LSCO opens new building for public views

Lamar State College Orange will have the grand opening its new Academic Building on Green Avenue at 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 6.

The $38 million building in downtown Orange has 55,000 square feet and includes the latest in technology. Eight classrooms, two computer labs, and student commons areas are included in the building, along with offices for faculty and information technology.

LSCO President Dr. Tom Johnson will preside over the event. Money for the campus expansion came from the Texas Legislature as the local college has gained a reputation for training people to get good-paying jobs in local industries. Members of the Board of Regents for the Texas State University System, which oversees LSCO, are also expected.

The building's official address is 305 North Fourth Street, but the multi-story facility is right off Green Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets. It was constructed at the site of the modern-style 1970s Orange National Bank with exterior walls of mirrors. That building had to be carefully demolished to make room for the new Academic Building.

The new building has a town that faces Green Avenue with a vertical light design of the letters LSCO that are already glowing at night and can be seen in either direction.

The college's Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Plaza, named in honor of the legendary Grammy-winning musician from Orange, is to the east of the new Academic Building. The plaza was dedicated in October, 2021.