Antioch Hall, North and South Halls are a group of historic buildings on the campus of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. They were the college's three original buildings,[3] and were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Ohio in 1975.[1]
Antioch Hall, North And South Halls | |
 Rear of Antioch Hall | |
   | |
| Location | Hyde Rd., Antioch College campus, Yellow Springs, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°47′59″N 83°53′17″W / 39.79972°N 83.88806°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1852 |
| Built by | Alpheus M. Merrifield |
| Architect | Boyden & Ball[2] |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001411[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1975 |
History
editAntioch Hall
editAntioch Hall (known to Antiochians as Main Building) was constructed in the 1852–53 timeframe by architect Alpheus Marshall Merrifield.[4] It combines elements of Romanesque, Greek Revival and Gothic architectural styles, the latter being most noticeable in its towers.[4]
It underwent a massive renovation from 1958 to 1962.[4] This included the inset of a concrete structure inside the original building which stabilized it and insulated its interior against weather and degradation.[4] The renovation also created four floors, instead of the previous three, and relocated its entrance from the east side to the west side.[4]
Antioch Hall was closed along with the College in June 2008; however, while the College reopened, Antioch Hall did not.[4] Since the campus's central Power Plant usually provided steam heating to this building and others, and because the Power Plant went offline with the general closure in 2008,[5] Antioch Hall lacked heating which in turn led to plumbing failures and flooding in February of 2009.[4] Some restoration has been done, the largest from a $500,000 directed grant from Yellow Springs Community Foundation in 2019, intended to tackle projects of immediate need such as reintroducing heating.[4] But considerable additional funding is needed to bring the building back to usefulness, with estimates ranging from $7.5 million to $20 million.[4]
North Hall
editNorth Hall is an operational residence hall.[6] Its first residents were the entering class of 1853.[6] In 1953 it was extensively reconstructed following a significant fire in February of that year, with use of an interior steel framework supporting four-inch reinforced concrete floors which made the building more fireproof.[7] In 2011 it underwent a $5.7 million renovation effort to combine both comfortable and sustainable living, and reopened in 2012.[6] The renovation project achieved a LEED energy-efficiency Gold Level Certification on July 26, 2013,[8] and was the oldest building in the country to obtain such a rating, taking the title from the U.S. Treasury Building.[9] The project included solar panels on the building’s roof, and twenty-five 600'-deep geothermal wells for heating and cooling.[9]
South Hall
editSouth Hall also opened in 1853, as the college’s men’s dormitory.[10] Renovated in 1994, it too was damaged after closure in 2008 when a sprinkler system pipe on the fourth floor of the unheated building burst in December of that year, flooding the structure’s east end.[10] However, contractors and volunteers pushed through a cleanup effort to dry it out.[10][4] It reopened after some exterior renovations in January of 2010.[3] It is the location of college offices,[6] as well as Herndon Gallery, which is used for exhibitions and academic conferences.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Elbridge Boyden". Light 4 April 1891: 102
- ^ a b "College staff in South Hall; work on buildings progresses". Lauren Heaton, Yellow Springs News, January 7, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "A new vision for Antioch Hall". Audry Hackett, Yellow Springs News, November 14, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Ask the Archivist, Vol. 67, Issue 6". The Record. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Residence Halls". Antioch College. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Education Building Boom Speeds Onward; 3 Projects". Jim Troester, The Yellow Springs American, June 11, 1953 (accessed on Cedarville University Digital Commons). Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "North Hall Renovation". U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ a b "Mix of big dreams, hard realities". Diane Chiddister, Yellow Springs News, June 28, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Antioch rededicates South Hall". Dave Larsen, Dayton Daily News, May 6, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "Works Biennial 2019 Opens With Party". Jennifer Wenker, Antioch College, October 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
