About

The name of this project comes from John Herrick, campus planner of Ohio State from 1956 to 1967. Herrick compiled documentation of every single building on campus, knowledge that is preserved to this day on Ohio State websites. In his spirit I sought to document every interesting building that is or ever was on campus, explain their history, and give my sardonic takes on the architecture or general contributions to campus in a way that’s accessible to the average college student (so a more Gen-Z perspective). Since I have concluded my campus architecture survey, I have expanded to buildings I find interesting elsewhere.

I'm not a photographer, nor a historian, nor any sort of fancy-pants architectural connoisseur. I'm an average Ohio State student (who admittedly is drawn to architecture, history, and writing). Therefore, my information may not be presented in the most effective manner possible, and my photos won't be hanging on the wall of a $2000/mo apartment in the Short North anytime soon, but I believe my research and commentary makes up for it. I also don't edit my photos beyond cropping/rotating them. I write to preserve this information and to entertain, not to seek any noble goal. I don't operate under the assumption that I am somehow above other people my own age; after all, I was once just a kid who happened to be interested in architecture and exploring. It’s never too late to begin a new hobby.

My two inspirations for making this site were legendary architectural historian Richard Nickel and the website nailhed.com. The former is well known to preservationists: a photographer who documented Gilded Age architecture in Chicago as the Modernist-era plague of urban renewal knocked these buildings down with fervor. The latter I found randomly while browsing Reddit--a commenter linked his article on the Packard Plant in Detroit. Though his content depicts a much more desolate Detroit from 20 years ago, his thoughtfully researched and sometimes harshly worded blog posts were very entertaining to read. It’s said that architecture involves constantly changing and improving upon earlier precedents, and in that same vein I want to make my own way forward, taking inspiration from the work of these two.

I try to stay objective as much as possible, but my thoughts in regards to historic preservation, certain styles of architecture, and social issues will become very apparent upon reading a few articles. My argument is thus: no contemporary work of architecture, no matter how grand or ambitious, is worth tearing down an important historic building. Although restoration may not be the most cost-effective approach, it is the one that favors the aesthetics of the city and preserves character. If city officials focused less on profits and what’s in and out of style, and more on history and public opinion, our cities would become a lot more beautiful.

I don't use AI for any purposes of this website, period. Everything featured is my own original writing.