{"nrhp_refnum":"85000631","name":"Austin Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"OWU, W. Central Ave. & Elizabeth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Delaware","county":"Delaware County","state":"OH","lat":40.30164170000006,"lon":-83.07695984199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Austin Hall is a 3½-story brick women's residence hall built in 1923 on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus at West Central Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Delaware, Ohio.","why_significant":"The nomination cites Criteria A and C. It is significant as a Colonial Revival building and as part of the university's 1920s expansion under President John W. Hoffman, a response to enrollment growth after World War I. It was the university's second dormitory and the third building on the Monnett campus.","narrative":"Austin Hall is a 3½-story brick residence hall completed in 1923 on the western edge of the Ohio Wesleyan University campus in Delaware, Ohio. It has a central section and two perpendicular wings that form a courtyard on the south side. Colonial Revival details include gambrel roofs with bridged end chimneys, a pilastered entry with classical entablature, and a broad two-story porch with 20-foot paired Doric columns. The hall was built for women students and housed 230, replacing the cottages that had served freshman women. It was the university's second dormitory and the third building on the Monnett campus, which became the main center of women's housing. Its construction belonged to a 1920s expansion under President John W. Hoffman, prompted by large enrollment growth after World War I. A school publication of the period described its intended atmosphere as one of comfort, quiet dignity and graciousness. It remains a residence hall, valued for its architecture and its role in the university's growth.","period_of_significance":"1923","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in good interior and exterior condition and still used as a residence hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.768169-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/85000631.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000631/8f6d02274d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000631/8f6d02274d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austin_Hall,_OWU.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austin_Hall,_OWU.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71984749","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Hall_(Ohio_Wesleyan_University)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4823112"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/delaware-county/austin-hall-85000631/"}