University of Oregon, Dad’s Gate – Eugene OR

Description

Located on the University of Oregon campus. Work on the ornamental Dads’ Gates began in August 1940. They were formally dedicated on February 8, 1941, as part of the 14th annual Dad’s Day celebration weekend. The UO Dads Club was the sponsor and underwriter of the project. The Dads Club was a patron-parent organization established in 1927. The concept for the gates began in 1938 and was supported with funding from the Dads Club with additional support from a PWA program. Abbot Lawrence, a UO architecture graduate and son of Ellis Lawrence, created the design that was executed by metal craftsman Orion B. Dawson.

Orion Benjamin Dawson was a master blacksmith who produced numerous iron works as an employee with the Depression-era Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Dawson’s work in Oregon can be seen at the University of Oregon’s Knight Library and Howe Field, Oregon State University, and Timberline Lodge.