herr2ck: Mines of Moria

Lord Hall was probably best remembered for its kooky relationship to the rest of campus, as it was designed to face a road that was never built. It is another of Ohio State’s recently demolished historic buildings, along with Brown Hall. Lord Hall’s site is currently bordered by 18th Avenue to the north, Annie & John Glenn Avenue and Hopkins Hall to the south, Stillman Hall to the east, and Denney Hall to the west.

History

Lord Hall’s original appearance in 1918. (Buckeye Stroll)

Lord Hall was designed in 1904 by Frank Packard, partner of Columbus firm Yost & Packard. Built by contractor John Hina, the building was completed in 1906. It was originally known as the “Mines Building,” as it was designed for the Departments of Mines and Ceramics. With a wood frame and brick exterior, Lord Hall was an example of the Neoclassical style.

1965 entrance detail. (Buckeye Stroll)

A small addition to the west wing of Lord Hall was designed by university architect Joseph N. Bradford in 1918. It was completed in October of that year. A larger single-story addition designed by university architect Howard Dwight Smith and built by the WPA was added to the east side in 1940. This brought Lord Hall to the form it existed in for much of its life.

A view of Howard Dwight Smith's addition to Lord Hall. (Knowlton Archives)

Lord Hall’s wood frame construction resulted in fire issues over its lifetime. The first happened in 1959, when a painter’s cloth fell onto a hot lightbulb left on overnight. The third floor was heavily damaged and other areas had water and smoke damage. Another fire was deliberate, caused by Vietnam War protestors in May 1970 when a firebomb was thrown inside. It damaged some of the printing equipment.

Lord Hall’s demolition in 2009. (Knowlton Archives)

Along with the expensive repairs from fires, Lord Hall was never ADA compliant and lacked an elevator. Since costs to retrofit it were more than razing the building, the university slated it for demolition. It was demolished in February 2009, and the site remains empty today.

The School of Mines Building was renamed to “Lord Hall” in 1912, after Nathaniel Wright Lord. Lord was the first dean of the College of Engineering and was a professor of metallurgy and mineralogy from 1879 until he died in 1911.