Dorm E

April 2024.

To the untrained eye, Siebert Hall might appear as if it is part of the Park-Stradley-Smith-Steeb complex of dorms. However, it was actually built earlier, and in the past it housed women as opposed to men. Read on to find the subtle differences in architecture.

History

Siebert Hall is located on the far south side of campus. It is bordered by Park-Stradley Hall to the east, Morrison Tower to the west, Paterson Hall to the north, and 11th Avenue and Jesse Owens South to the south. Siebert was built basically right on top of Paterson, and Morrison was then constructed right next to Siebert, so they appear connected from above. However, they’re actually not--the connection to Morrison appears to be a utility room, and the structure between Siebert and Paterson is used to circulate to and from the green space between these buildings.

Siebert Hall c. 1954. (Buckeye Stroll)

Siebert Hall was designed by university architect Howard Dwight Smith; likely one of his last works, as he died a few years later. Construction started in May 1955 by Frank Messer & Sons, Inc., and cost 1.3 million dollars. Like other buildings on campus from this era, it had a reinforced concrete frame clad in brick. It was first occupied by students in autumn 1957.

Siebert Hall in 1957. Note the no longer extant street running east of the building. (Buckeye Stroll)

John Herrick notes a few alternative names for Siebert Hall. In Smith's drawings, he refers to it as “Residence Hall for Women--Unit E.” Similarly, old campus maps were labeled as “Dorm E.” Finally, The Lantern called Siebert “East Hall” in an October 1957 article, possibly in error.

Siebert Hall was named after Annie Siebert (1864-1947), the first woman to earn a master’s degree from Ohio State (and only the sixth to earn a degree!). She was also the first woman to earn an architecture degree from any school, as she went on to study at MIT after OSU. She was known for a few other firsts, like being the first “May Queen,” an award bestowed by the Browning Literary/Dramatic Society, the first campus women’s organization. She sounds like a badass to me!

Annie Siebert c. 1930s. (Buckeye Stroll)

Annie Siebert was known for her art skills--she painted miniatures and oil paintings. She was married to Wilbur Siebert, a professor teaching history at Ohio State. She died in 1947, and fittingly an oil painting was commissioned, which was hung in Siebert Hall.

Two women pose with the oil painting of Siebert c. 1958. (Buckeye Stroll)

According to Herrick, Siebert Hall has 51,295 square feet of net assignable space. Beyond its construction, Siebert Hall was renovated at least once (from 2012-2013, in conjunction with Smith and Steeb Halls).

Photos

Since Siebert Hall sits right next to my old abode (Park-Stradley Hall), it was pretty easy to walk right over one day and start taking pictures. Here’s the main, east façade:

I got this one about a day or so before I started taking my other photos, mainly because that sidewalk became choked with cars during move-out season. The spandrels are metal, unlike the stone ones of Park-Stradley and Smith-Steeb.

From the top of the nearby garage:

The back is really funky and doesn’t mirror the opposite side:

You can see that the massing is almost identical to Park Hall et al., but the fenestration is much different. I believe the part that has no windows is where the elevators are. Some of the dorms must be stuck with the tiny crappy windows. They stick out from the other normally-sized ones.

I got my telephoto lens out and got detail shots of the oriel windows, which I’m really happy with…

…as well as the Block O molded into the brick. I love that detail, it adds a bit of texture to an otherwise empty section of the façade, and provides a focal point for the eye. You can see in earlier photos that it is exactly in line with the 11th floor windows.

Above the Block O, there is the subtlest amount of ornament that appears to drip down from the metal flashing on the roof. I never noticed it until I zoomed in near the area with my camera, and I’d consider myself a pretty observant person, especially of tiny details.

Upon entering Siebert Hall, I was shocked at how small the building was. I presume it is similar to how the floor plans to Park-Stradley and Smith-Steeb Hall were before the buildings were connected. It’s very small and skinny. Here’s a look down Floor 10’s hallway:

You can see how this dorm was also renovated around the same time as P-Strad and Smeeb because the carpet and lights have been updated similarly. This building is 11 stories, but the floors are separated by gender. Normally I start at the top of a dorm and work my way down to get photos I might have missed, but the 11th floor was all girls and there were people studying in the common areas, so I decided to at least blend in a little on 10. I did get the view out of the 11th floor window facing south, though (admittedly rather hastily):

I had to go all the way down to floor 7 to find an empty study space to take a picture of, since it was finals season:

Fancy. I also noticed that the roof access was barred off, and since this was the first dorm I explored, I thought it was worth capturing:

Sadly, there were a lot of people coming and going in the lobby, and it was rather messy due to people moving out. The best I could do was this clandestine phone photo:

The area to the left is a kitchen, and in front are the elevators and front desk. There was a small enclosed study room behind me.

I think Siebert Hall is the strongest entry of the south campus high-rises, simply because Smith put so much more detail in it than the later W. E. Linch work. That and I have a thing for oriel windows, I guess.

Sources:

https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/24059

https://knowltondl.osu.edu/index.php/Gallery/1

https://library.osu.edu/site/buckeyestroll/

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2011/08/22/dorm-fixes-will-squeeze-ohio/23606897007/