Photos from November 2024.
Page Hall sticks out from the other Oval classroom buildings of similar massing and style by having the entire middle section gutted and replaced by a glass atrium. I actually like the final product, though I wish it was applied to a weaker work of architecture like Hagerty Hall. Page Hall is located on the very southeast edge of the Oval, bordered by the Wexner Center to the north, the Union to the south, Sullivant Hall to the east, and Hagerty Hall to the west.
History
Page Hall in 1903. (Buckeye Stroll)
Page Hall was designed in 1901 by W. Stillman Dutton (a Cleveland architect) in the Renaissance Revival style with a Spanish tile roof. It was framed with wood and clad in brick, but the library was built with more fireproof materials. It was built starting in May 1901 by George Feick, and the building was dedicated on June 23, 1903. Page Hall was originally designed for the law school, hence its alternative name as the “Law Building,” and it housed law classes until Drinko Hall opened in 1959. Prior to Page Hall’s construction, the law school held classes in the Franklin County Courthouse. Students also petitioned for the building to be named “Hunter Hall” after the dean of the law school, which did not stick.
The Law Library c. 1910. (University Archives)
When it was built, Page Hall housed the Law Library and the Department of Archaeology, which had a small museum area to display specimens. The Department of Archaeology has since become the Department of Anthropology, and it now resides in Smith Lab.
The archaeology specimen display, 1910. (University Archives)
After the law school moved out, the College of Business occupied Page Hall to supplement Hagerty Hall starting in 1960. According to John Herrick, a major renovation occurred between June 1965 and July 1967. This brought the building to a total of 35,568 net assignable square feet. The College of Business moved out when its new campus was built.
Page Hall’s exterior in 1947. (Buckeye Stroll)
Page Hall was most recently renovated from 2003-2004 by Lincoln Street Studio, creating its current iteration. This renovation gutted the entire interior of the building (leaving just the brick shell), removing both center facades and creating a glass wall in front and a funky glass box in back. Additionally, the roof was replaced with a similar red tile. It currently houses the College of Public Affairs, the John Glenn Institute (a program that trains public officials and offers student internships) and the School of Public Policy and and Management.
Page Hall is named after Henry Folsom Page, an Ohio attorney who mysteriously donated his life savings to Ohio State after his death. His family apparently contested this, but the university received $200,000 of his donation in time for the building’s completion. How unusual.
Photos
A huge contrast from the above 1947 photo…here’s how the facade looks today:
The east and west wings appear as built, however, the entire central section was gutted and replaced by a massive glass curtain wall. The original Ionic columns stand, but now they only support a comically tiny lintel, and metal poles continue upwards to the roof. Here’s a better look at the old columns and new glass:
You can tell it was Hate Week…all the M’s are x’ed out. (This was right before 5-loss Xichigan upset us 13-10.) Additionally, another architectural design choice is visible--the denial of the usual grand entry into a Neoclassical building. Many famous works inspired by classical architecture (and several on OSU’s campus) have a series of steps leading upward to the central entrance. Here, that original axis remains, but abruptly deflects leftwards into the very left corner of the middle section.
The projecting northwestern facade:
Remember back when architecture was governed by symmetrical organization and fine detail? At least good Modernist architecture upheld these principles. Now, everything has to be schizophrenic. Zaha Hadid could never…
The west side features more of the same symmetry and Doric pilasters. Another odd moment is visible here--it cuts into the sidewalk for whatever reason. I think College Road must have been rerouted at some point during Page Hall’s lifetime.
Around back…what the hell…
Did a UFO crash into the back of Page Hall or what???
A more orthogonal view of the east facade:
While taking photos of Sullivant Hall from the top floor of the north Union garage, I got a view of Page Hall’s roof and the massive truss supporting the addition:
Underneath the original stairs is a plaque detailing Henry Page’s life:
The bottom floor of Page Hall is dominated by a sort of museum that honors the achievements of alumni of the College of Public Affairs. It also has a lot of memorabilia related to Ohio’s astronauts. (Ohio is one of the largest producers of astronauts, and both John Glenn and Neil Armstrong were from Ohio.)
Trippy…
The ground floor has a few classrooms, too:
The first floor holds offices in the wings, as well as a study room in the central portion.
I couldn’t figure out how to get to those catwalks, which irked me. The second floor is more of the same. I thought the transition between the interior and exterior of the “cube” was cool, though:
On the top floor, I began to find some interesting things. The trusses and structure of the roof are exposed in the office wings:
I think this document verifies the dedication of Page Hall after its addition:
In the middle is this little library:
Now this conference room is fancy…I wonder what decisions have been made here.
Like Hagerty Hall, Page Hall was renovated pretty recently and is doing well for the time being. Unless the “cube” is removed, I can’t imagine what other work would need to be done.
Sources:
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/24059
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/37314
https://library.osu.edu/site/buckeyestroll/
https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/dompdf/architectDomPrint.php?afil=&archID=70
https://www.thelantern.com/2003/08/page-hall/
https://www.thelantern.com/2004/02/makeover-ending-at-page-hall/
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