Hometowne Collectibles
The Ohio State University
Ohio State
OSU

Information & history on rear of plaques:
OS01 Main Library/Thompson Statue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. With 24 individual libraries on the Columbus and regional campuses, The Ohio State University's library system is one of the largest academic library sysytems in North America - it is the largest in Ohio by far. Its holdings include over 5 million print volumes and over 4 million microforms. A user-friendly website provides students with not only library hours and research tips, but also access to these materials and more - including over 600 million volumes available from other libraries. OSU's Main Library, situated at the head of The Oval, houses (in 11 floors of stacks) books, journals, and reference sources for the topics of literature, linguistics, philology, philosophy, religion, theater, anthropology, history, sociology, and political science. The OSU's libraries recognize their role in providing excellent education, and therefore "collect, create, organize, manage, preserve, and provide access to information sources, and foster an environment conducive to academic inquiry, scoholarly communication, and lifelong learning," (miss. state., 1989) In front of the Main Library, facing The Oval stands the bronze statue of William Oxley Thompson, fifth president of the university (1899-1925). Thompson led graduation and wedding ceremonies from that spot.

OS02 Mirror Lake. When the first Trustees were looking for a location for their "Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College" in 1870, the spring-fed Mirror Lake was a major influence in their choice. This was the original source of drinking water for the young school, and the waters of Niel run (which ran into the lake) also powered the nearby mill which cut the rough stone for University Hall, its first building. In the 1920's, the spring dried up due to the land development involved in OSU®'s growth - it was replaced by a well at the time, an dnow is fed by water from the Oletangy River. Mirror Lake and its beautiful fountain provide a serene background for a multitude of events such as festivals, outdoor concerts, and performances at the Browning Amphitheater.

OS03 Ohio Stadium. Dedicated in 1922, "The Horseshoe" is one of college football's most recognized landmarks. A crowd of 71,385 overflowed the 66,210 seats for the dedication game against Ohio Wesleyan, dispelling fears that the stadium's capacity could never be reached. Over the years, additions and improvements have raised the seating capacity to 89,841, the 4th largest for a college football facility. Between 1922 and 1990, the field changed from natural grass to Astro Turf, to Super Turf, to prescription Athletic Turf, which is the current surface. In addition to Buckeye football, Ohio Stadium has played host to Ohio High School state football playoffs and the World League of American Football's Old Glory, as well as university - backed concerts. Beginning in 1999 the double-decked stadium, which is on the list of historic landmarks, will undergo a four year, $150 million renovation - 150 times the original construction cost. By the end of this project, The Horseshoe is expected to seat 98,000.

OS04 Ohio Union. The first Ohio Union, which opened in 1911, was the structure known now as Enarson Hall. It was the first student union built at a state university and the 4th of its kind in the United States. The modern Union is an impressive structure intended to be "the center of university community life." It makes a wide variety of services available to students, faculty, staff, and the community, including a game room, and art gallery, restaurants, stores, banking, and a huge amount of space to host special events. Its 41 meeting rooms can accomodate groups as little as 4 or large festivals, films - the list goes on and on!

OS05 Orton Hall. Completed in 1893, Orton Hall is the oldest building on campus, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Named for Edward Orton, first president of OSU and the impetus behind the building's design; the 40 types of stone from which Orton Hall is constructed are all from Ohio, and are arranged stratigraphically in the same order in which they appear in Ohio bedrock. Appropriately, this is the home of the Department of Geological Sciences, the Orton Memorail Library of Geology, and the Orton Geological Museum. The campus chimes, 12 bells weighing 25,000 pounds (a gift from the classes of 1906-1914), are located in Orton's tower, and can be heard every 15 minutes. On special occasions, they play "Carmen Ohio", OSU's alma mater. The gargoyles around the tower are carved as prehistoric animals, and the glacial stone in front of the building was brought from clintonville by horse and buggy.

OS06 The Oval. Though the original ground-plan for Ohio State University® didn't include anything like this campus centerpiece, the 1893 master plan proposed a group of buildings surrounding an open space. The first reference to this area by name occurred in 1910, and every student knows The Oval today. It is now the focal point for campus social and academic life, and a great many events are held on or near it each year. The simple landscaping is intentional, and tastefully ties together and accents the buildings surrounding it. The campus Public Safety office maintains a camera on the tower of the Main Library which shows an impressive view down the length of The Oval (available to 'tourists' on the OSU® website). The sidewalk that runs from head to foot is affectionately termed the 'long walk', and OSU® tradition holds that a couple who take that walk with their hands clasped the entire way will never be parted.

OS07 St. John Arena. Built in 1956 for under $4 million and named for former Ohio State University basketball coach L.W. St. John, the Arena was home to the Buckeye basketball team for 43 seasons. Here, they won the national championship in 1960 (and then were runners-up for two straight years), and captured five straight Big Ten titles from 1960-64 - a record which has yet to be matched. At the beginning of the 1998-99 season, the team moved into the new Jerome Schottenstein Center, leaving the 13,276 seat St. John Arena to serve as home to OSU's volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams. For nearly 50 years, St. John Arena has been a beloved part of the OSU athletic program and its effort to "provide quality entertainment and a positive public identity for the University."

OS08 University Hall. The first building erected on campus was the predecessor and namesake of present -day University Hall. Stone for that structure was cut at a nearby mill fed by the same waters that filled Mirror Lake, and some of that stonework can still be seen in the modern building's main entrance. University Hall welcomed twenty-four students (including three women and one 13-year-old for the preparatory course) when the "Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical college" opened in September of 1873. Each paid $24 in tuition ($19 if they paid in advance). In 1878, as the school graduated its first class of 6 men, the name was changed to The Ohio State University. A year later, the school graduated its first woman. University Hall was badly abused by weather (including several lightning strikes and severe storms) until its condition necessitated its close in 1969. In 1971, it was razed; the replica in use today was built on the site and opened in 1976. Today, University Hall houses OSU's graduate school and College of Humanities. A marker located between University Hall and the Main Library denotes the location of the line of latitude at 40^o north, which also crosses through Toledo, Spain, Boulder, Colorado, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

OS09 Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Home to OSU's basketball and hockey teams, this $106 million, 700,000+ square-foot facility is adaptable for a variety of events. 19,500 basketball fans or 17,500 hockey fans can cheer their teams on in comfort here, and up to 20,500 people can attend the many concerts and other events planned for the site. The center was named for Jerome Schottenstein, the late Columbus businessman and philanthropist who founded Schottenstein Stores Corp. (associated with Value City Stores). It was described by University President E. Gordon Gee as "a gateway to the university [which] will symbolize Ohio State's commitment to our students, alumni and friends, to our community, and to our future." 12 miles of refrigerated pipe are laid in the ice floor, 3,888 truck loads of cement were used during construction, and the building features 5,652 light fixtures, 200 television monitors, 20 ticket windows, 49 private box seats, and an estimated bathroom/guest ratio of 1:47. this smoke-free totally disabled-accessable center stands 136' from the floor to the rooftop.

OS10 Wexner Center for the Arts. Opened in 1989, this pstmodern structure is a major center of artistic expresion, experimentation, and exhibition for both the Ohio State University campus and its surrounding community. The building was designed by Peter Eisnmann of New York and Richard Trott of Columbus, and includes the crushed-glass installation "Groundswell", by Maya Lin (designer of the Vietnam Memorial Wall), in the large window-wells around its lower levels. Portions of Little Man Tate were shot here in 1990. The Wexner Center for the Arts offers a wide variety of exhibitions, including films, videos, and presentations of both the visual and performing arts. The Center also supports an on-line website called The Fold, which presents work on the theory, practice, and presentation of the arts, and also "traces conceptual intersections" between the three in an effort to spawn new interpretations of them.

OS11 William Davis Baseball Stadium, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.  Refered to as the OSU_® baseball "field of dreams", the William Davis Stadium became home to the team in the spring of 1997.  With 3,000 seats (and expansion capability up to 5,00), lights for night games, and an outer concourse which includes concessions and novelty shops, this 4.7 million stadium is one of the best college baseball facitities in the United States.