Portland State Magazine, Spring 2021

28 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE PIECES OF HISTORY The Million 12 Dollar Tree BRENT J. SCHAUER If trees could talk, the impressive 130-plus-year-old copper beech in front of Millar Library would tell of the growth of Portland State, students studying beneath its shade and the bustling farmers market on Saturday mornings.Te tree itself dates back to the 1890s, when the Watson family planted it in front of their newly constructed home on the corner of Hall and Park. Joseph Franklin Watson, a Massachusetts merchant, arrived in Portland in 1871 and quickly established himself as an infuential fgure in the city’s growth and progress. Is it any coincidence that Watson had a taste for literature, or that the word origins for “book” and “beech” may be related? We don’t think so. Te future PSU found a permanent home in the Park Blocks in 1952 when it moved into the former Lincoln High School, and the campus expanded rapidly after becoming a four-year college in 1955. By 1965, Portland State acquired three private residences across the Park Blocks, including the former Watson house.Tough the house was demolished to build the campus library, the tree remained and the grassy area in front of the library became a feature of student life. An oft-told tale says that in the 1980s, students chained themselves to the tree to save it from the wrecking ball, altering the library’s expansion to wrap around its branches—and in the process, earning the copper beech the nickname “Te Million Dollar Tree.” But our research suggests events a little less dramatic. As far back as February 1969, a tree company noted that “the copper beech tree is one of the more unusual trees in Oregon.… In our estimation, the tree is worth saving and provided the roots aren’t damaged excessively during the excavation for the new library, will be an asset to the University.” In 1986, as plans for a library remodel took shape, architects, administrators and the library planning committee agreed that the tree should be preserved and that the building should be designed to protect it. Meeting minutes from April 10, 1986, read, “It is felt that the tree is a major element of how campus is identifed.”Te resulting design bent around the tree, creating both a focal point and entry courtyard. According to Tom Pfngsten, director emeritus of the library, the architects “enjoyed the challenge,” eventu- ally landing on “the impressive, curved glass wall with brick anchors at each end, which the architects called the ‘bookends.’” Tough the “Million Dollar Tree” tale may be tall, “it gives me a smile that people use it as a story that connects the love of the students for a place with their ability to make a diference,” says Carolee Harrison with the University Archives. “It’s wrong for that tree, but not wrong for PSU student protests in general.” —CRISTINA ROJAS