A Brief History

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh can trace its roots back 134 years to 1871 when the institution was established as the Oshkosh State Normal School. At the time of its founding, the campus was composed of one main building on a six acre site. The original school structure was destroyed in a fire that occurred in 1916. Dempsey Hall, the existing main administration building, was constructed in 1918 to replace the original facility.

In 1971, it's centennial year, Oshkosh was renamed the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, as it is known today. Over the years, the institution has grown from that one original structure to a campus of fifty-eight buildings on over 184 acres. The main academic portion of University of Wisconsin Oshkosh contains over 5.3 million gross square feet of space located on 123 acres, creating a very compact, urban campus.

Campus Area Calculation

For further historical information about the history of the campus, visit the UW Oshkosh Capsule History Archives.

Building Chronology

As can be seen in the following chart and graph, a majority of the campus was constructed within a twenty-year time span from 1951 to 1971. In that period, 78% of all GPR and 97% of all PR facilities were constructed. As a result of this period of significant construction, the majority of the campus facilities and infrastructure are between thirty and fifty years old.

Chronological Building List