Knowlton Hall, Austin E.

Herrick Archives Building PH 017

A. IDENTIFICATION & LOCATION

1. Name

1.1 The Board of Trustees officially named the building "Austin E. Knowlton Hall," from “Austin E. Knowlton Architecture Building” on November 5, 2004. Austin E. Knowlton, as the donor, commonly referred to the building as Knowlton Hall. Austin “Dutch” Knowlton earned his degree of a Bachelors in Architectural Engineering in 1931 from the Ohio State University.  After graduating college he joined his father's construction company. From the 1940's through the 1970s, the Knowlton Company built extensively at the Ohio State University.  The Ohio State University awarded Mr. Knowlton an honorary doctorate of architecture in 1995.  In addition to his honorary degree, Mr. Knowlton was a Distinguished Alumnus of the School of Architecture, a life-long member of the School of Architecture Alumni Society, a member of the OSU Alumni Association, a member of the School's Advisory Board, Honorary Chair of the current Knowlton School Campaign Committee, and a charter member of the OSU President's Council.  He was also a member of the Alpha Rho Chi professional fraternity.

November 7, 2003 meeting, Board of Trustees

RESOLUTION IN MEMORIUM

Austin E. Knowlton

1.2 Alternate names noted:

 

Knowlton Hall

Austin E Knowlton Architecture Building

2. Location

2.1  Located at 275 W Woodruff Ave.

2.2  Located at the corner of Woody Hayes/Woodruff Ave, and Tuttle Park Place.  It is North East of the Stadium and just south of the Fisher College of Business.

3. General Description

3.1  Type of construction:

Concrete and Steel Frame with marble shingle skin

3.2  No. of stories:

six

3.3  Gross floor area of 173,370 sq. ft.

3.4  The building will vary from one to four levels with porches and terraces on the outside and ramps, stairs and elevators on the inside. The exterior will be of slate and marble.   

3.5   The building contains spaces for 5 years of studios, undergrad through graduate levels.  On the fifth floor there is a space for an outdoor garden and a library dedicated to books and resources on architecture.  In the lower levels there is a full fabrication lab and shop.  There is also space for faculty support and offices.

B. PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

DESCRIPTION

 

SIGNIFICANT DATES

1.  The architect/engineer contract was approved on August, 28, 1999.

2.  The schematic design was approved in April 17, 2000.

3.  The design development document was approved in December 1, 2000.

4.  Construction document approval was in September 11, 2001.

5.  Bid opening on April 3, 2002.

6.  Contracts were awarded to contractors on June 21, 2002

7.  Construction began on June 24, 2002

8.  Completion July 31, 2004

9.  Groundbreaking occurred on April 5, 2002

10.  Report of award to the Board of Trustees on July 12, 2002

11.  The building opened in September 2004.

12.  The building was dedicated on October 29, 2004.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Internal Classroom Naming

M/I Homes Foundation Laboratory, Room 50

Korda/ Nemeth Classroom, Room 195

Ruscilli Construction Terrace, Second Floor (no room number)

Karlsberger Companies, Inc. Classroom, Room 175

George Kontogiannis Seminar Room, Room 269

Porthouse Foundation Room, Room 200D

Turner Construction Room, Room 259

Lucks/Kass Families Tree Bosk, Neil Avenue tree bost (outdoor space)

2. Donations:

Austin E. Knowlton (B. Arch. E. 1931) - $10 million

3.  The Knowlton columns were installed Summer/Fall 1998 adjacent to Tuttle Park Place, which would become the future site of the Knowlton School of Architecture.  In a Lantern article on June 4, 1999 the location of the columns was the corner of Woody Hayes Drive and Tuttle Park Place.  This was so Knowlton could see his investment while still in good health.  There was also a ribbon cutting ceremony of the column installation.

3. According to The Lantern on March 26, 2001 the site of the new school of architecture had been set for three years yet construction had not begun as funding and plans had not been finalized.  The initial funding began with the 1996 Capital Bill and was granted over a series of years.

4. The Lantern on April 8, 2002 indicated that a groundbreaking ceremony for the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture was held.

5. The Lantern on November 7, 2002 indicated that the construction of Knowlton Hall was at the point where the 250 concrete columns were set up to build up the building.  The next step at this point was the concrete floors and walls.

6. onCampus on October 20, 2004 indicated that the school opened it doors for classes at the start of Autumn quarter of that year.  There was also a planned dedication on October 29, 2004.

7.  According to The Lantern on February 16, 2005 there is a collection of 42 designer chairs to compliment the ideas of the design school located in the library and in the student lounge.

8. Architecture and City and Regional Planning will be housed in the same same building, the first time since 1950.

9. Knowlton Hall earned the Architecture Honor Award from the American Institiute of Architects (AIA) to be recognized for exemplifing excellance in architecture, interior design, and urban design.  This news was reported in onCampus on February 3, 2010.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

1.   University associates who worked on the project include: Project Captain:  Conlon, Scott

2.   Architect: Wandel & Schnell Architects, Columbus, Ohio

3.   Signature Architect: Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects

4.   Signature Landscape Architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates

5.   On July 12, 2002 the Board of Trustees awarded contracts to the following contractors:

General:

P. J. Dick, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Plumbing:

Aggressive Mechanical, Columbus, Ohio

HVAC:

J.A. Guy, Dublin, Ohio

Electric:

Buckeye Electric, Dayton, Ohio

COST

1.  The budget for the project was $33,000,000.

 

C.  PHOTOGRAPHS

1. In Photoarchives:

2. The Lantern

June 4, 1999

July 9, 2002 

February 16, 2005

May 27, 2007

June 1, 2007

May 21, 2008

November 6, 2009

3. On Campus

April 11, 2002    

4. Architectural Record 

May 2005

5. see KSA Digital Library