University Hall

By Maria Northern

The current University Hall at The Ohio State University

Located on the northwest corner of the Oval at The Ohio State University is University Hall. University Hall was completed in 1873 and was used to house many different facilities. The first building on The Ohio State University’s campus was a precedent for University Hall, as it is a replica of the first building. In 1976, the hall was rebuilt due to the building being structurally unsafe. The hall was deemed unsafe in 1968 and torn down in 1971. During the renovation, the tower clock, entrance, and pillars were salvaged from the original 1873 building (Hidden Gems on Campus). These three aspects of the original University Hall are incorporated into the current University Hall.

University Hall is divided with a tripartite both horizontally and vertically. Horizontally, the main entrance with the parts of the façade that stick out on either side of the entrance are considered the center part of the tripartite. A clock tower is located directly above the main door entrance. The remaining part of the façade on both the right and the left of the entrance are the two other parts of the horizontal tripartite. Vertically, the bottom floor is the first part of the tripartite. The grey roofing is the third tripartite and everything in between the bottom floor and the grey roof is the middle tripartite. Inside University Hall you will find a lot of wood. This wood lines many parts of the building. It is what you would think of as your typical old architecture building on a college campus.

The original University Hall in 1873

The library, classroom, a chapel, a male dormitory, and faculty apartments have all been located in University Hall at one point since 1873. The first class that met in University Hall met on September 17, 1873. There were twenty-five students that were in the Agriculture College, which is all the University offered at this time. All of the facilities were at this location in 1873. Students and faculty flocked to class even though the building was not completely finished yet. There was also quite a bit of construction going on around the building which made hearing in recitations and lectures difficult sometimes. The student’s dorms and even the faculty’s housing were located in University Hall (Tebben). Although University Hall has housed many different facilities, the current uses of the building are all different from the previous uses. The Graduate school, the College of Humanities, and the College of Arts and Science are all located here currently.

Works Cited

“Hidden Gems on Campus.” The Ohio State University RSS. 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Tebben, Gerald. “Columbus Mileposts: Sept. 17, 1873 | Ohio State University Opens with One Building, ‘handful’ of Students.” The Columbus Dispatch. The Columbus Dispatch, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.