herr2ck: The End of an Era

Photos from March-October 2024.

Hughes Hall, the longtime home of the School of Music, has found itself empty and its future in limbo. I was unable to enter the building, as it was closed after the construction of the Timashev Family Music Building. As a result, my coverage will be more limited. Hughes Hall is located on the northeast corner of the Oval, bordered by Stillman Hall to the north, the Oval’s green space to the south, Timashev and Weigel Hall to the east, and Hayes Hall to the west.

History

The groundbreaking ceremony of Hughes Hall in 1947. It took me a minute to get my bearings, but this view looks northwest, presumably from the Armory. Hayes Hall’s northeast wing and annex can be seen at middle left. Lord Hall is at top middle. Stillman Hall is at top right, almost out of view. (University Archives)

Hughes Hall was originally designed in 1941 by university architect Howard Dwight Smith. However, it was put on hold due to World War II and restrictions on non-defense related construction. Final plans were approved on March 25, 1946, and the building was the first major post-war structure on campus. Hughes is another building whose style I cannot exactly pinpoint, but it looks vaguely Neoclassical to me. It was built with a reinforced concrete frame and a brick exterior. Construction started in 1947 by Haig M. Boyajohn and Associates and was finished in October 1949.

Hughes Hall under construction in 1948. (OSU School of Music)

Hughes Hall was built to house the School of Music after its original home, the old Music Building (Rickly House), was demolished. It also was the home of the Music Library before it moved to Sullivant Hall in 1975.

Like Timashev, Hughes Hall held a dedication concert. I wish I could see the auditorium today and see how it compares to how it looked in 1949:

(OSU School of Music)

I couldn’t find much history beyond the early stuff, so let’s jump to 2011--Hughes Hall was renovated to update the acoustics and modernize the building. While this helped the practice rooms, apparently the auditorium was still having acoustic issues.

In 2022, after the construction of the Timashev Family Music Building, the School of Music left Hughes Hall. This is the state in which it currently sits, unused by any university department and inaccessible to students. While Hughes seemed to have a Baker Hall-like reputation (interestingly, they were designed by the same architect and built in the same decade), most students miss it and remember their time there fondly. The School of Music’s "Hughes Hall Legacy" page holds a lot of testimonies from alumni, which I found interesting to read. According to Framework 3.0, it is planned to be renovated soon, so the building may see a future.

Royal Hughes in 1926. (University Archives)

Hughes Hall is named after Royal Hughes, the director of the School of Music from 1925 until his death in 1938. During his tenure, he apparently attracted much attention to Ohio State’s music program, changing it from one that was rather small to having national recognition.

Photos

It was challenging to get a shot of Hughes Hall’s main facade due to its proximity to Timashev, even with my widest lens. I think this angled one from March 2024 does the best job:

The trees being leafless also helps for visibility purposes. Here’s a straight shot of the center and its windows:

The “dog-bone” appearance of this building in plan is pretty similar to a lot of campus buildings from around the turn of the 20th century until the 1950s. In this case, it’s just elongated, and the entrances are at either side instead of in the middle. Detail of the entrance:

You can see the “Hughes Hall is NOW CLOSED” signs on the doors, the lovely metal signs (I always enjoy seeing these on campus buildings), and the crude ADA-compliant wheelchair ramp.

Even though the building is a little bare, it still has plenty of opportunities for three-dimensionality, as seen above. I can’t really say the same about the side profile, though:

The south side has this projecting bay. I’m not sure what it was used for, but one part of me imagines that it was the director of the School of Music’s office. It would be pretty cool to have a huge office that overlooks the Oval.

In the back, I was surprised by the cream-colored brick that spanned the second and third floors. It’s tucked away behind Hayes and Hopkins Hall, so I don’t think people really get back here that much.

One of the projecting wings from the back:

Continuing onward, a very large one-story wing jutted outward, which I have to assume is the rehearsal hall.

I then went inside Timashev to try and get some detail shots of the roof’s ornament. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped, but I’ll put them here anyway. (For a building that’s only 2 years old, why are its windows so dirty already?!)