From Business First of Columbus, 11/28/05:

 

 

OSU eyes parking project for upgraded Ohio Union

Brian R. Ball Business First

 

Ohio State University has added an expanded parking garage to go along with its plans for a new Ohio Union.  The university has sent out a request for qualifications to architects interested in designing a 300- to 400-slot addition to the parking garage next to the Ohio Union. The project would include renovations to the structure's elevator, lighting and electrical wiring.

 

The project is expected to cost $14 million to $17 million.  The addition to the 1,064-slot parking garage will service the new Ohio Union, which would be built off North High Street and College Road north of West 12th Ave. The cost of that project is pegged at more than $100 million.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/11/28/story7.html

 

How many parking garages does OSU have? (I'm not making a statement, I'm wondering)

 

That Tuttle garage is pretty tight. (as in small and hard to manuver, not cool, although the brick facade looks better than most)

10 that I can think of atop of my head.  I'm sure we have more.

someone needs to do a photo tour of all the osu construction, like the RPAC and the new Research tower and the new Smith lab, etc.  It would be nice to see. 

 

That Tuttle garage is pretty tight. (as in small and hard to manuver, not cool, although the brick facade looks better than most)

 

Huh?  What have you tried to park in there?  A limo?!

Never had a problem manouvering in there. It's no worse than any other parking garage I've used in Columbus (or Baton Rouge) over the years

^dodge dakota

From the 5/23/06 (OSU) Lantern:

 

 

PHOTO: The Ohio Union as it stands today. In February 2007, the plans to rebuild the Ohio Union will begin.  Media Credit: Scott Coffman

 

Reconstructing the Union

Tim Ingle

Issue date: 5/23/06 Section: Campus

 

Next school year, the Ohio Union will begin its $115 million reconstruction process, slated to start February 2007 and be completed at about 2010, said Tracy Stuck, director of the Ohio Union.  The rebuilding will cause a lack of union space for current students during their time at Ohio State, but the benefits of the new Ohio Union will provide many options for future students.

 

"The benefits of a new Ohio Union are plentiful - a brand new building, new rooms, equipment, more meeting spaces and just the overall excitement of being in a new space," said Kaineen Robinson, OUAB adviser and senior coordinator of Student Involvement, in an e-mail.  The new building will have a "green" design and will be the only student union in the country that is designed to benefit the environment.

 

"The new facility will be amazing," said David Morgan, a junior in political science and an administrative intern at the Ohio Union, as well as the chairman of the Ohio Union Council. "The new student organization space will be multi-floor … more user-friendly and larger."

 

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/05/23/Campus/Reconstructing.The.Union-2013189.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

From Business First of Columbus, 7/14/06:

 

 

Ohio Union project back on track

Report defends plan to build $117 million replacement student union on OSU campus site of current facility.

Business First of Columbus - July 14, 2006

by Jeff Bell, Business First

 

Ohio State University's long-discussed Ohio Union replacement project has cleared an 11th-hour hurdle and is headed toward construction.  Administrators received approval July 7 from university trustees to enter construction contracts for the $117.4 million project. Construction is expected to begin in February and the student center should open three years later, according to a project timeline.

 

The 290,000-square-foot building will rise on the west side of North High Street at the site of the Ohio Union, which will be razed to make way for the project. Built in 1950, the student union is outdated and too costly to renovate, OSU officials have said.  "Our students want a top-quality facility they can be proud to call home," said Richard Hollingsworth, interim vice president for student affairs. "This is at its heart a student-driven facility."

 

Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/17/story5.html?from_rss=1

 

ive seen prelim. renderings of this place and if it goes according to the plans, this place will be AMAZING.  Too bad I will be long gone.  But great for OSU.  Also, I dont know if it is covered in the articles above, but they are going to build in front of the Union garage that currently faces High Street.  That will make that area much more attractive that the current state.  Save the air conditioning system!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the 10/10/06 (OSU) Lantern:

 

 

PHOTO: Construction on the Ohio Union is slated to begin in February of 2007. The new student union will cost around $115 million and is expected to open in 2010.  Media Credit: Matthew Hashiguchi

 

New Ohio Union project under way

Students could be forced to pay up to $55 per quarter for construction

Sarah Zaremba

Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: Campus

 

Ohio State students could be hit with a $20 to $55 fee to pay for the new Ohio Union.  The Union is expected to close in February to allow demolition of the 56-year-old building and break ground on a new student union on the same site.

 

The $115 million project was approved by the Board of Trustees and will be funded by four different sources: central funds from the university, capital funds from the Office of Student Affairs, union earnings and a student fee, which will go into effect when the new building opens, said Marie Thornhill, assistant director at the Ohio Union.

 

For updates on the Ohio Union project, visit ohiounion.osu.edu.

 

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/10/10/Campus/New-Ohio.Union.Project.Under.Way-2341398.shtml?norewrite200610151851&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com

 

Thoughts:

 

Between this project and the main library being shut down for 3 years, I am so glad I've already graduated.  Not finished until 2010?!  What a hassle for students.  When will the construction abate? :shoot: I like the idea of using the old Long's space for some things temporarily - still hoping something will be done with that building more permanently (instead of it being torn down eventually).

 

Sucks that there's going to be another student fee for this - didn't they already do that for the new rec center?

 

I agree with the kid quoted in one of the articles who said he only goes there for the food and the bank - and the food offerings had gotten a lot worse in recent years... well, I'm still mad that Chick-fil-A left, for one  :cry: but there ended up being all these no-name vendors and it was really depressing... and it always smelled gross in the food court too, like rancid dishwater.

 

A 24-hour diner is a good idea.

well, I'm still mad that Chick-fil-A left, for one

 

I was pissed as well.

You can see a preliminary model of the project on the architect's website:

http://www.michaeldennis.com/ look under 'InProgress'

 

The best I can say for the project is "yawn".

For $115 million dollars I was anticipating an exciting new addition to the High Street corridor, something really dynamic like the University of Cincinnati’s new Campus Recreation Center by Morphosis (Thom Mayne, last year's Pritzker prize winner). Instead they are building something that most people won't even notice is there.

^Agreed.

 

Didn't the original rendering include a glassy, oval-esque entrance?

From the 12/1/06 (OSU) Lantern:

 

 

PHOTO: Students at the Farewell to the Ohio Union dinner waited for festivities to begin Wednesday evening. Fifties-style tablecloths were part of a theme to honor the time period when the Union was built.  Media Credit: Beth Ullum

 

Students say farewell to Ohio Union at reflective bash

Campus fixture to close in January for renovations

Kathryn White

Issue date: 12/1/06 Section: Campus

 

A group of students and faculty gathered to bid the Ohio Union a fond farewell Wednesday night.  It had been 55 years - almost to the day - since the Union was dedicated in 1951.  Several classic antique cars were on display on the east side of the union, and coordinators dressed in retro-style clothing and handed out a reprint of a newspaper article that originally ran the day the union was dedicated.

 

Student Affairs is moving out of the union in January and the building is set to be torn down during spring quarter, said Heather McGinnis, assistant director of the Ohio Union. A new student union is expected to open in 2010.  "This event is for the student leaders on campus to celebrate the history of the Ohio Union," said Laura Corry, one of the coordinators of the event. She said the plan for the evening was to re-tell the union's history through a storyteller and various types of food that have been served at the union throughout its colorful history.

 

All of the services in the union will be relocated to different parts of campus. For more information visit ohiounion.osu.edu/new.

 

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/12/01/Campus/Students.Say.Farewell.To.Ohio.Union.At.Reflective.Bash-2517830.shtml?norewrite200612242137&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com

 

DING DONG, THE ***** IS DEAD!!!!

From the 1/17/07 (OSU) Lantern:

 

 

Student organizations move to new locations

Michael Evans

Issue date: 1/17/07 Section: Campus

 

After 56 years, the doors of the Ohio Union closed last week while student organizations, formerly situated in the building, packed up and headed to their new locations around campus. Temporary office areas, called "swing spaces", have been implemented for several prominent groups until the new Union is completed in 2010.

 

A primary swing space for many of these groups is the Ohio Stadium, between gates 22 and 24. The Ohio Union Information Center, Explore Columbus, Ohio Union and Office of Student Activities, the Makio, Student Governments and the Student Organization Resource Center (SOURCE) have all found a new home in Ohio Stadium, according to the Ohio Union's transition Web site.

 

Read more at

http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/01/17/Campus/Student.Organizations.Move.To.New.Locations-2651060.shtml

Tear down to build up

Ohio Union’s demise aids Habitat for Humanity

Friday, January 26, 2007

Kathy Lynn Gray THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

 

It’s the ultimate recycling project: 220,000 square feet of concrete, marble, metal, brick, wood and stone ripe for scavenging. Since December, Ohio State University students have been deconstructing the school’s massive student union, unscrewing, prying up and moving out anything that might have a second life elsewhere.

 

Pallet after pallet of ceiling tiles have left the building. Hundreds of plastic stacking chairs have been carried out. Pound after pound of lava rock and river stone have been shoveled into buckets and hauled away.  "We just kind of go nuts and take everything that we can," said Patrick Andrasko, president of OSU’s Habitat for Humanity student chapter.  Andrasko’s group is coordinating the tear-down project with the Greater Columbus Habitat group, which is selling the scavenged items to the public at its Build It Again Center, 3140 Westerville Rd.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/26/20070126-E1-02.html

 

From the 2/19/07 (OSU) Lantern:

 

 

Meeting space scarce for groups

Mary Dannemiller

Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: Campus

 

With the Ohio Union under construction, many student organizations are working with the Recreation and Physical Activity Center and Union staff to find new meeting spaces.  The Union used to offer free meeting spaces to student organizations. Now, the RPAC offers four meeting rooms with varying occupancies and prices, while the Union, temporarily located in the Ohio Stadium, is coordinating campus classroom use.

 

Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/02/19/Campus/Meeting.Space.Scarce.For.Groups-2728183.shtml

From The Ohio State University, 3/5/07:

 

 

Renderings of New Ohio Union Added!

March 5, 2007

 

As we continue to move forward with plans for the New Ohio Union, we are excited to share the most recent renderings of what the new building will look like when it opens in 2010.

 

You can also visit the New Ohio Union/Transition pages for information about the new building including: renderings, planning team information, project timeline, features of the new building and more!

 

http://ohiounion.osu.edu/article.asp?id=255

 

 

wow, not really cutting edge.

Bye, Bye!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's gone!  HIP HOP HOORAY!!!

Wow, so weird to see the Union gone... good riddance.

but...but....it was on the national registry of historic places....right?  I think thats the list.  Anyway....the air conditioning system.....nnnnoooooooooo(thats why it was on the list...right?) 

 

anyway, I am glad its gone.  It was sooo ugly and since i live on 13th and had to look at the building every day, I am happy. 

The think I'll miss about it is its character. It may have been ugly, but it had the character of a student union that had been "lived in." I like that better than the new Union at The University of Cincinnati that has the ambiance of a shopping mall.

Unfortunately, from the one rendering I viewed above, its replacement looks like a suburban office building.  Are there any more pics I can view which will hopefully make me wrong?

yea, it does kind of look like a suburban office building.  I think it kinda looks like Fisher, but I like Fisher and not this...I dunno, theres just something about it thats unappealing.  You can go to the union website to check out renderings, etc.  Check out grasscat's links around the image he posted.

The render matches the Fisher School of Business' architectural style.  I wonder if it's the same designers....  and I agree that it looks slightly uninspired.

Uninspired!

Thats putting it lightly.

And we get flack for the Gwathmy tragedy that will be at CSU.

Have you guys seen the video on their site? I looked at the drawings and they looked pretty blah... But when I watched the video I was rather impressed...

yea, I saw the video.  Still pretty blah to me unfortunately.

New construction photos of The New Ohio Union Building at OSU from http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8882&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40

 

 

Found some more on the New Ohio Union project at http://ohiounion.osu.edu/new/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

Columbus Dispatch article on the construction progress of the new Ohio Union.  Construction of the building is about one-third completed.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/12/08/ZONE1208.ART_ART_12-08-08_C8_L3C4UF4.html?sid=101

 

The three-story, 315,000-square-foot Ohio Union will feature the “great hall,” a three-story atrium. 

 

Rendering of the "great hall".

 

I drove by the building today and its moving right along! This is such an improvement over the old SU, which in my opinion was a total dump!

That rendering of the interior of the Union makes me laugh.  That is so unbelievably better than was already there...  they better bring the food court back though.

meh... This is a bland and uninspired design off someone's shelf.  Seems really inward focused rather than interacting with the campus environs.  Some variation in height may have improved its blocky blandness.  I give it a thumbs down - maybe it's better in person?

Just bring back Chick-Fil-A!

I think it looks much better than before.

it's Easton inspired  :-D

It's Fisher College of Business inspired.

meh... This is a bland and uninspired design off someone's shelf. Seems really inward focused rather than interacting with the campus environs. Some variation in height may have improved its blocky blandness. I give it a thumbs down - maybe it's better in person?

 

I agree completely. I was hoping a new Union would give the University a chance to truly do something unique and amazing, however just like with the Knowlton School of Architecture, I was disappointed once again. Some of the interior features do sound promising, such as the ballroom and performace space and the "Carmen Ohio" lyrics etched around the atrium. However, as nice as the interior might be, the exterior is looking to be a huge disappointment.

I think the new building looks great and will work well with OSU's existing building typologies.

Just thought I'd comment that I was in Columbus two weeks ago and did see the new Ohio Union from High Street.  I was sort of indifferent to the building design in the past, but I have to say it doesn't look all that bad in person, at least at this point one year from completion.  I look forward to checking out the interior once the building is finally completed.

Some construction photos of OSU's new Ohio Union and the attached parking garage at the Ohio Union construction photo gallery and the New Ohio Union website.  According to the website, the new Ohio Union is scheduled to open in Spring 2010. 

 

Fisheye view of the new Ohio Union side that faces High Street

 

 

Views from across High Street

 

 

 

 

View of the Union and the attached parking garage from the OSU side of High Street

Some aerial photos of OSU's new Ohio Union and the attached parking garage at the Ohio Union construction photo gallery and the New Ohio Union website.  According to the website, the new Ohio Union is scheduled to open in Spring 2010. 

 

High Street view - aerial views continue clockwise until College Road

 

 

 

 

 

View of the 12th Avenue side looking north down College Road and High Street

 

 

 

College Road view

 

Jealous!

Between that and the replacement for Larkins Hall.. today's OSU students are spoiled I tell ya!  They should all be limited to only Jesse Owens work out facilities and Cluck-U Chicken their freshman year to break them in right...