Campus Alert Archive
OSU

A Contractor's Mistake Outside OSU Closed the Black Cultural Center and Two Other Buildings for the Night

ORgas leakemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On September 14, 2021, a contractor struck a gas line while working near NW 25th Street and NW Monroe Avenue adjacent to the Oregon State University campus, releasing natural gas and forcing the immediate closure of three nearby buildings including the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center. The three buildings closed at 3:15 PM PST and NW Monroe Avenue between 25th and 26th was blocked to traffic; all were expected to reopen Wednesday, September 15.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Oregon State University
Public R1 · OR
~32,000 studentsOSU Corvallis Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction401 chars
OSU Alert: Due to a nearby gas leak caused by a contractor striking a gas line near NW 25th St and Monroe Ave, the following campus buildings are closed immediately: CEOAS Administration Building, Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, and Dawes House. NW Monroe Ave between 25th and 26th Streets is also closed to traffic. Please avoid the area until further notice. Emergency personnel are on site.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The OSU Newsroom confirmed the three closed buildings: the CEOAS administration building, the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, and Dawes House
The contractor struck the gas line while working near NW 25th Street and NW Monroe Avenue, an active construction and utility corridor adjacent to the campus
OSU emergency preparedness manager Mike Bamberger confirmed the closure and expected reopening to local news outlets
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction357 chars
OSU Alert Update: The gas leak near NW 25th St and Monroe Ave has been repaired. CEOAS Administration Building, the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, and Dawes House will remain closed this evening and reopen Wednesday, September 15, during normal business hours. NW Monroe Ave between 25th and 26th Streets is expected to reopen by Wednesday morning.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The gas line repair was completed the evening of September 14, but the buildings remained closed for the remainder of the day as a precaution
The road closure on Monroe Avenue between 25th and 26th was expected to be lifted by Wednesday morning September 15
The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center closure was particularly noted in coverage as a culturally significant campus resource
Context

Background

On the afternoon of September 14, 2021, a contractor struck a natural gas line while working in the right-of-way near NW 25th Street and NW Monroe Avenue -- just outside the Oregon State University Corvallis campus. The resulting gas leak forced the immediate evacuation and closure of three adjacent campus buildings: the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) administration building, the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, and the Dawes House. All three buildings were closed at 3:15 PM PDT, and NW Monroe Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets was blocked to traffic. According to the OSU Newsroom and local reporting by the Lebanon Express, OSU emergency preparedness manager Mike Bamberger confirmed the gas line was struck by a contractor and that NW Natural Gas crews would repair it. All three buildings and the road were expected to reopen Wednesday, September 15. The incident is one of at least three OSU gas-related campus events in a two-year span (2021-2022), suggesting aging utility infrastructure and active construction near the campus create recurring hazard exposure. The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center -- a dedicated campus resource for Black students and the broader community -- being among the affected buildings underscored the broad impact of infrastructure failures on specialized campus services.
Analysis

Key Findings

A contractor struck the gas line -- not a campus facility failure -- highlighting the hazard posed by adjacent construction to campus-adjacent utility infrastructure
The Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center was among the three buildings closed, illustrating how utility incidents affect specialized cultural campus resources
This was at least OSU's second gas-related campus incident within the 2021-2022 academic year, raising questions about aging utility infrastructure near campus
Outcome
No injuries. NW Natural Gas crews repaired the damaged line. The Black Cultural Center, College of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences administration building, and Dawes House reopened Wednesday, September 15, 2021, along with the blocked road segment.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Nearby gas leak closes three OSU buildings - OSU Newsroom
    news.oregonstate.edu
  2. News
    Three OSU buildings close due to gas leak Tuesday - Lebanon Express
    lebanon-express.com
  3. News
    Break in gas line causes leak on OSU campus - HazmatNation
    hazmatnation.com
  4. News
    OSU gas leak prompts evacuations - Democrat-Herald
    democratherald.com
Tags
gas-leakoregonoregon-state-universitycorvalliscontractorutility-hazardblack-cultural-centerinfrastructure
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion