The Best Damn Bathrooms in the Land: No. 1, Jennings Hall

By David Wertheim on May 30, 2020 at 11:05 am
Jennings Hall
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The Best Damn Bathrooms in the Land is Eleven Warriors' necessary and hard-hitting quest to find the best places to go at The Ohio State University.

In my almost three years at Ohio State, I've had the pleasure of using restrooms all over our beautiful campus, from the river to High Street and Lane to King.

But not all bathrooms are created equally, even at The Ohio State University. Some have great natural light. Others have roomy stalls. And others are in prime locations suited for quick access and egress.

I've done the dirty work for you, and have put together a list of the 10 best bathrooms in academic and multi-use buildings on campus.

Scoring

  • Cleanliness (50 points): Cleanliness is next to godliness.
  • Aesthetics (20 points): Is it inviting? Is it a pleasure to visit?
  • Size (10 points): How big is the bathroom? Does it provide handicap stalls?
  • Location (10 points): Campus bathrooms have to be easy to find.
  • Supply (10 points): Are paper towels, soap, and toilet paper adequately stocked? 

#1, Jennings Hall, First Floor

We made it, folks. The best bathroom at Ohio State. 

First off, I'd like to thank Jason Priestas for allowing me to share my knowledge of campus bathrooms with the Ohio State community. I feel as though this study could help thousands of people over time. In fact, it may be the most impactful research ever done at this university.

Jennings Hall sits on the corner of 12th Avenue and Neil Avenue, in the heart of south campus. It was built in September 1914, and was the first academic building constructed off the Oval. In 2002, it was renamed to honor former Ohio State President Edward H. Jennings. It underwent a total renovation in 2004.

From Ohio State: "The three-story Jacobethan Revival building with parapet, projecting gables, classical entry surround and duel copper domes housed classroom and laboratories for three of the university’s oldest departments: botany, zoology and entomology, with multiple adjacent gardens and greenhouses."

I had a class in Jennings Hall first semester freshman year, and it actually fell on the first day of classes overall, a beautiful Tuesday in late August. So this was my first public restroom use at Ohio State as a student.

If you walk in the front entrance of Jennings and take an immediate left, the bathroom will be on the left side after going down a short hallway. Be prepared for its glory.

The bathroom is always clean and well-stocked, so no worries there. As I mentioned, it is in a prime location. But what really sets it apart from other bathrooms on campus are two things.

Firstly, there is a beatutiful translucent window about halfway up the wall to the ceiling, which lets in amazing light on a nice day (as it did on that Tuesday in August of 2017). Secondly, there is an extremely large "windowsill." Now, you may ask, why is this important? Well, when you're carrying your backpack all over campus, the last thing you want to do is put it on the bathroom floor. Jennings eliminates the need to do so. 

I honestly have never found anything on Ohio State's campus as convenient as the Jennings bathroom windowsill.

This bathroom has shaped part of my Ohio State experience. I will miss it dearly when I graduate. I'm just going to enjoy it while I can. 

Rating: 99/100

CLEANLINESS AESTHETICS SIZE LOCATION SUPPLY
50/50 20/20 9/10 10/10 10/10
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