Wexner Center for the Arts

Herrick Archives Number PH 386

A. IDENTIFICATION & LOCATION

1. Name

1.1 The Board of Trustees officially named the building "The Wexner Center for the Visual Arts" on October 31, 1985. The building is named in honor of Harry L. Wexner, the father of Leslie H. Wexner, chairman and founder of Limited Brands and a major donor to the Wexner Center and The Ohio State University.

1.2 Alternate names noted:

Visual Arts Center
Wexner Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
The Ohio State Center for the Visual Arts
Fine Arts and Communication and Graphic Arts Library

2. Location

2.1 Located at 1850 College Rd.

2.2 Occupies 8.1 acres and wraps around Mershon Auditorium and Weigel Hall.

3. General Description

3.1 Type of construction:

Steel frame masonry skin

3.2 No. of stories:

Three floors plus a basement.

3.3 Gross floor area of 129,047 sq. ft.

3.4 Increments of construction:

The project consisted of two phases.

3.5 A resemblance of the Armory that burned down in 1948 on the same site.

3.6 Phase II: Construction of the four main galleries, administrative offices and support areas, film center, Fine Arts and Graphic Arts Library, and converting 15th and 17th Avenues into a pedestrian plaza.

B. SIGNIFICANT DATES

1. On November 5, 1982, the Board of Trustees authorized a design competition.

2. The architect/engineer contract was awarded on November 5, 1982.

3. The schematic design was approved on March 11, 1986.

4. Construction document approval was on October 15, 1986.

5. Phase I (Relocation of Mershon Auditorium loading dock): Bid opening on September 18, 1985.

6. Phase II (actual construction of the Wexner Center): Bid opening on December 10, 1986.

7. Contracts were awarded to contractors in February of 1987.

8. Construction began in March of 1987.

9. Report of award to the B/T on March 6, 1987.

10. The date of completion was

11. Groundbreaking occurred September 28, 1985.

12. A dedication ceremony was held on November 16, 1989.

13. The building opened on November 17, 1989.

C. MISCELLANEOUS

1. On July 8, 1985, The Eisenman/Trott design was selected from among the 5 teams in the competition.

2. The design received an award from 'Progressive Architecture' in January of 1985.

3. At the time, it held the largest campaign for private gifts in the history of public higher education: $225 million.

4. The building was the backdrop for a movie scene in "Little Man Tate" with Jodie Foster.

5. Coleen Dewhurst (2-time Tony Award winning actress) and Barbara Walters (journalist) both spoke at the building dedication.

D. PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

1. University associates who worked on the project include:

Project Captain: Heretta, Thomas

2. Architect: Trott and Bean Architects

3. Signature Architect: Eisenman/Robertson Architects

4. Phase I: On September 18, 1985 the Board of Trustees awarded contracts to the following contractors:

General: Vesta Construction Co. (Bellefontaine, Ohio)
Plumbing: R.M. Giehl, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio)
HVAC: R.M. Giehl, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio)
Fire Protection: S.A. Comunale Co. (Akron, Ohio)
Electric: Royal Electric Construction (Columbus, Ohio)

5. Phase II: On December 10, 1986 the Board of Trustees awarded contracts to the following contractors:

General: Dugan & Meyers Construction, Co. (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Plumbing: Radico, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio)
HVAC: ATF Mechanical (Columbus, Ohio)
Electric: Romanoff Electric Corporation (Dublin, Ohio)

E. COST

1. The budget for the project was $49,696,978.

F. PHOTOGRAPHS

1. In Photoarchives:

2. Other:

The Columbus Dispatch - January 11, 1983.
The Columbus Dispatch - June 1, 1983.
The Lantern - June 3, 1983.
The Columbus Dispatch - January 30, 1985.
onCampus - October 3, 1985.
OSU Quest - Fall 1985.
onCampus - March 5, 1987.
The Lantern - January 7, 1988.
onCampus - March 10, 1988.
The Lantern - February 6, 1989.
Progressive Architecture - October 1989.
onCampus- pg. 7 - November 17, 1989.