Oregon State University has received a grant of $190,000 from the Getty Foundation, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, to help develop a historic preservation plan for the campus.

The two-year project, part of the Getty Foundation’s Campus Heritage initiative, will enable OSU to hire several historic preservation experts to assist university staff with a comprehensive preservation plan. When completed, the plan will ensure that the historical integrity of OSU’s campus is maintained in future construction, rehabilitation and preservation efforts.

Through the educational component of the award, students will take part in the development of the preservation plan and will have opportunities to work with the Benton County Historical Society and university and city of Corvallis officials. OSU will develop tours and programs to educate the public about the history of the university.

The plan also will enable the university to develop a strategy for consistent design and placement of historical markers for significant buildings and landmarks to help broaden understanding of these historical resources.

The Corvallis campus comprises more than 570 acres and still emulates the architectural harmony established in 1909, when John C. Olmsted, of the Boston-based Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, visited the campus to make recommendations for its design. Many of his recommendations are visible in features that distinguish the campus, including an open park-like area in the lower campus, diagonal crosswalks in open spaces and use of local red brick.

The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that features the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute. For more information, see www.getty.edu.