{"nrhp_refnum":"79001838","name":"Old Ohio Union","other_names":["Student Services Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"154 W. 12th Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.99695349800004,"lon":-83.01152829999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-04-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Jacobethan-style red brick student union building with Ohio sandstone trim at 154 West 12th Avenue on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio. It was built in 1909-1911 to designs by architect George S. Mills of Toledo.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was the fourth student union built in the United States and the first at a state university. It is described as unusual because it resulted from a direct legislative appropriation and was conceived as a male club on a campus with many women students. It is also called one of the best examples of Jacobethan architecture on the Ohio State campus.","narrative":"Built between 1909 and 1911 on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, the Old Ohio Union is a three-story Jacobethan building of red brick with Ohio sandstone trim, designed by Toledo architect George S. Mills. Its south front has a five-part composition with a central tabernacle frame and a round-arched doorway, and the steep slate roof is topped with louvered vents. Seven additions and many remodelings have changed the building, though the nomination says it keeps its exterior form and much of its oak woodwork on the upper floors. A student-led campaign won a legislative appropriation of almost $75,000 for the project. It is described as the fourth student union in the country and the first at a state university, and it began as a club for male students. During World War I it housed a mess hall for aviation students. After a new union opened in 1951, it became the Student Services Building.","period_of_significance":"1909, 1918, 1937","architect_builder":"George S. Mills, Toledo, Ohio","architectural_style":"Jacobethan","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered by several additions and remodelings; at the time of nomination it served as temporary quarters for the Department of Fine Arts. The university disputed its architectural integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.153903-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79001838.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001838/4777475801-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001838/4777475801-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"East of the Mississippi","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_view_of_the_Old_Ohio_Union,_now_known_as_Hale_Hall_at_Ohio_State.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">East of the Mississippi</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_view_of_the_Old_Ohio_Union,_now_known_as_Hale_Hall_at_Ohio_State.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988495","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hale_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104551098"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/old-ohio-union-79001838/"}