CORVALLIS - Oregon State University's Historic District is Oregon's latest entry in the National Register of Historic Places and the first such district on any college campus statewide.

The university's historic district encompasses 83 buildings and four lawn areas, including the Memorial Union and quad, Benton Hall, Strand Agricultural Hall and Gill Coliseum.

"We're really excited," said Patty McIntosh, OSU campus planning manager. "To the university, it allows us to be proactive in historic preservation and it also preserves our place in history."

OSU's Historic District was selected for being a well-preserved example of campus development in Oregon between the late-19th and mid-20th centuries. As the state's only land-grant institution, the campus was designed over time by the notable Olmsted Brothers firm (known for its work at the U.S. Capitol and White House grounds), landscape architect A.D. Taylor, and Portland-based architect John V. Bennes.

McIntosh said the distinction would open opportunities for federal and state grant money for renovation and additional campus planning.

The next step for campus planners is to create a historic preservation plan for the district, which will guide future development and planning in and around the area.

"It's kind of like now our work really begins," McIntosh said.

Another OSU landmark, the Camp Arboretum Sign Shop at Peavy Arboretum, also received national recognition.

That building, constructed in 1936, is one of only three structures remaining from Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Oregon. The wood frame building is used for storage.

Corvallis already has about 500 properties listed on the national register, either individually or as part of two other national historic districts, the Avery-Helm Historic District near downtown and the College Hill West Historic District north of campus.