Vol. 38, No. 18

1-4-2006
By: Sandi Rutkowski

Time and change: from B&Z to Jennings Hall

Few of the older buildings on the Columbus campus invoke more nostalgia than the Botany and Zoology Building, renamed Jennings Hall in 2002 for former Ohio State President Edward Jennings. Completed in 1914 as the first academic building constructed off the Oval, B&Z seemed to signal the university's commitment to growth and expansion. Sitting alone in a field that had been part of the original Neil farm, it was home to two departments that are foundational to Ohio State's land-grant mission: botany (now the Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology) and entomology and zoology (now the departments of Entomology and of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology).

Most people have no trouble remembering the historic building at 1735 Neil Ave. Although many alumni probably had classes there, few are as famous as James Thurber, whose struggles to see through a microscope and pass his botany course are documented in his 1933 book My Life and Hard Times. The fact that he did not pass his course - or graduate from Ohio State - is just a small detail of history.

Few also have forgotten the memories so powerfully induced by olfaction, among them the unmistakable aroma of mothballs wafting from certain sections of the building where the biological research collections were housed.

"I vividly remember when the old zoology department was headquartered in the basement of B&Z, in particular the spring of 1970, with the teargas floating by my windows and the female gingko tree behind the building that stank to high heaven," reminisced Ted Cavender, professor emeritus from the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology. "We always suspected that it was deliberately planted as a prank by one of the botanists."

Indeed, those who have wandered Jennings Hall in the past few years recognize the rationale for a complete makeover, which began last September. The plans feature a literal timeline through the building. Architectural features will be preserved so that those entering through the main Neil Avenue doors will experience its historical impact from the early 20th century into the 2lst.

The project involves both renovation and demolition, updating mechanicals to modern standards and changing room and corridor orientations to be more functional while restoring and maintaining much of the building's original integrity, grandeur and beauty. Renovation is scheduled for completion by 2007.
What remains inexplicable, however, is how faculty and students continued to produce leading-edge, nationally and internationally recognized research in a building with leaks, creaks and worse.

But, manage they have. Entomologist David Denlinger's work on insect diapause earned him election to the National Academy of Sciences - the highest honor for a U.S. scientist. Fred Sack sent two moss experiments into space. Fellow plant biologist Mike Evans' corn seedlings also traveled into space, and he benefited from experiments conducted aboard the International
Space Station. Allison Snow's work on genetically modified crops resulted in her being named one of Scientific American's Top 50 Research Leaders of the Year in 2002.

No longer alone in a cornfield, Jennings Hall is part of a bustling campus that continues to grow. Joan Herbers, dean of the College of Biological Sciences, said the re-invented Jennings Hall has been carefully planned and designed to enhance undergraduate learning in a setting that will honor its past and build for its future.

"Our college is nationally visible for its teaching programs, which contribute to the university's essential mission," Herbers said. "We constantly set the bar higher for achieving excellence in teaching, research and service, and this state-of-the-art facility will allow us to accelerate our goals of innovation and serving students."

A century of change
If the word "piecemeal" ever applied to a building, B&Z would be it. The building was not exactly "finished" in 1914; the fourth floor remained an attic until 1931, when it was remodeled into classroom, laboratory, herbarium and office space. At the same time, the building acquired its most interesting and recognizable features - double-dome cupola-style structures on the east-facing roofline. These structures capture the imagination and give the building an "Ivory Tower" look.

Perhaps less interesting - but more functional - is the east-west wing that was added at the north end of the building, along with a subbasement, which led to one of campus' quirkier signs: "Up to the basement."

From 1917 until 1994, B&Z housed the Botany and Zoology Library (later renamed the Biological Sciences Library), one of the first branch libraries on campus. It also housed the herbarium and the collection of insects and spiders now located in the Museum of Biological Diversity.

In 1950, two top stories were added to the north wing and a four-story south wing was constructed. Finally, in 1962, five-floor additions were built at the west ends of both wings.
Ironically, it is these newest pieces that are scheduled for demolition. The historic integrity of the rest of the building will be maintained by a careful renovation of existing space. Plans call for restoration of the grand stairway entrance on Neil Avenue, modernization of the physical plant and addition of 21 teaching laboratories. Work began late last autumn and is expected to be completed in 2007.

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