Other Materials and Concepts

Orr Iron Arch

The 28-foot tall Orr Iron Arch, made of Indiana limestone, was the main entrance to the 1912 Orr Iron Company headquarters at Fulton Avenue and the Lloyd Expressway. Samuel Orr founded the company in 1885 and was succeeded by his son Robert D. Orr, who was governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989 and signed the legislation that created the University of Southern Indiana in 1985.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) donated the arch to the University before razing the Orr Iron building in 2008 to make way for a new interchange. Now the arch serves as a grant entry into the Fireside and Heritage lounges on University Center East’s first and second levels. Two cornerstones from the Orr Iron building, dated 1835 and 1912, also were preserved and incorporated into the Fireside Lounge.

"Governor Orr played an important role in the existence of USI," President Linda L. M. Bennett said. "This is a great way to honor him.”

Orr died in 2004 at age 86. His widow, Mary Kay Orr, told the Evansville Courier & Press that she was pleased the piece of history from her husband's company would find a new use at USI.

"He certainly wasn't self-important, and he didn't need things named after him, but he certainly loved the fact that they were done, and they exist and it furthered the use and the progress of the University," she said. "So for that reason, he'd be very tickled, and I'm even more pleased. It keeps his name connected with the University."

Satellite Image

Carpeting used in the Fireside Lounge (first level), Heritage Lounge (second level), and the Student Life Lounge (lower level) was designed using satellite images of the USI campus, creating a conceptual, paisley-like pattern.

A River Runs Through It

Stained-concrete flooring elsewhere on the first level, and in linoleum on the level above, incorporates a blue path that signifies the distinctive shape of the Ohio River as it passes through the Evansville area.

Poplar Paneling

The distinctive wood paneling in the Division of Outreach and Engagement’s second level area is made of poplar, a tree indigenous to Indiana.