathered. Where does that money come from? Primarily donors. Everything passes through the Board of Trustees and then funding is sought from potentially interested parties. “It’s people that love the university,” President Baker said of funding sources, “from little old ladies to corporate people.” These funds have already reached nearly $4 million, with work set to begin on related pieces of the project this coming summer. The campus will see its complete updates by Fall of 2024. 

Since its foundation in 1891, GFU has been constantly expanding, both its academics and the buildings that host them. In the recent quarter century, campus has seen such a rapid transformation of the grounds that alumni from preceding years might barely recognize it today. A glimpse at a 2006 publication of the George Fox Journal boasts plans for the year 2046, and it will not be long before students see altered versions of these plans come to fruition. 

Associated images are artistic renderings and do not reflect a finalized plan for the university. Images courtesy of Soderstrom Architects and GFU.