Photos from January 2024.
Mendenhall Lab is a cute Renaissance Revival building on the Oval, currently housing the School of Earth Sciences. However, it was originally built as a much smaller building, and it has a more interesting history than I was expecting. It lies north of the South Oval, south of the main Oval green space, east of Orton Hall, and west of Hagerty Hall.
History
The Physics Building as it appeared after construction. Adjacent is Biological Hall. (School of Earth Sciences)
Mendenhall Laboratory was designed in 1903 by the firm Peters, Burns, and Pretzinger, an architecture firm active in Dayton during the early 20th century. This portion has a wood frame. It was originally planned to stand north of Hayes Hall, first to its northeast and later to its northwest, before the final location was determined by the Board of Trustees on August 15, 1903. It was built starting that December by D. W. McGrath and was finished by June 25, 1905. However, it was occupied a bit earlier (that March) and was “dedicated” by hosting…final exams! When it was built, Mendenhall Laboratory was known as the Physics Building, and it originally housed the Physics Department.
The Physics Building’s original footprint.
The Physics Building after its first addition in 1914. (Buckeye Stroll)
On March 18, 1914, the English Building (Electrical Hall) burnt down. To take its place, an addition was designed for Mendenhall Laboratory by university architect Joseph N. Bradford. Work began in April 1914, executed by Dawson Construction Co., and was ready on November 6 of that year. The two additions by Bradford are framed in concrete.
The Physics Building as it appeared in 1914.
The Physics Building, undated, after its second addition. (Buckeye Stroll)
In 1921, Bradford was commissioned again to build another addition on the west side. Construction began in January 1922, this time by E. Elford, and the Lantern reported it would open November 1. In total, these two additions brought the building to a total of 53,791 net assignable square feet.
The Physics Building’s footprint after Bradford’s second addition.
Before I get any further on the history, it’s important to note one weird feature of the building. When the original central structure was built, a brick on the south side was deliberately left out so a professor could use the sunlight that came through for his demonstration table. This professor was Benjamin Franklin Thomas, and he worked on the design of the building, also mandating the change in angle in relation to Orton Hall for the same reason. Originally, a small wooden door kept the elements out.
Mendenhall Laboratory c. 1939. (University Archives)
In 1929, Mendenhall Laboratory was renovated. Professor Thomas’ hole was bricked over, which was the main casualty of the renovation. A lighter colored brick was used, which was visible on the south wall about 50 feet high, but since another addition was added it is no longer visible.
The Department of Physics decided to move out of Mendenhall Laboratory in 1950, and the Department of Geology gradually moved in from adjacent Orton Hall from 1951-1960. They are the current occupants of the building.
An aerial view of Mendenhall Laboratory, undated, probably 1980s. (University Archives)
Another addition was built onto the south side of Mendenhall Laboratory after 1986 (unless John Herrick did not note it). It retains the same materiality and overall appearance. I think it was well designed and integrated, and I didn’t know this portion was built at a much later date until I began my research. A source mentioned a seismograph being added by the US Geological Survey to the basement during a renovation in 1993, so it may have been built then.
Mendenhall Laboratory’s current footprint.
Mendenhall Laboratory was named after Dr. Thomas C. Mendenhall, the first faculty member hired by Ohio State and one of the original seven professors. He originally taught at Columbus High School (and gruesomely attempted to reanimate a dead body there with electricity) before becoming a physics professor. He had quite the resume: director of the Ohio Meteorological Survey, president of Rose Polytechnic Institute in Indiana, superintendent of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, professor emeritus at Ohio State, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the last few years of his life. He even had a glacier named after him.
A portrait of Dr. Mendenhall in 1873. (CML)
Photos
I know the lighting on these isn’t great, but I have far less time to take photos lately, so instead of waiting for a sunny day like I would in the past I just have to take what I can get. Even though Mendenhall Lab is rather average on the exterior beyond certain ornamented areas, I think it’s one of my favorite campus buildings. The front facade was tough to get through the trees:
It’s easier to see from Orton Hall’s parking lot.
The design is pretty simple for a Renaissance Revival building, but the articulation is clear and symmetrical.
The central mass is tripartite, and two smaller modules are set back slightly. Bradford’s additions are extended forward beyond the bounds of the original building:
The two are integrated seamlessly, and they appear as part of the original building. The only real difference is that the additions have slightly paler brick.
I always had a penchant for the entrance portico:
Whenever I went to my classes inside, I felt like I was entering the Erechtheion, sans the caryatids. It is in the Doric order, seen in the columns, triglyphs, and simple entablature above. Even the smaller entrances to the stairs take on the same flair:
Heading towards the south, you can see how well the Postmodern addition responds to Bradford’s additions. Beyond the unweathered masonry, they are identical.
It is weird that the windows are missing, though:
I enjoy the rear facade as viewed from the South Oval (though obscured by foliage):
Okay…time for some details. Here’s what the ornamental spandrels look like up close:
They feature a miniature entablature with triglyphs and a little frieze above. I guarantee there’s some fancy word for the circle in the metope between the triglyphs, but I can’t find one anywhere online. (Edit: they are known as paterae!)
The capitals at the top of the engaged columns are almost Egyptian-like:
Balustrade:
The portico, with all its lovely rust and soot stains:
From the side:
I enjoy the elaborate ornamentation above the doorway.
The portico has a nicely stamped tin ceiling, but it’s looking a little worse for the wear:
These little wrought-iron banisters are also very pretty.
Inside, the first thing I saw was this plaque honoring Prof. Mendenhall:
The walls by the entrance also had some weird pictures that didn’t really seem related to the building or its program at all. My semi-educated guess is that they’re ROTC related, but I could be wrong.
The inside has been modernized pretty heavily. I’m betting it’s a result of the renovation during the 1990s.
A better look at the floor mosaic (not sure why the image quality is so crispy):
The geological theme continues pretty heavily throughout the first floor. These walls have a collage of rocks going on:
I bet my studio professor would look at that and praise its “idiosyncratic asymmetricality” or some other equally incomprehensible jargon. Look, my prose might be a little stilted, but it’s nowhere near the Voynich Manuscript-type readings that they throw at us during theory class.
A lot of display cases line the walls of the first floor. This one has a cool diorama and fossils:
Beyond that, it was pretty average classroom fare.
I didn’t get a chance to climb the “grand staircase,” but here’s its view north towards the Oval:
Note the Ansel Adams posters on the walls. The second floor is largely offices, as well as the Earth Sciences department headquarters. Here, the walls are lined with stone samples:
Marble…my favorite!
The third and fourth floors are nothing special, just more offices. I forgot to check out the basement, but it’s probably either more classrooms or lab space. Mendenhall Lab isn’t scheduled for renovation anytime soon, according to Framework 3.0. That’s a shame, it would be a good candidate for restoration.
Sources:
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/24059
https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/37314
https://library.osu.edu/site/buckeyestroll/
https://library.osu.edu/site/archives/university-archives/
https://earthsciences.osu.edu/about-us/about-our-location/history-mendenhall-laboratory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretzinger
https://www.columbusmakesart.com/place/10612-page-hagerty-hall
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