{"nrhp_refnum":"05001144","name":"Emery Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Central State University Campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilberforce","county":"Greene County","state":"OH","lat":39.71756075400003,"lon":-83.88267318999993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Emery Hall is a Colonial Revival brick dormitory built in 1913 on the old Wilberforce University campus, now part of the Central State University campus in Wilberforce, Greene County, Ohio. It was designed by architect Frank L. Packard of Columbus.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of early 20th century collegiate Colonial Revival architecture in Ohio and the only survivor of three Packard-designed Colonial Revival buildings on the campuses. It is also significant for its long association with Wilberforce University, Ohio's first historically Black college, where it served for most of the 20th century as a women's dormitory. It reflects student craftsmanship and fundraising by Hallie Q. Brown.","narrative":"Emery Hall is a brick dormitory completed in 1913 on the original Wilberforce University campus in Greene County, Ohio. Architect Frank L. Packard of Columbus gave it a symmetrical Colonial Revival design, with a two-story wooden portico, an octagonal cupola, brick quoins and flanking gable-fronted pavilions joined to the main block by connecting walkways. It housed about eighty women students, with lounges and a dining room. Emery Hall is one of only a few historic buildings left on the Wilberforce and Central State campuses after a 1974 tornado destroyed much of the old campus, including two other Packard buildings. It reflects early twentieth century college planning and the work of student artisans who helped build campus structures. Fundraising by educator and activist Hallie Q. Brown made its construction possible. The dormitory now stands vacant and deteriorated, though restoration appears in the university's master plan.","period_of_significance":"1913-1955","architect_builder":"Frank Packard, Columbus, OH (architect); George Abernathy, Columbus, OH (contractor)","architectural_style":"Colonial/Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The building currently stands vacant and in need of restoration; restoration is included in the university's master plan.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.260378-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/05001144.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001144/c5ded235fe-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001144/c5ded235fe-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emery_Hall.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emery_Hall.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988736","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138348737"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/greene-county/emery-hall-05001144/"}