Project Overview

A strong, vibrant student union contributes significantly to the life of an institution. Through the new construction project, the Ohio Union will nurture the mind, body, and soul of The Ohio State University community. The following links and the overview below provide information on the new Ohio Union project:

• New Ohio Union Features
• Sustainability & LEED Certification
• Timeline
• Planning Team
• Project Consultants

A Return to Greatness

Ohio State's first student union, Enarson Hall (1909), also served as the first student union at any public university. Enarson Hall originally served as the men's student union, so the University constructed Pomerene Hall (1924) as the women's student union. In 1947, students approached the University declaring that students were willing to pay a $5 per quarter fee to build a new, state of the art facility. In 1951, the Ohio Union opened as a model of a student union for the rest of the country.

Over the past 50 years, the Ohio Union enjoyed a celebration of memories, events, and Buckeye tradition. As the years rolled, students saw the need for a new union that would once again be recognized across the U.S. as the premier student union. [Learn more about the history of the Ohio Union]

A Student Led Initiative

Since October 2002, students, staff, faculty, and consultants have been involved in designing the new Ohio Union. The result is a project that involved students through the planning process to ensure that the new Ohio Union is a living room for the entire campus where students nourish their mind, body, and soul.

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.

A Farewell to the "Old" 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.

Building the New Ohio Union

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. With a planned opening in Spring 2010, the new Ohio Union is sure to be once again THE model for student unions!