“It’s every part of a student’s life, short of taking a class,” said Ben Anthony, a fourth-year student from Kettering who is president of the undergraduate student government.
Demolition of the old union, built in 1951, began in January 2007.
The new Ohio Union, which opens today, March 29, drips Buckeye pride. There is the 17,000-square-foot grand ballroom named after two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. And then there’s the script Ohio over the bathroom sinks. The lyrics to “Carmen Ohio” are etched into limestone in the main corridor. All the artwork in the Ohio Union is from OSU students, faculty or staff.
After spending time in archives, OSU officials realized the Union was on the path of the Underground Railroad, so the architects added a lantern-shaped room facing High Street, said Tracy Stuck, assistant vice president for student life. “It’ll be lit at all times to symbolize that the Union is open to everyone.”
The Union has more than 3,400 chairs, 719 doors, 119 toilet stalls, 6,500 light fixtures, a 20,000-pound limestone planter, and 285 miles of copper wiring.
The $118 million building is financed by a student fee, which will climb from $25 per student this spring quarter to $63 per student per quarter after that.
“We could not have asked for a better building,” Anthony said.
Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1624 or lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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