Lamar State College Orange

Opened in the fall of 1969 as an extension center of Lamar University, LSC-O first held classes in a vacant elementary school (Tilley Elementary) located on the site of the former naval base in Orange. That structure burned in 1971, prompting community leaders to raise funds for the purchase of a new facility that could accommodate students. The fund-raising campaign produced $250,000 that allowed for the purchase of a building located on Front Street in downtown Orange. That same year the Texas legislature approved the operation of a two-year educational center in Orange and appropriated $125,000 to support the operation of the center.