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University, Hayes and Orton Halls

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Coordinates: 40°0′4.78″N 83°0′52.43″W / 40.0013278°N 83.0145639°W / 40.0013278; -83.0145639
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University, Hayes and Orton Halls
Orton Hall
Map
Interactive map of the buildings
LocationColumbus, Ohio
Coordinates40°0′4.78″N 83°0′52.43″W / 40.0013278°N 83.0145639°W / 40.0013278; -83.0145639
Built1893
ArchitectYost & Packard
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.70000492[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 16, 1970

University, Hayes and Orton Halls are three historic buildings on the Oval at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. On July 16, 1970, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places. The original University Hall was demolished in 1971, and removed from the National Register that year.

University Hall

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Main article: University Hall (Ohio State University)

The original University Hall was constructed in 1873, and contained a majority of the university functions, including both student and faculty housing. It was the first structure used for educational purposes at the school.[2] After being closed in 1968 for safety reasons, the building was completely torn down in 1971. At this time the old hall was removed from the National Register of Historic Places.[3] The current University Hall was reconstructed in its place, taking a similar exterior appearance to the original building, but updating the inner workings. Notable exterior differences include elimination of the east and west entrances and chimneys and alteration of the clocktower by relocating the clock and removing the roof's gables. The new building was completed in 1976.[4]

The original University Hall, c. 1900–1910
Current University Hall

Hayes Hall

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Hayes Hall

Hayes Hall was built in 1893 and is the oldest existing building on campus.[5]The building is named after Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States and three-time governor of Ohio, who advocated for a newly established land-grant university in Ohio.[6][7] Hayes Hall is currently occupied by the Department of Design, part of The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences as of 2024.[5] Hayes Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1970 due to the fact that its front façade remains virtually untouched from its original appearance.[8]

Orton Hall

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Orton Hall, one of the oldest remaining buildings on Ohio State University campus, opened in 1893 and is named after Dr Edward Orton, Sr. who served as OSU's first president, Professor of Geology from 1873 to 1899, and Ohio's State Geologist from 1882 until his death in 1899. Orton Hall is a tribute to this man's dedicated service towards the understanding of the geology of Ohio.[citation needed]

Orton suffered a partially paralyzing stroke in 1891, but continued to work. Ohio State University constructed a geological pleasure dome in 1893, and named it Orton Hall, in tribute to Edward Orton's seminal contributions.

The Hall is built of forty different Ohio building stones. In the outside walls, these stones are laid in stratigraphic order according to their relative positions in Ohio's bedrock. The capitals of the numbered columns in the entrance hall feature carvings of fossils, such as trilobites, as well as other objects such as the races of Man. The bell tower was dedicated in 1915 and contains 25,000 pounds of bells that can be heard regularly tolling across campus in the key of E-flat. Encircling the top of the tower are 24 columns with gargoyle-like figures which are restorations of fossil animals.

Because of its unique architectural features, which have made it a campus landmark, Orton Hall has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places. It presently contains the School of Earth Science's offices and laboratories of Paleontology, Historical Geology and Sedimentology, the Orton Geological Museum, and the Orton Geological Library.

Orton Hall features a bell tower with 12 chimes that toll every 15 minutes to the tune of the Westminster Chimes. An instrumental depiction of the chimes features in an often heard arrangement of the school's alma mater, Carmen Ohio.[9]

Cryolophosaurus ellioti at Orton Hall

In 2018, a 24-foot-long (7.3 m) replica of a Cryolophosaurus ellioti dinosaur was installed in the Orton Hall lobby. The replica was cast from a skeleton found in Antarctica by Ohio State University geologist David Elliot in 1991. The skeleton has been described as the most complete skeleton ever found on Antarctica. Cryolophosaurus ellioti was a predator that lived 190 million years ago during the Early Jurassic. A crowdfunding campaign raised $80,000 in order to pay for the replica and its installation.[10][11][12]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form". National Park Service. July 16, 1970. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  3. ^ 36 FR 23258
  4. ^ "Original University Hall razed, 40 years ago today | From Woody's Couch". library.osu.edu. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Arts | College of Arts and Sciences". College of Arts and Sciences. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Hayes Hall". Buckeye Stroll. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. ^ "History of Hayes Hall". Department of Design. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  8. ^ "History of Hayes Hall". Department of Design. The Ohio State University. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Twelve Days of Buckeyes: Orton Hall's 12 chimes have rung for nearly a century". From Woody's Couch. The Ohio State University Libraries. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  10. ^ Raudins, Sam (September 19, 2018). "Jurassic campus: Dinosaur arrives at Orton Hall". The Lantern. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  11. ^ Stankiewicz, Kevin (September 21, 2018). "Beware of dinosaur: Skeleton replica on the prowl in Ohio State's Orton Hall". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  12. ^ Wiley, Chelsea (September 24, 2018). "The New Dino At OSU's Orton Geological Museum Is Freakin' Awesome". Columbus Navigator. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
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