STILLWATER, Okla. — A building in downtown Stillwater is slated to become the new home to Oklahoma State University’s art collection.

The OSU/A&M Board of Regents unanimously approved a plan to buy Postal Plaza, a building on South Husband Street, and use it as a gallery for OSU’s art collection.

During the board meeting, David Bosserman, OSU’s vice president for administration and finance, said the building will be used to house the university’s collection of donated art. The collection is substantial, Bosserman said, but the university doesn’t have a facility that works well for the display of the art.

At the meeting, Regent Calvin Anthony, the chairman of the board, said the purchase of the facility is an important step for the university, especially given the amount of art that is in storage and away from the public eye.

“We, in our stewardship, need to make these available to the public,” he said.

Gary Clark, OSU vice president of university relations, said the new facility will also give OSU officials a chance to get the collection in one place and catalog it. Up to this point, it’s been difficult to get a sense of just what the university has, since the collection has been spread out in various buildings, including the library and the student union. Much of it is packed away in storage at the OSU Library Annex on Boomer Road, he said.

“It’s kind of all over campus,” he said.

Clark said the gallery at Postal Plaza won’t replace other galleries on campus, such as the Gardiner Art Gallery, and it won’t mean there will be no art in other locations on campus.

University officials don’t have a timetable set for the new facility, Clark said. Officials have yet to close on the sale of the building, which is currently owned by First Baptist Church and managed by CStar Management. Some tenants in the building have several months left before their leases expire, Clark said, and once the building is vacant, the university may need to make improvements to the building. Also, he said, it will take time to gather the collection together and move it into the building.

“This is going to take a period of some time to get it done,” he said.

Clark said university officials chose Postal Plaza because of its historical nature and interesting architecture. The building is also in a central location in the city and near the university, making it easier for students and the public to visit.

“We’re excited about being in the downtown Stillwater area,” he said.

Angela McLaughlin, the business improvement district coordinator for the downtown area, said the project is one of a number of developments planned for the area. Although she said she hadn’t heard much about the project, she said she expected it would be one more factor that contributes to downtown Stillwater becoming a destination for locals and visitors alike.

“I think OSU’s involvement in downtown will be a great thing for downtown,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming.

In addition to allowing the university to catalog and display its current collection, Clark said the facility may help convince potential donors to allow OSU to house their collections, as well. The fact that OSU owns a gallery of this kind gives potential donors more of an assurance that their collections will be handled properly, he said.

“We’re excited about it,” he said. “We think this is going to make a real difference for the university and the city of Stillwater.”