OU architecture department receives multimillion gift

Feb. 26—The University of Oklahoma's Christopher C. Gibbs School of Architecture and OU Libraries have received a multimillion dollar gift to preserve the legacy of the American School, an architectural movement spearheaded by OU professors in the 1950s and '60s that drew from the natural world, every surrounding, and non-Western cultures.

The gift was made by Sherry Faust, the widow of Bob Faust, a former student of the American School who studied under Bruce Goff, a professor of architecture at Auburn University.

The gift, the amount of which was not disclosed, will include the following improvements, according to a new release:

—Maintenance to The Bob and Sherry Faust American School Collection of the American School Archive.

—A curator to oversee the collection and coordinate exhibits and programming around the archive.

—A permanent exhibition on the American School at the lobby of the College of Architecture's Gould Hall.

—An annual fellowship that will support scholars, doctoral students, and designers dedicated to research and publishing on the American School and related subjects.

—A four-year professorship to be given to a OU faculty member for the purpose of developing teaching and research projects in architecture, interior design, urban design, landscape architecture, planning or construction science and will support creative initiatives that support the department's mission. Upon completion of the four year project, a new faculty member's project will be selected.

Stephanie Pilat, director of the Division of Architecture of the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, said the professorship will allow greater resources for faculty who are developing specific projects.

"The professorship is designed in a flexible way," Pilat said. "It would come with a salary stipend and a budget to do projects related to the American School."

She said money can be used to develop curriculum, interior design projects, to develop books, or for other projects.

Joseph Harroz Jr., OU president, said the gift will help bolster the university's reputation.

"Sherry Faust's remarkable commitment to celebrating and building on the legacy of the American School will allow OU to remain the preeminent authority on this important movement," Harroz said. "As OU continues to expand our capacity as a premier research institution, the Faust gift allows us to enhance that reputation in an area devoted to design, history and craft."

Joseph Stiles is a third-year architecture student at OU whose grandfather, Jim Fox, studied at the American School in the 1960s and became inspired by the movement.

"Following in his footsteps, I found my way to this school and have loved it and all the experiences that have come with it," Stiles said. "Throughout my years of being here, I am constantly looking back on the work of the American School and people who attended or taught, such as Bruce Goff, Herb Greene, Dean Vollendorf, and many more, and of course my grandfather."

Pilat said one of the most important components of the gift is that it will provide the library support to preserve documents related to the movement.

"It will provide support for that library which supports this important history, and it will provide funding for a curator of the archive libraries," she said.

The architecture program, since 2016, has compiled work from the American School movement, which culminated in an exhibition, "Renegades," which debuted in 2020 and is now off exhibit. The display is still available to view online and tells the story of contributors to the American School, who were sometimes called renegades.

Pilat said the gift will add to the university's reputation as a leader in architecture.

"Since we started on the American School, the enrollment in architecture has doubled since 2016," she said. "Part of that is because when we do a better job at creatively celebrating our own history and celebrating our identity, we naturally attract more students.

"I think it will be an important work, to celebrate what makes OU's architecture so special and different from anybody else."