Jump to content

College Green of Ohio University

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sapienna (talk | contribs) at 00:59, 5 November 2022 (empty Notes section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The College Green of Ohio University, featuring Manasseh Cutler Hall at the center

The College Green of Ohio University is the university's centralized quadrangle lawn which saw the first academic buildings in the Northwest Territory.[1] The yard sits roughly aligned to cardinal directions, with Manasseh Cutler Hall facing true north. The Green, at the heart of the Athens campus, is surrounded by administrative, academic, and library buildings named for figures that played pivotal roles in university history: Manasseh Cutler, Robert Wilson, William McGuffey, and Vernon Alden to name a few.[2] The most prominent three structures which adorn College Green, all made of red brick, are featured on the university logo as well; Cutler Hall was constructed in 1816 and is the home of the President's office, Wilson Hall built 1837 houses the College of Arts & Sciences, and McGuffey Hall was built 1839. For most of the nineteenth and twentieth century, College Green saw small memorials and wartime monuments dedicated in remembrance of the people involved in those centuries' great conflicts.[3] The Green is the centerpiece of a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, encompassing the collegiate yard, flanking buildings, and other nearby campus buildings.

A plaque embedded on the Green's main walkway notes: College Green, which was home to the first Ohio University students almost two centuries ago, welcomes all who walk its paths, and embodies the openness and democratic spirit that define Ohio University. President Lyndon Johnson's first ever public reference to the Great Society took place during a speech to students on May 7, 1964, on the College Green:

And with your courage and with your compassion and your desire, we will build a Great Society. It is a Society where no child will go unfed, and no youngster will go unschooled.

Johnson later formally presented his specific goals for the Great Society in another speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Friday May 22, 1964.

The College Green has been frequently referenced in Athens literature and music. Its gateway is used by the entering freshman class upon their official university convocation, and is also the site of the international promenade during the university's International Week. The College Green has been the site of musical performances, protests, progressive movements, and patriotic displays.[4][5][6][7] Most of the university student body passes through College Green at some point in their time as a student because of the presence of the registrar and bursar there. For almost all of its life, the College Green has welcomed tourists and visitors who want to see its prominent stature in Ohio and American history.

Wolfe Garden is located on the south-central edge of College Green, between Alden Library and Cutler Hall; a low stone wall around the garden defines a shape approximating that of the State of Ohio.[8] The enchanting "Green Lady," a statue entitled American Woman by sculptor David Hostetler,[9][10][11] is a popular landmark at Wolfe Garden.[12] The Amphitheater on the southwestern corner of the College Green evokes the classical inspiration of the Athens campus, recalling the epic and dramatic arts of the Old World.

  • Notable features of College Green include:
  • Civil War Memorial
    Civil War Memorial
  • The Green Lady
    The Green Lady
  • The Amphitheater
    The Amphitheater
  • Chubb Hall
    Chubb Hall
  • View from MemAud
    View from MemAud

Further reading

  • Vernon R. Alden: An Oral History. Athens: Ohio University Libraries, 1999.
  • John C. Baker: An Oral History. Athens: Ohio University Libraries, 1995.
  • The Decade of the University: Ohio University and the Alden Years. Meno Lovenstein. Athens, Ohio: Lawhead Press, 1971. A philosophic account of the university in the 1960s

References

  1. ^ "A Pioneer College and Its Background (The Ohio University) by Charles Super". Newcomb & Gauss, Salem, Mass. 1924.
  2. ^ "Wilson Hall, College Green, Ohio University". Ohio University. 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "College Green landmark was a magnet for lovers". The Athens News. December 13, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "History and Traditions of Ohio University". Ohio University. 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  5. ^ ""Under the Elms" Summer Concert Series begins June 22". Compass Magazine. June 15, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  6. ^ "VIDEO: Defend Education, Ohio! protest on March 4, 2011". The Post. March 4, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "College Republicans continue 'Never Forget' 9/11 memorial project". The Post. September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  8. ^ Rochelle, Mikayla (April 21, 2022). "So Listen: Growing in a Garden". The Post. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "American Woman". www.sculpturecenter.org. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  10. ^ "American Woman sculpture by David Hostetler dedication in Ohio University Wolfe Garden, 1989". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "Standing Woman, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio". www.davidhostetler.com. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Wolfe Garden". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved May 15, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=College_Green_of_Ohio_University&oldid=1120077191"