Collection is open for research.
Marion Dean Ross was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1913. He earned a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University. He taught architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being drafted during World War II. He was sent for training in Oregon, then served in the European theater. After his discharge, he briefly returned to his position at Tulane University. In 1946, he began teaching architecture at Pennsylvania State University, and the next year he began his career as a professor of architecture at University of Oregon. He served as the dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the university from 1963 until his retirement in 1978. He died in 1991.
An incomplete transcript (16 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Marion D. Ross, by Linda S. Dodds, SR 9315, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Marion Dean Ross papers, Coll 231, University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, Eugene, Oregon.
This oral history interview with Marion D. Ross was conducted by Linda S. Dodds at the University of Oregon in Eugene on August 22, 1980, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.
In this interview, Ross briefly discusses his early interest in Baroque architecture, then shares his experiences in the Army during World War II, particularly his training at Army bases in Oregon. He then talks about his career as a professor of architecture at the University of Oregon. He shares his reasons for coming to Oregon, talks about the work of the Historic American Buildings Survey in the state, and discusses the historic preservation of commercial buildings, particularly in Jacksonville and Portland. He also talks about the Northwest Regional style of architecture.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,