secular fields could study in a Pentecostal, faith-based environment.
The college was established on the property of the former O'Reilly General Hospital, which had been established during World War II by the U.S. Army. In its five-year history as an Army hospital, O'Reilly served more than 100,000 patients. After the war, it briefly served as a veteran's hospital before the Army declared it excess property. The property was acquired by the Assemblies of God in December 1954 for the use of Evangel College.
The first day of classes at Evangel was September 1, 1955. There were 87 students.
Evangel students lived and went to classes in the O'Reilly barracks for years. The first permanent structure built on campus was the Klaude Kendrick Library in 1963. In the decades since, Evangel has slowly replaced the barracks with permanent structures. The last Army barrack on campus was demolished in 2009.
=== Consolidation ===
In 2010, the Assemblies of God began an effort to consolidate Evangel University with Central …
