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Ohio Union, top to bottom

Posted on | March 17, 2010 | 6,901 views |

If you’re a Buckeye, you can’t help but feel special about the new Ohio Union

By Adam King

To walk through the entire Ohio Union is like taking a jaunt into different worlds. Some rooms have intimate architectural details, such as relief designs in the ceiling tile that bring an old-world feel to an otherwise modern structure. Other rooms are blasts of bright one-of-a-kind scarlet carpeting in functional spaces.

Ohio State nostalgia is awash throughout. An interesting trivia question — officially still unknown — would be how many renditions of Block “O” appear in the design and décor found everywhere: In the floor tiling, in the hanging lamps in Woody’s Tavern and Sloopy’s Diner, on the window shades of the Ohio Staters Inc. Board Room, as the shape of the chandeliers in the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom and beyond.

The Ohio Union is OSU’s $118 million on-time and on-budget commitment to bringing its outdated union into the 21st century and perhaps set the trend for other universities. The old union was at the time of its construction in 1951 the largest of its kind in the country and was arguably considered the best.

Students were intimately involved in the design of the new building, and after visiting more than 40 student unions with Ohio Union Director and Assistant Vice President for Student Life Tracy Stuck, the consensus was that too many of those buildings had no personality or unique characteristics. The new union goes above and beyond doing just the opposite, creating a space that has something for everyone who works and studies on campus.

“Students were very vocal about wanting a building that couldn’t just be plopped down on any college campus,” Stuck said. “They wanted a standing symbol of all that makes Ohio State — and Ohio — special. We think all visitors to the building will have a lot of fun discovering all the little nooks and crannies. There are surprises around almost every corner, and I look forward to seeing the looks on faces when people come upon little touches they weren’t expecting.”

Starting from the bottom up, the Ohio Union features an area dedicated solely to creativity. Most impressive is a seven-station instructional kitchen. Video cameras at the main station can link cooking demonstrations to television screens throughout the union, and the Ohio Union Activities Board is hoping to use the facilities to lure some Food Network stars to come cook at OSU. The kitchen also will be used for teaching students how to cook, training hospitality management majors and team building through creating meals or dishes.

This level also marks the return of the Creative Activities Program, which will begin in the fall and is ideal for its offerings. In addition to the kitchen area are two hardwood-floor dance rooms, an arts and crafts room and a meeting room dedicated to the land-grant mission of the university complete with mural representing bovine Maudine Ormsby, the 1926 homecoming queen, and cowprint carpet.

A large art storage area is located here as are lockers for the union employees.

It is here that visitors get the full-bore taste of Ohio and Ohio State, both visually and gastronomically.

The union entrances from High Street and College Road lead into the Great Hall, with its floor emblazoned with the university seal (a gift from the 2007 graduating class) and state-quarried limestone paneling carved with the words to Carmen Ohio. A life-size bronze Brutus Buckeye is a welcoming feature and photo opportunity.

The main food court, known as the Union Market (or The “U”), features the Fired Up! grill, the Across the Field salad station, the Dough-HI-O sandwich shop and Buckeye Passports, which features international cuisine that in part comes from recipes submitted by students.

Sloopy’s Diner, which will have Ohio-grown and raised food, brings a 1950’s nostalgia with polished stools at the diner counter and sandwiches named after student leaders and alumni. It also features a private dining room that can host up to 30 people.

Woody’s Tavern, a carryover from the old union, recycled the union’s ballroom floors for its use, and its dim lighting and pub feel should be a welcome respite from what will be the hustle and bustle of the rest of the building. Alcohol, including Ohio beer and wine, will be served here, and to get the liquor license, the Ohio Union will have to close for two hours each day between 4-6 a.m. The other 22 hours it will remain a hub of activity.

As part of the union’s quest to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, all vegetable cooking oil used in the dining areas will be recycled into biodiesel fuel.
“We’ve worked really hard — and will continue working hard — to keep a focus on environmental friendliness, which also was encouraged by students,” Stuck said. “The potential of earning LEED certification has pushed us to re-think many of our long-held marketing and operations practices, so we’ve learned a lot throughout the process. My favorite part about the initiative has been the concept of ‘reuse.’

“I love seeing components from the old building here in the new union. It’s also heart-warming to think of all the good that was done for families in Ohio through our former building donations to Habitat for Humanity.”

Other first-floor amenities include Express-OH, the union’s answer to Starbucks, where specialty coffee and homemade gelato will be served within view of the CABS bus stop on College Road; a US Bank branch with four ATMs; and a retail store, aptly named Station 88, which represents the number of counties in Ohio.

Three of the building’s largest gathering spaces can be found on the first floor as well, including the US Bank Conference Theater (complete with green room and two dressing rooms), which seats 293, has Ethernet ports and power outlets at every chair and can be used for worldwide videoconferences or lectures.

The Performance Space, with its unique swirl chandeliers and colored-rock sconces, can hold 500 people. This space and others are hot commodities since they already are pre-booked for nearly 20 weddings or receptions.

“First and foremost, we built the Ohio Union with students in mind as our primary users,” Stuck said. “But we also paid special attention to making the building flexible and functional from an event and conferencing perspective; there are a lot of small meeting spaces on campus, but not as many medium and large spaces. And of course non-university clients were also considered; we had hopes of expanding our wedding business — we just had no idea how quickly this would happen. Who knew that ‘weddings in the round’ would be on the upswing the year we open a building with a round meeting space (the Round Meeting Room on the third floor)?”

The Great Hall Meeting Room can seat 500 and features, like all of the 30 meeting spaces in the union, a state-of-the-art sound system, LCD projector and motorized screen.
The Multicultural Center also resides on the first floor along High Street, a much more easily accessible location from when it was relegated to the fourth floor of the old union. An erasable glass panel at the entrance allows visitors to write down what inspires them.

Outside is the main courtyard along College Road where a raised stage can be built for a concert with the audience standing on the South Oval. There also is a fire pit in the South Courtyard that can be lit on cold days and nights.

he Center for Student Leadership and Service, which continues up to the third floor, has 62 student organization offices decked out in scarlet, gray and black color schemes surrounding an open foyer with a large fireplace and 60 lockers.

The entrance features a bronze bust of the first Ohio Union director, Beanie Drake, which students can rub for good luck. Displays tell the stories of successful former student leaders as a way to inspire the current generation.

All the offices come computer-ready and laptops are available for checkout. Student organizations can use the services of the full-time and student graphic designers housed here and have access to items that will support their mission or events, including copiers, popcorn and karaoke machines, video cameras, video editing facilities, poster enlargement and a “spray room” that can be used to paint posters and the like.

“We are really proud of our extensive and overwhelmingly active group of student organizations,” Stuck said. “At the beginning of this year, we had 952 groups registered and we expect to have 1,000 by the end of the year. Not only are there a lot of organizations, but they are in constant action: Holding events, raising money for non-profit organizations, conducting important lectures and public discussions — you name it, they’re doing it. I can’t tell you how instrumental our resource area will be to all involved students. It will greatly improve their ability to communicate and promote in new and more creative ways.”

The Ohio Union staff have their offices on this floor as well with an interesting architectural addition: A winding staircase that leads directly to the ticket/information counter on the first floor. “We like to think of it as a fire station pole without the pole,” quipped one Office of Student Life staffer.

Two other lounges for students are here, including the West Lounge, with the stone brick fireplace that was brought over from the old union and books from Ohio authors, and the Art Lounge, which features art and stained glass works from faculty and students inspired by Ohio State landmarks and people.

University Student Government’s Senate Chamber is modeled after the Ohio statehouse, with microphones and voting buttons at every seat and smart video cameras that instantly focus in on the person speaking.

Meeting rooms on this level dedicated to student organizations include the SPHINX Honorary Room, the Ohio Staters Inc. Museum Room (where the Ohio Union time capsule will be displayed along with memorabilia collected by the organization), the Ohio Staters Inc. Board Room and the Student-Alumni Council Room. Murals in the hallways honor student organizations through the years.

The Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom is one of the biggest spaces in Columbus with its vaulted ceiling and polished smooth hardwood floors that can seat up to 1,700 patrons. Balcony niches give a unique view of the area below.

Some of the most unique rooms can be found here, including the Stanley D. Gottsegen Study Lounge, which is shaped like a lantern and will be lit 24/7 to show the union, and Ohio State, is a welcoming place to all. One reason for its design is the union sits on the path of what used to be the Underground Railroad, a collection of abolitionists’ homes that slaves in the South used to escape to freedom into Canada during the mid 1800s. The lounge is a quiet study area with computers and tons of natural light.

The Round Meeting Room, inspired by the Native American concept of kiva, features circular seating along the walls so all can be seen when speaking.

“Student unions are places where the community can come together to celebrate, study and learn, but also where honest and open dialog can take place,” Stuck said. “The Ohio Union is no exception. We wanted to provide spaces that can facilitate community debate, and our Round Meeting Room, where everyone can see each other, is perfect for this.”

A wall-length mural on the outside of the room honors OSU inventions and achievement from alumni and faculty. Another unique display is the trio of doors from each of the previous unions — Enarson Hall (1909-51), Pomerene Hall (1924-51) and the original Ohio Union (1951-2007). The curious can open each door and read the history of those facilities on the wall behind them.

Also on this floor are the Davis Foundation Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Room; the Admissions Welcome Center; the Cartoon Meeting Room, which will feature art from OSU’s world-renowned Cartoon Library and Museum with capacity for 280 people; the Hayes Cape Room; and the Commuter Lounge, a place where students who don’t live on campus can use the provided lockers or the refrigerator to store a sack lunch for later.

Another series of meeting rooms honor former student leaders, all under 25, who each donated $25,000 or more to the Ohio Union development fund — Suzanne M. Scharer, Rosa M. Ailabouni and Tanya R. Rutner.

Other donors requested a room be named for alumna Barbie Tootle, who also was a longtime OSU employee and served as a consultant with her husband, Jim, in the design of the union.

Though the union is already in use for many students and employees whose offices are there, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony is at noon on March 29.

“This project has been a labor of love for nearly eight years, and I simply can’t wait for the doors to open and people to rush in and begin to experience this amazing facility,” Stuck said. “Some have referred to the building as our campus ‘living room,’ and I think that is such a compliment because we want it to be a place of comfort, inclusiveness and acceptance that honors our great Buckeye tradition.”

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