Ohio Union History
Early History
In 1908, Aaron Cohn (1910), known as the “Father of The Ohio Union,” led a campaign for a Student Building. At that time, The Ohio State University's enrollment totaled 2,442 students, 2,000 of whom were men. A pamphlet circulated promoting the need for a Student Building because the University lacked a dormitory system, which meant that students did not have a place to spend their hours of leisure and recreation.
Enarson Hall (1910-1951)
Student interest generated support from the 77th Ohio General Assembly, who appropriated $75,000 for a Students’ Building, and the Board of Trustees approved the plans for the building at 154 W. 12th Avenue on October 9, 1908. A cornerstone laying ceremony was held on April 12, 1909 and the Students’ Building was officially named “The Ohio Union” on October 29, 1909. The three-story brick structure opened in 1910 and was the first student union at a public university and only the fourth in the country.
Student Council created a Board of Overseers to run the Ohio Union and membership dues were charged to all male students to raise funds for the maintenance of the building. Following a pattern established by English universities, the purpose of this spacious 34-room building was to “promote good fellowship among the men of The Ohio State University.” The 500 women enrolled at the University were only allowed to use the building on “Ladies Day,” one day a week.
The building was used by organizations, clubs, and fraternities for dinners, banquets, conventions, and meetings. For example, during the 1913-1914 Academic Year, the building was open 239 days, hosting 415 meetings, 256 banquets, and 37 dances. Over 1,200 people attended the Ohio Union's 'Open House' nights. During World War I, the Ohio Union served as a mess hall and social center for the troops that were quartered on the campus.
Edward S. “Beanie” Drake was hired as the Manager of the Ohio Union in 1913 and he channeled much of his energy into student organizations, including Phi Sigma Kappa, Romophos, Bucket and Dipper, Sphinx, and Ohio Staters, Incorporated. Beanie is also remembered as the founder of the National Association of Student Unions, which in 1968 became the Association of College Unions International.
The Ohio Union also played a special role in the construction of Ohio Stadium. The Ohio Union “wanted to do everything in its power to assure the success” of the Ohio Stadium project, and in 1921, dedicated the entire second floor of the Ohio Union to the Ohio Stadium Building Committee to use as work space.
With the opening of the new Ohio Union in 1951, the building was transformed in teh Student Services Building. It was scheduled to be torn down in the mid 1970s due to operating costs, but was saved as Historical Landmark and an example of Jacobethan architecture. Today, Enarson Hall serves as the home to the Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience.
Pomerene Hall (1922-1951)
The Ohio State University’s female students and alumnae identified the need for a Women’s Building as early as 1908 when just a small room in University Hall served as their social center. Thirty-five women met to construct a plan to make this room, nicknamed the “Gab Room,” cozier and more attractive. A Women’s Council, open to all University women with an annual membership fee of 25 cents, was organized to spruce up the room.
After improving the condition of the Gab Room, the Council spent the next several years generating enthusiasm for a Women’s Building. In 1917, the Women’s Council appeared before the Board of Trustees and requested an appropriation be included in the University budget for a Women’s Building thereby symbolizing an increased presence and significance of women on campus.
The trustees, believing it was only appropriate to include requests for academic buildings in the budget, gave the women permission to appear before the legislature to request their building. A committee of 88, comprised of women from each county in the state, asked their friends and family to contact their legislators in support of the building. The women’s campaign succeeded and they obtained an appropriation of $150,000 from the legislature for the building. However, a University ban on building projects during World War I delayed the construction of the building. An appropriation of $90,000 was added to the original allocation in 1919 when the war ended.
University architects determined the $240,000 to be insufficient for the construction of the whole building. A decision was made to build the structure in two phases. Ground breaking for the first phase, in the summer of 1919, included the gymnasium and social center.
On August 2, 1921, the Board of Trustees officially named the building Pomerene Hall in memory of alumnus and former trustee Frank E. Pomerene and the gymnasium was put into use in the fall of 1922. The second construction phase was completed in 1927 and included the natatorium, lounges, kitchen, and the Pomerene Refectory cafeteria.
Pomerene Hall served as the Women’s Building until the High Street Ohio Union opened in 1951.
Ohio Union (1951-2007)
In January 1947, a student committee obtained 14,235 signatures on petitions requesting the Board of Trustees to build a new Union for both men and women. At the June 30 Board of Trustees meeting, President Bevis reported the new Union was “a going project” and by fall students began contributing to the building’s cost and offering suggestions for what they wanted included.
The model of the “Dream” Union was unveiled in January 1949. The design surpassed the students’ desires and incorporated ideas gathered from a campus wide survey and visits to other Midwest schools. As a principal planner of the building, Frederick Stecker (Director, 1946-1957) understood the necessity of the Ohio Union to continuously evolve to meet the needs of succeeding generations.
Construction started on June 14, 1949 and the efforts of the “student-stockholders,” current and past, were realized at the building dedication on November 17, 1951. The facility, considered one of the largest and finest college unions, included dining facilities which ranged from a cafeteria to the Terrace Dining Room, two spacious ballrooms, Browsing Library, Music Lounge, 18 billiard tables, 16-lane bowling alley and 19 offices for student organizations.
Wendell Ellenwood (Director, 1958-1983) remembers it as “a place to learn the social graces in life.” Up until the 1960s, the Ohio Union had a strict dress code which required men to remove their hats before entering the building. The Union adjusted its services accordingly during the late 1960s and early 1970s as an era of turmoil spread across the nation and protestors demonstrated on university campuses.
At the Union’s 75th anniversary celebration, John Ellinger (Director, 1983-88) said “today’s students are looking for more from us.” To meet these expectations, the Union opened a free micro-computer lab in 1985 which then-Associate Director David Mucci (Director, 1989-1993) described as “a much needed service for the OSU Community.”
The success of the Union made it difficult to maintain the facility and the charm of the building began to fade. A study in 1986 concluded $10 million would need to be spent by 1994 to maintain the plumbing, roofing, and heating systems.
Plans for renovating the Union were drawn up in 1994. The proposal was defeated in a student referendum in 1995, proving, once again, that support from the student body would be a key factor.
Unable to address the facility’s structural inadequacies, Rebecca Parker (Director, 1994-2001) focused on programming at the Union. Tracy Stuck (Director since 2001) merged the Office of Student Activities with the Ohio Union staff to support the Union’s mission of providing students with the best services and activities. Stuck also brought a Buckeye theme back to the building by making aesthetic changes and adding scarlet and gray into the décor. Despite the improved appearance, the building was still outdated.
During the 2003-2004 academic year the three student governments rallied support to successfully campaign for a new Union. Joining the students’ efforts, the Union staff presented a “road-show” exhibit to student organizations, residence halls, and anyone who was interested in learning more about a new Ohio Union.
By June 2004, the Board of Trustees approved plans to demolish the 1951 building and construct a new Union on the same site. The dream of a new building was finally becoming a reality!
The Union hosted two farewell dinners in November 2006, one for student leaders and one for staff and alumni. With music and attire from the 1950s, guests experienced what life was like when the facility opened. Demolition of the 1951 structure was completed in September and construction of the new Union commenced in October.
Ohio Union (2010-Present)
In October 2002, students, staff, faculty, and consultants began their involvement in the support and design for a new Ohio Union. Countless students participated in each phase of construction. A group of students visited student unions across the country to determine what type of union to construct. This experience also helped the students to realize that a student union fee was necessary to support the activities of a new student union, which the student government councils supported.
Students met with the architects throughout the design process to help the designers craft spaces from lounges to student organization offices to meeting rooms that meet student needs. Students helped select furniture by testing samples and voting on their favorite pieces. Students will also be integral in planning events in the new Ohio Union.
After the Board of Trustees approved the construction project in the June 2004, the Ohio Union prepared to say goodbye and honor the 50+ years of the previous structure. The Union hosted several Junk Parties to help organizations and offices throw out, archive, pack, and store their belongings before moving out of the union. But before everyone moved out, the Ohio Union commemorated the legacy of the “Old” Ohio Union in several ways. A commemorative cookbook and original prints were produced. The Ohio Union also hosted large farewell events for students and guests that commemorated the history of the building by telling generational stories while participants enjoyed food from that era. Guests were each given a display plate with the Ohio Union emblazoned on it. The campus community was also invited to a "Smudging Ceremony," a Native American ritual to help cleanse the project before construction.
As part of the our commitment to sustainability, the Ohio Union partnered with The Ohio State University chapter and Columbus chapter of Habitat for Humanity to help deconstruct the building. Members identified building components that could be resold at Habitat for Humanity's Build it Again Center, raising over $40,000 towards building a new house.
The Ohio Union held a Building Raising Ceremony on November 30, 2007, and the steel framework quickly took form, culminating in the placement of the last beam on May 9, 2008 during the Topping Ceremony. Throughout the construction process, students, staff, and consultants worked hard to ensure that even the smallest details will help make this building extraordinary. The building process culminated with the Grand Opening on March 29, 2010, followed by 30 days of events to celebrate the opening of the building.