The Esteemed

September 2025.

These dated Mid-Century Modern dorms used to dominate campus north of Woodruff, but now their numbers have been reduced to six. According to Framework 3.0, these are planned for demolition and will be replaced by new dorms similar to the ones built as part of the North Residential District Transformation.

It’s important to note that as is typically the tradition with Modernist buildings, these replaced earlier (probably Victorian-era) houses that sat above Woodruff Avenue, which were demolished ending in the 1960s. Before the 1950s, campus did not extend beyond Woodruff Avenue. Ohio State purchased the land extending from the Olentangy River to Tuttle Park Place before the 1940s (think where St. John Arena, French Field House, and Converse Hall are now). Then, three tracts of land were taken from the original street grid of Columbus. They were all bordered by Lane Avenue to the north and Woodruff Avenue to the south, including three streets that no longer exist: Poe Alley, West Frambes Avenue, and Joe Alley.

The first tract was bordered by Neil Avenue to the east and Tuttle Park Place to the west. It was intended for dorm construction, but ultimately none were built here. Presently, this area houses the business school, Jesse Owens North, the Tuttle Garage, and BuckeyeLink offices.

The second tract was bordered by Peasley Street to the east (which no longer exists) and Neil Avenue to the west. This section currently houses the westernmost north campus dorms, including Torres House, Drackett Tower, Archer House, Norton House, Mendoza House, Scott House, Nosker House, the west half of Houston House, the west half of Jones Tower, and Blackburn House.

The third tract was bordered by High Street to the east and Peasley Street to the west. This area was free of buildings (except St. Stephen’s) and was acquired from the city of Columbus as part of an urban renewal project. Currently, Taylor Tower, Houck House, the east half of Houston House, the east half of Jones Tower, Raney House, Bowen House, Busch House, Halloran House, Barrett House, Haverfield House, and Curl Market stand here.

Neil Avenue was rerouted twice from its original straight layout--first connecting to the last remnants of W. Frambes and the alleys, since demolished, and again to its current layout, a tiny stub connecting to Tuttle Park Place north of Woodruff and diverging off of West 19th Avenue south of Bolz and Knowlton Halls. A new street replaced Peasley Street, which was called Curl Drive. This road, connecting to Lane Avenue where Houston House stands now and Woodruff Avenue where Curl Market is today, wound between all of the north dorms. It was demolished during the construction of the new north dorms.

As in other articles where I’m covering a series of buildings that are effectively identical, I split this article into sections about each individual structure.

Archer House History

Archer House is the northwesternmost of these dorms. It is located north of Norton House, south of Lane Avenue, east of Jesse Owens North and Neil Avenue, and west of Drackett Tower. 

Archer House in 1967. (Buckeye Stroll)

Archer House was designed by university architect W. E. Linch in 1964 and built from 1965-1966 by Baker & Coombs, in conjunction with the old Nosker House. While it opened as a men’s dorm, in 1968 the structure began to be converted to offices for administration. This alternative program spanned much of Archer House’s history, and it was only renovated for reuse as a dormitory in 2005. That would probably explain why its lobby has been renovated, unlike other dorms in this style.

John Archer, 1944. (University Archives)

Archer House was named after John Archer, an Ohio State alumnus who graduated in 1945. He studied communications and was a member of Romophos (an honor society for sophomores) and the student senate. He served in World War II as a lieutenant, earning the Bronze Star among other awards, but he died during the Korean War on July 29, 1950. Archer was the first Ohio State student to be killed in action during the Korean War.

Archer House Photos

West facade:

Note that the original aluminum four-pane windows have been replaced by double-hung ones.

East facade:

It seems like every Modernist housing complex of the period has massive towers (in this case Drackett and its fellows) and littler buildings surrounding it, all bordered by green space. These structures are those littler buildings.

This entry pavilion has neo-Modern tendencies but is obviously new construction.

Norton House History

Norton House is located north of Mendoza House, south of Archer House, east of Gerlach Hall, and west of Scott House. I had a friend who lived in this dorm when we were sophomores, and I still laugh when I remember how we ran away from an RA after another friend knocked a tile out of the drop ceiling with his head.

Norton House c. 1967. (Buckeye Stroll)

Norton House was designed by W. E. Linch in 1962 and built by Baker & Coombs beginning that year, opening in 1963. It was constructed in tandem with Haverfield House and old Scott House. This building served as a women’s dorm.

Fred Norton’s military portrait from 1917. (Buckeye Stroll)

Norton House was named after Fred “Nortie” Norton, an Ohio State student athlete who served in World War I. He was trained as a pilot and fought as a part of the 27th Aero Squadron alongside famous aviator Eddie Rickenbacker (also from Columbus!). Norton was injured during an air battle and died while receiving medical care on July 23, 1918. He was the first student athlete to be killed in action.

Norton House Photos

The bulk of Norton House:

Wonky, undulating lobby area:

Note the steel columns and lintels surrounding the glass curtain wall. Very Modern.

East facade:

I like this corbelled portico around the doors:

The rear side has this new community garden:

Norton House was the one dorm I went inside. Again, it was very boring and nothing really of note was there. Here is the lobby area:

A hallway, which is what much of the remainder of the building consists of:

Haverfield House History

Haverfield House sits north of MacQuigg Lab, south of Nosker and Barrett Houses, east of Blackburn House, and west of Curl Market. This was the second dorm I had a run-in with an RA with when visiting prior to making this blog. I was distributing bids for my nerd fraternity with some other members, all of us clad in suits. We got inside and some lady ran up to us asking what we were doing. After some persuading, and showing her our student IDs to prove we actually went to Ohio State, we were allowed to continue. We weren’t even up to no good THAT time…

A nifty color photo of Haverfield House in 1967. Tubular! (Buckeye Stroll)

As mentioned earlier, Haverfield House was part of the project that graced campus with Norton and old Scott House, so it was also designed and built at the same time. However, it was built as a men’s dormitory.

James Haverfield c. 1941. (Buckeye Stroll)

Haverfield House was named after James Haverfield, an Ohio State graduate in the class of 1930. He enlisted in the Navy in 1940, and was tragically killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, just five months after he was called to active duty. Beyond this dorm, Haverfield’s name was also given to a Navy destroyer escort.

Haverfield House Photos

North facade:

Entrance:

Houck House History

Houck House is located north of Barrett House, south of Houston House and Taylor Tower, east of Jones Tower, and west of Raney House. It was one of three dorms used as quarantine housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Houck House in 1965. Taylor Tower can be seen under construction in the background. (Buckeye Stroll)

Clad in brick with a concrete frame, Houck House was designed by university architect W. E. Linch in 1964 and was ready in the spring of 1966. It was built by Knowlton Construction Co. While built for and first occupied by women, it became a men’s dorm starting autumn 1966. 

Left: Edwin Houck c. 1944, Right: Ernest Houck c. 1941. (Buckeye Stroll)

Unlike the other dorms which were named after a single person, Houck House was named after two brothers--Edwin and Ernest Houck. Edwin Houck was the elder of the two and graduated from Ohio State in 1929 with a degree in communications. In autumn 1940 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (the Air Force’s predecessor) as a navigator, but was killed on December 9, 1944, after his bomber crashed after a bombing run in Vienna. Ernest Houck graduated almost a decade later in 1938, serving first as a flight instructor in Texas. He died on March 31, 1943, after a plane crash near Floyd Bennett Field in New York.

Houck House Photos

Northeast corner:

Unusually rounded entrance and north facade:

East facade:

West side and L-shape:

Barrett House History

Barrett House is located north of Curl Market, south of Houck House, east of Nosker House, and west of Halloran House. Like Houck House, it was also used as quarantine housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barrett House, 1967. (Buckeye Stroll)

Barrett House was the earliest of these north campus dorms, designed in 1961 by W. E. Linch and built in tandem with Halloran House. It was first occupied in autumn 1963 as a women’s dorm.

Barrett House was named after Thomas Barrett, an Ohio State student with a degree in agriculture who served in World War I. He was killed after his plane crashed into a fuel tank while flying with an instructor and was the first Ohio State student to die during World War I.

Barrett House Photos

Barrett House’s design is identical to Norton House, but it was designed a year earlier. Note the same entrance and lobby curtain walls:

These steel-frame-meets-curtain-wall moments are probably the most interesting out of the entire building. I don’t like the banality of Modern design or its planning principles, but I think in some cases the aesthetics of the period were interesting.

Halloran House History

Halloran House sits north of the sand volleyball pit next to Curl Market, south of Raney House, east of Barrett House, and west of Busch House.

Halloran House in 1967. (Buckeye Stroll)

Halloran House was part of the same project as Barrett House, designed by W. E. Linch and built by Baker & Coombs. It was first used by students as a men’s dorm in autumn 1963.

Halloran House was named after William Halloran, who graduated from Ohio State in 1938 with his degree in journalism. While an undergraduate, he wrote for the Lantern, and later worked for the United Press in Columbus and Cleveland. Enlisting in the military in 1940, he was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and a destroyer escort was also named in his honor.

Halloran House Photos

Entrance detail:

The design is also identical to Haverfield House, as seen in the I-shape in plan and lobby fenestration. North facade:

South facade:

Like their demolished contemporaries, these extant dorms are planned for demolition and will be replaced by new, taller ones.

Sources:

https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/24059

https://library.osu.edu/site/buckeyestroll/

https://library.osu.edu/site/archives/university-archives/

https://www.thelantern.com/2020/08/quarantine-chronicles-what-its-like-living-in-covid-19-housing/