herr2ck: X Those M's

November 2024.

Morrison Tower is another one of those unremarkable brick things on south campus. It really barely even tries to be architecturally interesting, its only real detail being on the 11th Avenue entrance. As a result, my coverage will be more limited and critical.

History

Morrison Tower is located on the far south side of campus, like the other south dorms. It’s located by Paterson and Bradley Hall to the north, 11th Avenue and the parking garage to the south, Siebert Hall to the east, and Canfield Hall and Fechko House to the west.

Morrison Tower c. 1967. (Buckeye Stroll)

Morrison Tower was designed by university architect W. E. Linch in 1960. Construction began in 1961, contracted to Garwick & Ross, Inc., and students moved into the dorm on September 19, 1962. John Herrick must have witnessed this, because he wrote “author’s personal recollection and calendar notation” in his entry. Morrison Tower cost 1.6 million dollars to build, and its net assignable square footage was 59,896 as of 1986. It follows the typical materiality of these mid-century south campus dorms--reinforced concrete frame with a brick exterior. Like Siebert and Paterson Halls, Morrison Tower was likewise built as a women’s dorm, and it shares the weird alternate letter name (“Dorm F”).

Mary Morrison in 1879. (Buckeye Stroll)

Mary Franc Morrison (Campus Planning, Buckeye Stroll, and her portrait all spell her name incorrectly) was the first woman to ever graduate from Ohio State. She earned her bachelor’s in science in 1879, the second graduating class. After graduation, she married Sidney Short, a fellow alum who later served as vice president of the University of Denver. She died in 1930.

I believe Morrison has not been renovated recently, beyond minor updates like furniture and carpet, unlike most of the other dorms of its kind. I couldn’t find anything from my usual sources about any changes that were made. Its documented history stops right after construction.

Photos

Oopsies…when I visited I forgot to take a shot of the main facade. Here’s one from March 2024.

From the top of the nearby parking garage:

The archetypical metal sign on every mid-century building on campus:

Here’s a closer shot of that “M” detail near the entrance, and the blue tiles above:

Heading around the side, a cloudy day’s diffuse light reflected off the spandrels in a most pleasant way, creating some fine abstract photography:

I also like these Googie-reminiscent corbels.

Datestone:

Around back, the design is pretty similar to neighboring Siebert Hall.

Another sneaky detail is these little brick crosses across the 11th floor, just like Siebert’s subtle ornament in the same place. Architectural detailing? Harumph! Not on my Modernist buildings!

As you can see in the above photo and this next one, a lot of off-colored brick is used around the back, which was probably meant to use up leftover building materials while hiding them in an area not generally seen by the public. Another thing I admittedly enjoy about architecture is when materials are used in unorthodox ways, and even though this is a mild example, I still find it interesting.

When I headed inside, the thing that struck me was how anachronistic the lobby seemed. Although most of the treatment is staunchly Modernist, like the cinderblock walls and dropped ceiling; the wainscoting, dark wood furniture, and chandeliers seem like a step backwards. The lighting fixtures and furniture are most definitely not original, and I’m inclined to say the same about the wainscoting, though I could be wrong.

Hanging on the lobby wall is a portrait of Mary Franc Morrison, which features pleasing Gothic-style text:

I also like the patterns of the floor tile. You’ll have to excuse my poor photography of this one:

Heading up the stairs, they felt very cramped and utilitarian. It didn’t help that the windows are basically microscopic, which exacerbated the poor light of the day.

Here’s a standard hallway in the building, taken on the first floor of the four-story wing:

Morrison is L-shaped in plan until the fifth floor, which becomes an I and appears similar to the other south campus towers. Unlike those buildings, however, it lacks any windows into the corridors, so they become dark and depressing. I also like being able to see the view out of the top windows, which wasn’t the case that day.

Heading down the stairs, I saw this cool sticker on one of the stairwell doors. You can also tell the door used to be painted red. If I had to guess, it’s probably original to the building.

I still entered as a suspicious person, though. ;)

When I went down to see the basement, I immediately had to shed a layer because it was so sweltering. I must have been near the furnaces or something. It is a confusing labyrinth filled with locked doors and branching hallways. The laundry room is massive and filled with all sorts of odd machinery.