OVAL It covers 11.5 acres per OSU/ALUMNI MAGAZINE article dated, November, 1984. The length ...

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OVAL
It covers 11.5 acres per OSU/ALUMNI MAGAZINE article dated,
November, 1984.
The length of the LONG WALK from the front of the Main
Library to the curb at College Road is 1, 275 feet. See
Herrick's, The OSU Ova.l, p. 34 for source of this information,
A patron asked how long the walk around the Oval is (July 2010). This is the response from
FOD:
From: "Pahouja, Regni" <[email protected]>
To: 'Tamar Chute' <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:23:40 -0400
Subject: RE: Oval Question
Tamar,
According to our GIS staff, length of Oval is 3773 feet.
Thanks,
Regni S. Pahouja
Archive Data Manager
Facilities Operations and Development
2003 Millikin Road, rm 111
Columbus, OH 43210
Direct: 292-2421
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: pahouja. [email protected]
T._.,
r
h
DATE & SOURCE UNKNOWN.
I
~
S_tanding off-center on different sides of the sidewalk-crossed oval, three of OSI.J's science buildings are out of line with their neighbors.
·Oddments on the Oval
Professor's whim, tr.ustees' objection, architect's idea
account for strange construction of three buildings
WEN
By MALCOLM H. GALBRAITH r"«
Howard Dwight Smith, capacity, he dictated two specifications.
Ohio State University architect, tetires He not only decreed that the hole
in the not .too distant future, he may which inJluenced not only the location a plugged-up hole, two feet square, be placed in the south wall, but that
prepare a book dealing with the various of the buildings but even the detailed and the lighter-colored tan brick re the structure itself be placed at a '
t structures gracing the "cow pasture" specifications. veals the dictates of an oid physics pro slightly different angle so that its front
campus. One outstanding example is the old fessoc. was not quite parallel with the fronts
While the historical background and physics building erected on the south In those days, the chairman of a of adjacent buildings. •
architectural style may play promin~nt side of the oval in 1906. It's now departm~nt was head of. a building Professor Thomas bad taken uftO'r
roles in the general theme of the pub known as M.endenhall Laboratory, committee when the university planned consideration the position o! the sun I •
lication, there'll probably be a mix· named in honor of a former physics a new structure. Io 1906, Professor during the morning hours, and he was
I lure of anecdotes revealing what went professor and trustee. Some SO feet Benjamin Franklin Thomas was head anxious to have the sun's rays fall di-
on behind the scenes--circumstances above the ground, in the south wall, is of ~e physics department, and, in that
'
' .
I .
Oval'(con'·t) . Page 2 DATE & SOURCE UNKNOWN
*
poofing Professor
homas's proposal
to place
Mendenhall
Laboratory
it an odd angle,
Architect Smith
[then a student)
rew this cartoon
for the
1906 Makio.
*
Proposed football field layout m
J
was patterned after Yale Bowl
ctly upon bis' deoionstration tablf so Still another oddity in the arrange
: could conduct experiments in his ment of the university structurca is the
:shman physics .cla~sing the un location of Lord Hall, the seat of
:ulterated rays. mechanical and ceramic engineering.
A wooden door, opening from the Located north of Hayes Hall and at a
side, kept out the elefllen~ .• But with peculiar angle on West 17th Avenue,
e remodeling of the building in 1929, the building is simp,ly out of line with
e old "'peep hole" passed into ob any other building on the campus.
ri.on, just 18 yem after Professor The building dates back to about'the
iomas died in Boothbay, Maine, time when Yale University built its fa
ille on vacation. mous bowl. This grandd.a.ddy of foot
The 1906 Makio carried a cartoon, ball stadia was laid out solely upon the
position of the Sun "at 3 p. m. on fall
awn by Mr.' Smith in his capacity as
days, in order to reduce to a minimum
. artist for the annual yearbook, de
the amount of sun which Would shine
:ting Professor Thomas' campaign
1i: bperhopaolf, soalf stthaeg eb. uiIltd idnegp, icthtse nt hset ilplr oin itens ttinhge etyeeas mo-fa p laspyeorrsti nogf egietshteurr ec, o'nif
;sor carting a miniature model of_the nothin~ else.
Taking this as a cue, Frank L.
iilding on wheels, and the ca{tion
ids "Another Hobby." Packard, famous architect. sold the
Ohio State trustees on his prop05al to
An expi?tnation follows, which States build a football field in an area a short
11.t be has resigned his place on the distance wes( of Lord Hall, and ron
gibility committee of the athletic ing in a general northwest-southeast di
ar<l, and adds that "the reason is rection. But that wasn't enough. Since
rd to find, but it is being rumored the competing teams dressed in the
it he cannot find enough time to armory for the games, it would be nec
1cel around his other hobby." essary to provide a ~adway to the new
Another interesting bit of history athletic field. So, Packard, with pen
nccms the location of Townsend cil sketches only, convinced the trus
ill during the first decade of the «n· tees, and the first-and only-building
-:y. It is based upon thQ fact that the C(CCted on the new thoroughfare wu
l Rail-Light Company ,wu contem Lord Hall.
Wng an extension of its streetcar line ,Apparently, it wu not until the
rthward .o~ Neil Avenue through the university erected Lord Hall that the
iversity campus, Ito serve patrons of trustees found there was enough room
~ old Olentangy' Amusement Park, remaining to erect other structures on
~ site of what is now Olentangy Vil- the opposite side of the proposed road
:e.
way from Lord Hall, as Packard orig·
University~trustees were bent upon inally planned.
>eking the move and decided to erect The subsequent decision to erect the
Juilding at the then northern end of stadium down by the river has stamped
:ii Avenue, This accounts for the Lord Hal.I as a monstrosity in the over
~ht jog in Neil Avenue as it intcr- all plan of university buildings-a situ
:ts the university oval just northweat ation which is difficult to explain to
the li~rary. the casual visitor on the campus.
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216 HISTORY OF" THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ~ \'=\ \0 - l°t ~ 5" THE CAMPUS AND THE BUILDINGS 217
at the north the court around which will be grouped the buildings of the
College of Engineering. The Medical group will be on an axis extend
ing west from Eleventh and Neil Avenues. The residential, or dormi
tory group will be on an axis, extending east between Eleventh Avenue
~
and the Twelfth Avenue roadway. This g1:-0up will include Oxley Hall 9 ...... ..,, . -. _--=- --- IL
and its future enlargement, the new Women's Building, Ohio Union, and ii
~~:::"~~cl= ~-1
the proposed dormitories for men. The College of Agriculture buildings .
.!J .
are already grouped along Neil Avenue. The group of the College of
fAVIUOH I ....__
Education will occupy the site of Ohio Field. The new Athletic Field
will have at the north the Stadium, with the Men's Gymnasium, the
Armory, and the Women's Gymnasium on the east side facing west and
presenting an appropriate architectural front to the athletic field and
drill ground. The central Oval, with its formalized arrangement of walks
and drives will remain undisturbed for~ many years to come, but un
doubtedly more important buildings will replace some of the Structures
now facing this space. At High Street and Fifteenth Avenue, the
principal entrance to the campus will be architecturally emphasized by
the erection of a building on the north side of the roadway, similar in
>u!"chitecture to the Archaeological Museum, the two buildings being con
·~ced· by some feature combining building and landscape architecture.
The planting of trees, shrubbery, and perennial plants will keep pace
with the construction of buildings, roads and walks, all combining to
make ·a harmonious whole.
- --.. ·-~·"--.: .. ~r;y-···,,.v 6AVU.}'~~~J'.1..a.u.1.\."!'6~ui, .......... -'-~o~
to formality and ·symmetry. In the preparation of the campus
map this general principle was not deviated· from except in
one particular, the preservation of the informal aspect of Mir
ror Lake an~ its surroundings.
To quote Professor Bradford:
The map was based on two fundamentals: (1) Principal and sec ....
ondary axes; (2) the grouping of buildings carrying related work, suffi
cient elasticity being incorporated in the plan to permit of meeting un i': I•~ ::J:r:--::::::::::::-::-:_-
foreseen future problems. 1~ ~
The principal axis is east and west, commencing at Higb Street and ~·~z~. ~-J11r
Fifteenth Avenue and extending west through the center of the Oval and ~~(!i!:; rORIION OF GR.2<.JN'DS
the Library. A main north and south axis extends from Eleventh Ave OMIO STATE ·UNIVf:fUITY
nue passing through the centers of Ohio Union, Orton Hall, and the •_. ,.-;-~,S. .C . l'>U. "O"-f "f"f"-l -T.. . 1:i.-
Chemistry Building to Woodruff Avenue. Neil Avenue forms another 1913
north and south axis, while the location of the Stadium establishes st:ll
a nether.
The grouping of buildings according to related work may be ex
plained as follows: The Orton Hall-Chemistry Building axis will reach
0. 15
I.
f! OHIO JTAT!'. 'TP
UNJV!\RSITY ~J
) MON.-THLY I July 1913 Issue [ page seventeen ]
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Blind students can see their way across the
Oval using these pebbled paths.
Some changes
in Oval Mall
,~er!:!tJ~Y q~J9i!19
Brower said. "and we felt the summer
o(
One Ohio State's most time-hon would be the right time to provide
ored landmarks. the Oval, has under them with more mobility. In addi
gone something of a facelift this sum
tion to marking the north-south axis,
mer. Some of these changes are sub
we laid five-foot wide strips at vari
tle ones, not obvious to the hordes ous intersections. so the blind can tell
hurrying across its walkways these fall more easily where they are."
days, but they're most meaningful to The area directly in front of Hagerty
the handicapped. Hall and Mendenhall Laboratory was
First, a special sidewalk for the also changed to meet the needs of the
blind was laid along the west edge of handicapped. as well as physically able
the main north-south walkway. The students. S. Oval Dr. was transformed
one foot wide strip is made of "coarse
into S. Oval Mall, as one n1ore step in
exposed '·ggregate," said Dean the university's move towards a pe
Ramsey. director of grounds mainten
destrian can1pus. Ramps were installed
ance and development. The exposed for those in wheelchairs. Emergency
~tone give~ a rough surface. almost vehicles n1ay use a 12-foot access
like cobblestone, which is discernible
route. Landscaping and planting was
by either foot or cane. done with outdoor classroom areas in
Nancy Bro\ver. acting director of mind.
the Office for the Physically Impaired.
"We i1nplemented a non-linear de
emphasized the walk is a pilot project sign," Mr. Ramsey said. "which
and if succe.,sful. n1ay be introduced
means \Ve gave the ground contour.
elsewhere on campus. Her office is now Combined cost of the sidewalk for
c1.1ntacting Ohio State's approximately the blind and the changes in the S.
50 blind or partially sighted students to
Oval Mall area were estin1ated at
inform them of its existence. $6R.OOO.
"Crossing the Oval and negotiating When landscaping work has been
th~ intersections with only sound cues done hround University Hall next
is very difficult for the blind," Ms.
spring. the conversion of the Oval from
busy streets to quiet walkways will be
complete.
University liniits Oval activities
. By Jeff Reed Moulton said there would be no of. said past administrations denied re· denied include those that would dis·
'\--';J;.-"ls ficial written policy concerning Oval quests to construct buildings on th\' rupt classes or damage the Oval.
It is no coincidence ifthere seem to activities because each activity re Oval. In regard to limiting Oval ac
be fewer activities on the Oval this quest is subject to "individual judg Mary C. Brucer, administrative as tivities, James G. Trainer, coor
quarter. The University's administ ment" by the activities scheduling of sistant for activities scheduling, said dinator for Student Organizations
ration, by unwritten order, is toning fice. the policy of"cooling" Oval activities Finance Office, said he had been un·
down Oval activities. He said it seems "logical" to him was developed partly because officially informed by "higher ups"
"We are attempting to limit ac· that-activities be held at places other "things got out of hand" last Spring at the beginning of Autumn Quarter
tivities on the Oval as much as possi· than the Oval, particularly areas Quarter. \ that no activities would be allowed
ble and would like to see more ac near the unions, because of the ac "Most Oval activity requests are on the Oval.
tivities scheduled on the Oval's cessibility to indoor organization of reasonable, but last Spring Quarter Richard H. Armitage, vice presi
perimeter and at the student fices and other union facilities. we had to deny requests for a carni dent for student services, said he
unions," Edward Q. Moulton, Uni· Moulton said University adminis val, a 3,000 pound sculpture and a spoke with Moulton about Oval ac
versity vice president for Business trators have always attempted to parachute jump," Brucer said. tivities, and foresees "no trouble
and Administration, .said Wednes· "preserve the Oval as a green spot for She said aside from "outrageous" now" with the scheduling of"limited
day. students to sit or walk through." He requests, activities that would be activities shy of a rock concert'.'
~J-M~~