Athens campus The main residential university campus is in Athens, Ohio, overlooking the
Hocking River. Constructed under the
Jefferson presidency,
New England and
Early Americana Federalist themes are prevalent in the university's earliest architecture. Development of the campus began in 1812 with the erection of the university's central building,
Manasseh Cutler Hall, a registered national landmark, and built only 20 years after the White House. Cutler Hall's University Chimes, replacing an existing old cast iron bell, chime on the half hour every day until 9:00pm. The original bell, the 3rd oldest university bell in America, which is still hung in the Cutler Hall Cupola, rang to signal the start and end of the school day, as well as to signal the end of different class periods. Cast in the early 1800s, it served the university for well over a century.
College Green The historic College Green is the centralized quadrangle lawn and location of significant campus buildings:
Manasseh Cutler Hall, the Office of the President; Wilson Hall, the
College of Arts & Sciences; McGuffey Hall, named for
William McGuffey; and the College Gateway. These three original primary structures are featured elements of the official current university logo and maintain true to their original design of over 200 years ago. The College Green has changed little in the past two centuries, which contributes to the university's colonial appearance. The green, inspired by the university founders, is based upon the classic layout of traditional English and New England towns and similar to university quadrangles. College Green features Galbreath Chapel, the spire of which, topped with a brass weather vane, is modeled after that of the portico of Nash's
All Souls Church in
London. Library Other buildings on the College Green include Chubb Hall, home to Undergraduate Admissions as well as the Offices of the Bursar and Registrar; Ellis Hall, home to the departments of English,
Classics, Religious Studies, and Philosophy; Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium; as well as Bryan Hall, an upperclassman residence hall. The University Sundial, located behind Galbreath Chapel, was constructed in 1907 and marks the original location of the university's first building. College Green is framed by two main university gateways. Alumni Gateway, built in 1915, features the text "That thou Mayest Grow In Knowledge, Wisdom and Love," borrowed from the Latin phrase inscribed over a gateway to the
University of Padua and was dedicated upon the 100th anniversary of the university's first graduating class. The newer College Gate, built in the 1960s, features words taken from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 regarding public education. Traditions surrounding College Green include the latter half of first year convocation, where students, led by the
Ohio University Marching 110, march up Richland Avenue, onto Presidents Street, turning north onto Court Street, and entering the Green through the College Gate at the corner of Court and Union Streets. From there, a large involvement fair is held where students find clubs they wish to join.
John Calhoun Baker University Center sits atop a hillside where the
Hocking River had cut. The John Calhoun Baker University Center, which opened in January 2007, is named after the 14th president of the university. The facility replaced the original Baker Center located on East Union Street across from College Green and serves as the hub of campus activity. Electronic maps and virtual university e-tours, available at center information desks and online, direct visitors across campus. The building features
Georgian-influenced Federal architecture and large windows that admit natural light and afford expansive views of the southern and western sides of the campus. In contrast to the exterior's red brick and white columns, the interior has a more contemporary style with high domed ceilings.
Terrazzo mosaics of aspects of the earth's globe are embedded in the atrium of the main entrance to the building. Baker Center contains a large food court called West 82; a pub bistro called Latitude 39; a Grand Ballroom; The Honors Collegium, The Wall of Presidents, the Bobcat Student Lounge, a shop called Bobcat Depot that sells apparel, computers, and accessories; a theater seating 400; study areas; computer labs; administrative offices; and numerous conference rooms. The Front Room, a large coffee house named after a former popular university
rathskeller, features a stage, artwork and a community fireplace. It serves Starbucks products and university bakery items and is housed on the fourth floor, which opens onto its own outside terrace as well as onto the intersection of Park Place and Court Streets, making it a popular spot for students between classes. Other amenities include a United States Post Office and the Trisolini Art Gallery, named after a prominent fine arts faculty member.
East Green There are fourteen residence halls on East Green. This area of the university is the oldest residential green and includes three of the steepest walkways at the hilly Athens campus: Morton Hill, the Bryan Hall terrace and staircase, and Jefferson Hill. Each walkway affords East Green residents access to classrooms if they are willing to walk or bicycle. East Green is also home to Shively Court, a newly renovated dining hall with dine-in, take-out, and grab-and-go options. East Green includes Jefferson Marketplace with several food vendors.
South Green South Green includes areas near Emeriti Park, and extends along the Hocking River valley. There are fifteen residence halls on South Green, following the addition of four new residence halls in the summer of 2015. South Green is home to several facilities, including: • Nelson Court, the university's largest dining hall with an adjacent market and coffee shop, South Side Espresso Bar. •
Peden Stadium, the university's
football field and the oldest football venue in the Mid-American conference, adjacent to a new multipurpose indoor training facility, Walter Fieldhouse. It is a designated Official Ohio Historical Site by the Ohio Historical Society. • Bird Ice Arena, home to the Ohio University hockey team, recreational skating, and academic skating classes. •
Ohio University Aquatic Center, home to the university's swimming and
diving teams.
West Green West Green includes buildings around the western part of the Athens campus. The Ohio Athletic Mall spans the western portion of the campus, near the end of the Athens bike path at the Union street crossing. The mall features lacrosse, baseball, track, field and related athletic venues. Along the surrounding Hocking River is a series of
sakura trees planted to commemorate the university's historic partnership with
Chubu University. Japanese students sponsor an annual "Sakura Festival" each year, a cultural event celebrating the visually dramatic blossoming of the cherry trees and their evening lightings. Nearby Bicentennial Park features
Input, a landscape artwork by artist
Maya Lin. Anchoring the West Green quadrangle is the Stocker Center, which houses the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. There are eight residence halls on the West Green. The West Green also includes: • The District on West Green, a dining hall with various options, including a kitchen for those with dietary restrictions. •
Academic and Research Center •
Ohio Softball Field, home to the
softball team. •
Goldsberry Track, home to the track and field teams. •
Bob Wren Stadium, home to the
baseball team. •
Chessa Field, home to the women's soccer program. •
Pruitt Field, home to the field hockey team.
Other facilities •
The Ridges, formerly Athens Mental Hospital, was acquired by the university. The Victorian styled area has since been re-purposed as a university complex of classrooms and administrative offices surrounded by a large nature preserve. Additionally, a new planetary observatory is located nearby. •
Gordon K. Bush Airport • Edwards Accelerator Laboratory, a particle accelerator used for nuclear physics and astrophysics research. •
The Athena Cinema, an on-campus, early art deco styled century-old movie theater owned by the university. • Lausche Heating Plant, an on-campus plant that provides heat to all buildings on campus.
Regional campuses The first regional campus,
Ohio University – Chillicothe, was opened in 1946 to help eliminate post-World War II overcrowding on the university's main campus. The school began with 281 students, 70 percent of whom were armed services veterans. Today, more than 9,800 students attend Ohio University's five regional campuses: •
Ohio University Chillicothe Campus, founded in 1946 •
Ohio University Eastern Campus in
St. Clairsville, founded in 1957 • Ohio University Lancaster Campus, founded in 1956 •
Ohio University Southern Campus in
Ironton, founded in 1956 •
Ohio University Zanesville Campus, founded in 1946 The
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine operates two extension campuses: in
Cleveland, which is affiliated with the
Cleveland Clinic, and in the Columbus suburb of
Dublin. ==Organization==