Barge Hall, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington

A black-and-white architectural photography project studying historic Barge Hall at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

While living in Ellensburg, I passed Barge Hall on a regular basis.

It was one of those buildings that became part of the rhythm of town life. Familiar, but not invisible. Its tower, rounded brickwork, arched windows, and strong vertical lines kept pulling at my attention.

Eventually, I went to the Central Washington University campus with the specific purpose of photographing it.

This black-and-white photography project studies Barge Hall as both a historic structure and a visual landmark. The building has a formal presence, but it also carries memory. For many people, especially those who studied, worked, or spent time at CWU, Barge Hall is more than architecture. It is part of the visual language of the campus.

A black and white urban photograph of the tower of Barge Hall and the columns of the Shaw-Smyser Hall, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. — *Barge Hall No. 1, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington*

A Familiar Landmark In Ellensburg

Barge Hall was built in 1893 and was the first building on the campus of what is now Central Washington University. It was named for Benjamin Franklin Barge, the school’s first principal, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Ellensburg sits in the Kittitas Valley, east of the Cascade Range. The light there feels different from the damp forests and coastal places I often photograph. The sky opens wider. The air feels drier. Buildings stand out more sharply against that open space.

Long before Ellensburg became a college town, the Kittitas Valley was home to Indigenous peoples connected with the Yakama Nation. Later, railroads, agriculture, settlement, and education shaped the town’s built environment. Barge Hall belongs to that later layer of history.

It is a building tied to education, civic identity, and the growth of Central Washington University.

It also has a visual weight that makes it hard to ignore.

A black and white photograph of Barge Hall at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. — *Barge Hall No. 5, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington*

Photographing Barge Hall In Black And White

Black and white felt like the natural choice for this project.

Color can describe a building, but black and white can clarify it. Without color, the eye moves more easily toward shape, light, shadow, and texture.

The brickwork becomes pattern.

The windows become rhythm.

The tower becomes a form against the sky.

The shadows under the rooflines and arches become part of the structure of the photograph.

Barge Hall has many details worth studying, but I was not trying to document every feature. I was more interested in how the building felt from close range and from below. The upward angles were deliberate. They gave the building a sense of height, permanence, and presence.

Looking Up At Brick, Shadow, And Form

Several images in this project were made from a low point of view.

That choice changes the relationship between viewer and building. From below, Barge Hall feels taller and more imposing. The curved walls, vertical windows, cornices, and rooflines begin to push upward through the frame.

This is one of the things I enjoy about photographing architecture.

A familiar building can reveal itself differently when you slow down and change where you stand. A place you have passed many times can become new again when you study its edges, corners, shadows, and lines.

In black and white, those details become less about surface and more about structure.

For Those Who Remember This Place

For those who studied, worked, or walked across the Central Washington University campus, Barge Hall may hold a different kind of meaning.

It may be a building passed between classes.

It may be part of a first impression of campus.

It may be tied to a season of life in Ellensburg.

That is one reason I enjoy photographing older buildings. They often hold more than their materials. Brick, stone, glass, and wood can become connected to personal memory. A building may remain in place while the people around it keep changing.

Barge Hall has stood through generations of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. I came to it from a different angle: as someone living in Ellensburg who kept noticing the building, passing it often, and eventually deciding to spend time with it through the camera.

That distance matters.

It let me approach Barge Hall as both a local landmark and a subject of visual study.

Prints From This Project

Prints from this project are available by selecting the individual photographs throughout this page.

These images are also part of my broader Pacific Northwest Urban black-and-white cityscape photography gallery, which includes architectural and urban scenes from across the region.

Each print is professionally produced in the USA by a professional lab. Every print is made to order at the time of purchase, based on the size and material selected by the collector.

As always, the best reason to choose a print is because you feel connected to it.

Maybe it reminds you of Ellensburg.

Maybe it brings back a memory of Central Washington University.

Maybe the architecture, shadow, and form simply feel right for your space.

Browse the Pacific Northwest Urban gallery.

Commonly Asked Questions

Where Is Barge Hall Located?

Barge Hall is located on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

Why Is Barge Hall Historically Important?

Why Photograph Barge Hall In Black And White?

Black and white emphasizes the building’s form, texture, shadow, and architectural details. It helps the viewer focus on brickwork, windows, curves, lines, and the strong presence of the tower.

Is This Project Connected To Central Washington University Alumni?

The project is not an alumni project in a formal sense. I did not attend CWU. But the photographs may hold meaning for alumni, staff, students, and Ellensburg residents who remember Barge Hall as part of campus life.

Are Prints Available?

Yes. Prints are available by selecting the individual photographs in this project. Each print is professionally produced in the USA by a professional lab and made to order at the time of purchase.