Some believe The Science Hall building should not be demolished but rather used for other means.
We are concerned about information that indicates the University continues to make plans to demolish the 104-year old Science Hall building, also known as the President Street Academic Center (PSAC). In early 2015 the Athens community reached out to encourage the protection and reuse of Science Hall. We do not want it demolished, but repurposed into a useful and productive building on campus. It is an important part of the heritage of Ohio University, the City of Athens and the state of Ohio.
Letters recommending reuse, rather than demolition, came from the Athens City Historic Preservation Commission, the Athens County Historical Society and Museum and individual citizens. From our perspective, this information was either ignored or dismissed with inadequate communication, planning, or attempt at consensus building.
Key arguments for adaptive reuse of this building include the following:
- The Science Hall is structurally sound and has minimal overall damage from the neglect it has seen on the part of Ohio University.
- The College of Business does not have firm and final plans for the use of this space and no building should be demolished based on tenuous ideas that may change in a year or two.
- Architect Frank Packard designed Science Hall, along with other buildings on campus, and it is part of his and the university’s historic legacy. Mr. Packard, his buildings, and other distinctive and historic structures are major reasons why the campus is considered so quaint, unique and beautiful and why alumni, faculty and citizens love this place. The Ohio University campus is repeatedly listed at the very top of American universities for its historic character and sense of place. It is becoming a destination for people seeking places of beauty and history. This historic legacy is a major recruiting tool for students, faculty, OU administrators, and people thinking about calling Athens “Home.”
- Demolition of the TB Hospital on the grounds of the old Athens Asylum gave the University a black eye. It was done illegally, stealthily, and without adequate consideration of other possibilities for reuse. This does a disservice to the integrity of the University and such behavior cannot continue.
- The College of Business can be a leader in showing a different course from “business as usual.” With growing concerns about global issues, climate change in particular, and the importance of changing business practices to better deal with these issues, the Business College has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership. Ethics, social responsibility and sustainability should be at the top of the agenda in business education and at Ohio University in the 21st century. Business as usual does not make Ohio University a leader. And, the greenest building is the one already standing.
Ohio University should not act like a private corporation with behind-closed-door deals and unethical behavior. Recent circumstances surrounding the president’s house show that the community does not appreciate this type of wheeling and dealing and it leads to embarrassment, at a minimum. As a public body, you are entrusted with the stewardship of our campus heritage and are expected to treat public resources under your care responsibly and with respect. You are also accountable to the public and are expected to be forthright in your dealings and to adequately represent the public view, not the narrow view of big-moneyed donors interested in naming a new building as their legacy.
It is time to take a new and bold approach to the planning for and thinking about the Science Hall building. Adaptive reuse, as opposed to demolition, is the ethical, responsible, sustainable and progressive thing to do. We ask that you make the preservation of the university’s heritage and the protection of our community’s sense of place a hallmark of Ohio University’s comprehensive planning process by repurposing this building.
The community is ready to support such an effort. Creative and visionary reuse ideas can be found in the larger university community and in the Athens community. We look forward to supporting the challenge of adapting the Science Hall/PSAC building to the future greatness of Ohio University.
We request a chance to express our concerns and ideas before any decision is made to demolish the Science Hall.
-Tim Traxler, Bob Eichenberg and Karl Runser
