Right now I am a sophomore at Ohio State (Main Campus) and am taking a City and Regional Planning course. Today our assignment was to walk up and down Lane Ave. and try to find a few spots to redesign/improve. We drew up some plans that included a lot of changes, and frankly, the part of Lane Ave. that runs along north campus is in dire need of improvements. The entire section of parking lot near St. John's seems to be (a lot of!) poorly used space, and the apartment towers nearby are not doing any favors for the general look of the area.
Elsewhere, the campus has some very attractive areas. For example, the oval is always popular, the buildings around the oval are very nice (Thompson Library and Orton Hall are awesome), some of the south campus buildings look great, and The Union is awesome, but in a lot of spaces it seems that little or no care is given to making the area look good. This definitely occurs in North Campus areas, which includes completely homogenous buildings and bland spaces in-between. And recently, every fence put up on campus is either a line of 4X4's stuck in the ground with chains connecting them or a few poles connected by yellow rope. That's just downright ugly. I am majoring in history, but the history building (Dulles hall) looks pretty dull. It seems that on campus, for every nice looking part, there is an unpleasant or boring area. Shouldn't such a great and popular University put more effort into such things?
That's just the opinion of the group in my class though. There have been some great improvements, like the rennovations of Woodruff and 17th! So do not think I hate on everything they do, I'm just voicing an opinion here and trying to get a feel for what people think.
My question to the masses here is: What do you think of the aesthetic appeal of main campus? Do many people care? What are some favorite/not-so-favorite spots around campus? I obviously haven't been around for a very long time, has campus always been like this?
(I apologize if I offend anyone with this post, but City and Regional Planning is all about getting the absolute best out of every area that we develop, and doesn't Ohio State deserve to get the best?)
I really like the area around Mirror Lake/Pomerene Hall, the oval (when it doesn't have those ridiculous orange fences up like it does right now), and south campus aside from the dorms that are being renovated. Also the entire area with the RPAC, McCorkle (sp?), Ohio Stadium, and the Lincoln Tower fields and tennis courts is pretty great.
The south oval has looked absolutely terrible for quite a while. They started doing construction of who knows what, and now it just sits there. I agree with you that North campus is pretty bland. If I remember correctly though they are planning a massive construction project on the north dorms which should improve that greatly but I will be long graduated by the time that happens.
I remember being on campus when Thompson was being renovated and when the Union was built. Not fun. It almost seemed like they were never going to finish either of those projects
From what I understand, they're putting a geothermal heating and cooling system in the South Oval. While it's taking a while, I think that's a pretty cool thing.
Word on the street is that a ton of geologists told the University that they couldn't implement the geothermal heating, but one company came through and said they could do it.
And then they found out they couldn't. And it's cost a ton of money. The only thing I've been able to find so far is that it is 200k over budget and that's just by the Lantern.
OSU will begin reconstruction of the current northern residential district starting in July 2013. The project will eliminate Curl Dr., demolish several buildings and build 12 new ones.
The new northern residential housing area will be completed in August 2016. The whole project will cost the university $396M. The completion will implement President Gee's vision for Freshmen and Sophomores Student Life's 2 year experience program.
Ohio State University plans to require sophomores to live on campus starting in fall 2016. Here is a look at the costs for room and board at other regional colleges.
Thanks for the info, GFunk. I lived in Scott House my first year and I hated that dorm. Nothing against country folk, but taking a suburban boy and putting him in a dorm full of agriculture majors was a really tough adjustment. I say good riddance to that dorm, lol.
There are some areas along high that could use help. Some dilapidated buildings that don't have tenants, where businesses have shut down kind of hurts the aesthetic appeal the street between 13th and 15th. Otherwise, I'd say it's a pretty nice campus area. One thing that hurts the visual adhesion is the construction zones all over campus, but that's probably inherent.
The interesting thing about OSU campus is that it is always evolving. I don't know how true it is but I was told by an alum from the 1970's that the campus has been under construction since it was built. I don't know about that but it has been under construction or redevelopment since the mid-90s when I started paying attention. I was happy that Fisher College had just been completed when I started going to school and the Schott was nearing completion as well.
I did have to suffer the dark ages of High Street when they bulldozed all the seedy bars on south campus to make the Gateway area. I remember the old Union and Larkins Hall, which was what is now the RPAC. Larkins was a damn maze and impossible to find classes in. I would not have been surprised if there were a Minotaur roaming around down there.
Having traveled to many other cities for work, I think that overall, Columbus has pretty boring architecture, though I do like some of the new things going on in the city like the Scioto Mile, the new courthouse, and the transformation seen in the Short North.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
I haven't been back for a few months. God I miss campus
As much fun as I had in my crummy house on Summit, I wish that there were a few high-rise apartment buildings right on High Street/Lane Ave for students. Of course, cost is the prohibitive factor in that equation.
I know it's not for everyone, but I'd like to see a Cuzzins frozen yogurt and Piada closer to campus. I know they're right down Lane Avenue, but they're not really within walking distance for students.
Get ready to have your mind blown...Cuzzins just went in a few months back right by Too's....
"I'm up there with Chris and Dave Pass, getting ready to broadcast that game, and that band came out of that tunnel, I was wiping tears out of my eyes and all the memories came back." ~Urban Meyer
I apologize by prefacing that I never attended Ohio State as a student, but I've visited Columbus on quite a few occasions (and was born there) and both my parents are alums. I've been on a few official campus tours as well given by the University (and family).
From my experiences, I'm led to agree with you that the Oval area is amazingly beautiful. The buildings around it are stunning and the circular arrangement is perfect for encouraging students to enjoy the central areas. As for the construction and chain link fences, it's an unfortunate fact of the major US university. My college dean joked to me that there are three semesters in academia: Fall, Spring, and Construction. I've been (sadly) at multiple stops for schools at various levels of training, now, and can guarantee you that it's the same everywhere. As for the ancient-ness of some buildings, it's the inevitability of a campus constantly renovating itself, piece by piece. Time is what makes them hideous and not stand out.
There are two major approaches schools take to this piecemeal facelift. The classic approach (e.g. Harvard) is to integrate all new buildings with existing structures. Art critics will blast it as "fake" but it's easier on the eyes (e.g. this new "red brick" building to match with this old building). The other is the neo-Yale style which took after someone got too butthurt that people were angry that all of Yale's old-looking Gothic buildings were actually not built in the 1500s, but rather the 1920s and 1930s. They resulted in stuff like this and this interspersed among the majority of campus looking like this and this. It's a philosophical argument one has to be comfortable with.
I've visited over 30 major US campuses, and can say with confidence that our campus in Columbus is one of the prettiest, and is just as aesthetically appealing as schools with much smaller sizes but bigger endowments (including the Ivies and private California schools).
"There is a force that makes us all brothers, no one goes his way alone." --Woody Hayes
I honestly hate the general color scheme and the fact that the hospital blocks any view of the campus from the highway. It makes it look like part of downtown and less like a college campus. The only part that makes you realize it's a campus is the stadium and the big "Ohio State University" on the hospital building. I understand the school colors are scarlet and gray but the red brick is dull and boring. The block tower apartments are awful looking. The prettiest place on campus is the oval but that is partly because each building around it is unique. There isn't enough green space and that includes the oval because they apparently have to have sidewalks going in every possible direction.
I haven't visited many other schools but for the few I have, which include Ohio University and Virginia Tech, I think they did a much better job at making the campuses look nice. Now you have to take into account their locations are beautiful on their own, but still VTech made every building a similar style (I would call it --- "castle like") and OU has that really old fashioned look and compared to blocky red brick buildings everywhere it really does make a difference to the "college campus" feel, which I think OSU really lacks outside of the Oval area.
I do enjoy the look of all the angular sidewalks around the oval, but I very much agree that there is not nearly enough green space on campus. It seems like green space makes things more positive and full of life, as opposed to being a "concrete jungle". It seems to me that it wouldn't be that hard to get some more green around here.
And yes, the block tower apartments near north campus are atrocious! I just wish OSU could work with everyone around the campus to make this place have a great feel regardless of where you are.
I kind of like the concrete jungle feel, makes OSU seem like the "city within a city" that it truly is.
I agree on the necessity of green space, but the whole "concrete jungle" thing can look good: see the new Woodruff Avenue.
I think what it boiled down to was function over form. Growth of the university has forced expansion based upon need. Basically, the buildings built in 1930 weren't built with 2013 in mind. The sheer volume of students makes it hard to justify green space over parking space.
I was a student at OSU from 01 to 05. I believe the overall campus image was improved (or in the process of improving) while I was there: Knowlton school of arch, Lane Ave bridge, start Gateway project, start library project, engineering building, start Larkins transformation, new rec center at woody hayes/kenny rd, John Glenn renovation I think (by Wexner), new rec fields by Larkins, Ross Heart Hospital and garage, new dorms at King and Neal, moved womens' field house, and probably others I'm forgetting. In terms of negatives, I always thought we could do better than having the maintenance garage for physical facilities right next to the Shoe - just knock down the old thing and move it somewhere else.
With a couple of decades of distance from my time in Columbus, architecturally I have to say I greatly admire the Victorian buildings on South Campus. They give it a historical ambience that I wish Ohio State would adopt for all future building projects. I'm talking about buildings like: Pomerene Hall, Enarson Hall, Baker Hall, Mack Hall, etc.
As a history nerd, those buildings make me feel like I've stepped back in time to the Ohio State campus of the 1910's and 1920's.
[Edit: A little research looks like they term this style, Collegiate Gothic. Here's some samples.]
#fistpumpgobuckeyes
Perhaps I am a little more run down on campus because I am stuck on the corner of High and Lane, and thus all I ever see is a street or two other towers that mirror mine from the mid-60's. All the buildings are the same up here :( But the buildings on south are much more interesting, it would probably give me a whole different feel if I was living down there.
I was bored at work the other day and Google mapped some of my old haunts. I was at OSU for four glorious years from 2001-2005 and what I saw via the Google was astounding. I'm biased, sure-but campus looks just gorgeous. I lived through a lot of construction and a lot of sights have changed but I'll step forward and say I wished OSU looked like it did now instead of what it looked like when I was there.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
That's definitely fair, I probably have it pretty good now compared to what they had just started working on when you were around. RPAC and Thompson? Those are some great buildings.
I have seen a few campuses in my time and some might have nicer overall campuses but when you walk through this, nothing else matters.
Beat me to it!
Very true, first time my brother and I stepped into the Shoe were were just like:
Favorite spot? I kinda like the 'Shoe...
The off campus area is night and day from the mid 90s when I was there. The bars on High should have been condemned...but they were fun places to say the least. I can't really answer the question but the campus has come a long way in 20 years.
Now that's a question. Favorite Spot...
Its easy (and in most cases, correct) to say the Shoe...but a lot of us on this board went to OSU and all of us saw different parts of campus some of us may never have seen. I'd be interested in people's responses. Personally, I have a list.
1) Section 9C, Row 13, seat 1-My seats for the glorious season of 2002.
2) The Alpha Xi Delta Laundry Room. Why? None of yo' damn bidness why.
3) The bench 90 feet in front of the Morrill Tower entrance. A lot of evenings were closed out in that spot. Met a lot of cool people out there-amazing what a lighter and a pack of Marlboro's can lead to.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
I have a few favorites, but my most recent one is the view of the Shoe, RPAC, west campus towers, and other parts of campus from the second floor of the biological sciences/pharmacy library. On a sunny day that's one nice sight to sit back and take in.
Picnic bench in front of Biffs.
Top floor of the library up in the stacks with a view of the Oval.
Just a couple of my favorite spots.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
4) Wherever Brother Jed was preaching.
There was one bar down on south campus in the later 90's (the Heidelberg I think) that had a softball size hole in the men's room toilet. What a freaking dump.
Off campus (south) is a complete 180 from where it was in the 80's/90's.
Agreed on the aesthetic appeal of Lane Ave., but there's no question that its gotten a lot better over the last ten to fifteen years. In terms of favorite spots, I've always been pretty partial to the disembodied steps in front of Page Hall--in fact, pretty damn much any part of the Oval, for that matter (can't beat picnicking on the Oval with a champagne-filled travel coffee mug). I've always been kinda fond of Neil Avenue by Mirror Lake Hollow, all the way through to Tenth...it's about the first part of campus that I distinctly remember from seeing as a child. It's always been the quintessential "college"-type street to me; with coffee shops, diners, etc. lining the row.
In terms of overall "aesthetic", I'd say that OSU's campus is so large that architectural continuity has been damn near impossible to maintain. That said, every new improvement has gone toward making the campus look a lot better overall. Gotta admit, though, we've got nothing on IU Bloomington's campus; it's beyond picturesque: basically all the buildings are made of red brick and Indiana limestone (crimson and cream), so there's a basic motif to all the buildings, regardless of the divergent styles in which they may have been designed. Throw in the Jordan "River" flowing through the campus, with ample greenery, trees, and park space, it's a very nice place to be.
The campus area has its deficiencies now, but it's way improved over what it was in my student days (1981-84). I loved the old Ohio Union, but no one would prefer that to what they have now. Ditto for 15th and High, which was nothing to speak of before the Wexner Center came in. High Street was a mishmash of retail with nothing to tie it together visually. The postwar buildings that went up in my dad's generation (most of which are still around) made Soviet architecture look daring by comparison.The closest things to something new and shiny near the center of campus were Larkins (RIP) and Hitchcock Hall. They actually played intercollegiate hockey in the old ice rink.
And it was even worse when my dad was in school--Neil Ave. still ran uninterrupted through campus, and you could drive around the Oval.
The main thing I miss from when I was a student is that the main campus feels crowded now in a way it didn't before, especially the Knowlton-Fisher-Blackwell area. But the positives of the changes outweigh the negatives.
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
I'll say it, I don't like the Ohio Union at all. As a former president of a Student Organization, I'll admit that it's quite well suited for clubs, but aside from that I think it's all style and absolutely zero substance. The place looks like a mall, and over its entire sprawling expanse basically provides two real areas for students to socialize (not counting places to eat). Aside from the food options (which are very well done, if I may add), the place comes off as a giant imposing monument to E. Gordon Gee's greatness, and less of an actual place designed for the students.
Contrast this with IU's Union (full disclosure, IU was the only other campus I visited, and I almost went there for my undergrad), the place is sprawling, full of places to eat and drink, but--above all else--cozy. It's a place where you can grab a cup o' joe, or a quick snooze on an armchair. Unlike OSU's monolith, the place is all white limestone, with wood-paneled walls lending to the warm interior feel (I think OSU's is way too cold). There's actually pool tables, and the place was designed as a place where students could go and hang out, rather than merely consolidating centralized offices. I guess they're meant to serve different purposes, but I hardly ever wanted to go to the Union, other than to gawk (when it first opened) and to get discounts at Cameron Mitchell restaurants.
That said, I think the redesign of Thompson was absolutely perfect, and stunning to boot. Ample study space, a coffee shop (redeyes and Harvest Cheddar Sunchips were many a lunch for me), and plenty of nooks and crannies to slip into--it was as impressive as I found the Union disappointing.
I haven't thought of it that way, but I would have to agree with you on the Union. It's a place for events, but studying there is rare. In fact, there are hardly any places there at all to study. I think there was a meme once about how it was a joke for anyone to even try studying there. Now that I think about it, excluding the food, there are not actually any places for students to hang out in the Union. Except the Student Leadership Center, but basically nobody knows about that.
Good point Hodge. I grab a bagel from the Thompson cafe every morning after 8am Latin in U Hall.
I think the Reading room on the top floor of Thompson Library is my favorite place to study on campus. You can't always find a place to sit, but when you do it's comfortable and quiet and the view over the Oval is spectacular.
I also rather agree about the Union. I transferred from Montana State, and the union building there was much like you described Indiana's. There was food to eat, but also a rec center with pool, bowling, table hockey, etc., and while I was there they remodeled the old stage theater so it could be the cheap movie theater. There was a l ounge where students could go nap (it was a universally understood unspoken rule that it was a quiet room, and you used to see people sleeping on couches with signs that said things like "wake me up at x time". And as a much smaller school, the official bookstore was also in the union.
Since we're talking about Unions, Purdue Union pays respect to people who served in the military at there school with several plaques on the wall. They also have a bowling lane and the equivalent of Sloopy's Dinner in their Union as well. Not the best I've seen but different.
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
I'd agree that the Union might not be as comforting or warming as other student unions, but I think it serves its purpose as large centralized office. The restaurants in it like Sloopy's and Woody's are two of the better ones on campus. I agree that it is a little cold, and less inviting than other student unions, but Thompson Library more than makes up for it. The reading room at the very top of Thompson is an absolute gem, and as you mentioned the library is filled with all kinds of nook and crannies where you may get some *cough* privacy for whatever you need to do. I've also probably spent more time sleeping at Thompson than I have my apartment this past year.
They're tearing down the dorm I lived in my first two years, which is sad. It's not pretty, but I'm still disappointed. I hope not everything is a bunch of towers, I think that would look worse than what it is now.
...and Michigan still sucks.
Which one?
I have nothing of value to add here other than to thank everyone for the walk down memory lane. Campus has CHANGED (insert Dave Chappelle voice) dramatically since I was there '99-'03 but one thing that will always be attractive about campus is this:
http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product_images/58223177/Oval_Beach_Shirt_Internet.jpg
Keep Calm and Ignore the Trolls.
I think our campus is nice but it is not the best I've seen. If we are looking within campus here are some things I like about campus:
However, our campus isn't the best and after going to several schools there are certain thing that I've come to notice that I dislike.
I don't wanna bash OSU too much because in our own way we are unique but I just wish the campus felt older much like Minnesota and High Street had an appeal like Mill Ave at Arizona State. There are just a few examples but I've been to several other colleges with things that make me both appreciate things at OSU and wish we had more.
As for your question, campus hasn't always been like it was now. There was a point in time where we had Brown/Townshed hall across from SEL, the Cellar was across from McPherson which now a parking lot, Cunz hall wasn't remodeled, the Union was in the stadium, South Oval was a place people hungout, the Pharmacy new building didn't exist, OSU wasn't digging up stuff to insert geothermal heating, Mirror Lake Cafe wasn't what it was, there was a parking lot across from JO South, the Aviation building still existed next to the Physics Research Building and Bevis Hall was desolate. I've been around for a lot of changes (2007-2012) and these are some of the things I've noticed.
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
Wow, those are some beautiful buildings. Pretty much that Victorian style that I mention above.
I hope they go to this style as an overall vision for those new buildings/dorms that are going to start on North Campus this year. It really could use use more of the flavor of a building like Neilwood Gables. (When I was in school there was a dorm in that area that was for married students with families. I think Neilwood is that building but not really sure because the place I remember had multiple courtyards intertwined throughout the building.)
#fistpumpgobuckeyes
I agree, Neilwood Gables looks really cool. If they replicated that style elsewhere North campus would definitely have the collegiate gothic feel as well.
You're absolutely right about west campus. I worked for rec sports and physical facilities between classes when I was student. I was always out at Beekman and Jesee Owens West mowing grass, fixing irrigation, dragging fields, and, sometimes, just goofing off with other student employees. But it was cool to be out there where it was relatively quiet but still just a couple minute bus ride to central campus.
BME,
While I appreciate your point that parts of High Street are not as nice as new areas such as the Gateway, I have to tell you that it is a matter of taste. I think that there is a certain amount of charm to the more, shall I call it, bohemian parts of High Street. When I went to school there (98-02) that was what most of High Street was. Most students at the time hated the "Eastonification" of High Street caused by the Gateway. The Lantern was constantly churning out anti-Gateway articles and commentaries. Now that I am removed from campus, both in distance and years, I can appreciate what Campus Partners was trying to do with the Gateway, and I really don't have an issue with them continuing up High Street with more redevelopment. That said, a part of me will always love the less shiny and less traditionally pretty parts of High Street.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
Reading this makes me wonder what High Street was like before I got there. I do like that they are building it up for another generation of students but would you or anyone say that they've preserved a part(s) of High Street that resonate with you? What was South Campus Gateway, mainly the area by Mad Mex, before what it is today?
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee
http://www.columbusunderground.com/mixed-use-development-proposed-at-sit...
Dont know if already posted but there are initial proposoals in to renovate the Wendys near 18th and High and build apartment complexes there with Wendys on the main concourse. Looks sick.
Great find, thanks for the link. That would be a great use of the space there, it needs to be redeveloped and a mixed use area could add new life to that spot. Right now it looks run down. Just last weekend there was a group of people in the Wendy's parking lot watching a girl vomit, classy, but that's how I feel about it as well. Ha.
I like the look of it but I wonder if it would change Buckeye Donuts at all. I mean think about this for a second. A trendy Wendy's between, Buckeye Donuts and the Sloppy Donkey and No.1 Chinese. Talk about contrast.
You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing. - Gordon Gee