In late February 1961, the LSU Board of Supervisors chose the name Oakland Hall for the first new permanent building to be constructed on the campus, honoring Oakland Plantation, the land on which the campus was located. Construction began that semester and created a historical landmark. Oakland Hall was the first building in Louisiana constructed using the lift slab post tension method. All floors and the roof were made of concrete poured and cured at ground level before being lifted into place. The roof was raised first with jacks placed atop pre-stressed concrete columns that had already been built, and gables connected the jacks to metal pieces embedded in the concrete as the roof and floors were carefully maneuvered into place.