Ohio History Journal

358      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.     REPORT OF WILLIAM C. MILLS, Secretary Building Committee. I trust as Secretary of the Building Committee of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society that a brief history of the building, including its cost as it now stands, will be of interest at this time. The appropriation of $100,000 for this building was made by the 79th General Assembly, 1911. It was presented to the assembly through the Auditor of State's office and acted upon

favorably and recommended for passage by the finance committee of the house of which Hon. Harry L. Goodbread of Wyandot County was the chairman and by the same com- mittee of the senate of which Hon. William N. Shaffer of Paulding County was chairman. The appropriation passed with- out a dissenting voice. The   succeeding  Legislature granted an additional $10,000 for building equipment. It was definitely understood that the trustees of the Univer-

sity would supply the site for the building, and in accordance with this understanding the present site was suggested by the University authorities and accepted by the trustees of the Society. The trustees of the University courteously extended the ser- vices of the University architect, Prof. J. N. Bradford, which were accepted. Prof. Bradford and his associates worked dili- gently during the summer and autumn of 1911 to perfect a building to care for our present wants and capable of the proper expansion necessary for a growing museum and library. The problem was a very difficult one as the Curator was to furnish the necessary data, secured by the inspection and study of similar buildings, and the architect to build a classic edifice to occupy certain space.

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Dedicatory Exercises May 30, 1914.        359

 

The building committee, consisting of Mr. L. P. Schaus,

chairman, Geo. F. Bareis, E. O. Randall, D. J. Ryan, E. F. Wood,

G. F. Wright and W. C. Mills, Secretary, will long remember

the three advertised lettings, with its many meetings and dis-

cussions lasting through the entire winter and spring of 1912, and

finally, on June 8, 1912, the contract for the building proper was

awarded to the Dawson Construction Company of Pittsburg

and the heating, plumbing and electric wiring to the Wm. H.

Conklin Company of Columbus, both bids coming within the

estimate made by the architect.

The architect's plans, as finally approved by the trustees of

the Society, called for a building 200 feet by 57 feet. It is so

constructed that when required additions may be made so as to

construct a rectangle with a court in the center. Our present

structure therefore occupies practically one-fourth of the space

allotted for a contemplated larger building.

At 7:15 a. m. on the morning of June 25, 1912, the Curator,

on behalf of the building committee, removed from the north-

east corner of the site of the building, the first shovel of earth

for the erection of an educational institution for all the people

of the great state of Ohio.

On the afternoon of Sept. 12th, 1912, the corner-stone was

laid with simple and appropriate exercises. The final comple-

tion of the building was made Dec. 12th, 1913, something like

six weeks after the expiration of the time limit. This slight

delay was caused by the serious flood of March 25, 1913, and

the architect gladly granted the builder the extension of time

because of this unforeseen disaster.

No one was seriously hurt during the year and a half of

construction, although the material, by the nature of its bulk

and weight, had to be handled by machinery.

The building is purely classic in structure, both interior and

exterior. First of all it has the quality of permanence without

and within, the structure being in restrained beauty and dignity

in the design, the material and the decorative treatment. It

is most appropriate for its uses and a real inspiration to those who

know the building and to those who avail themselves of the op-

portunities it affords.

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360       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

The architect, as per instructions of the building committee,

eliminated every possibility of fire, as no wood is employed in its

construction, excepting the stair rail; the windows and doors

are made of steel; the exterior is made of Bedford limestone;

the front entrance doors are constructed of bronze made after

a special design of the architect; the rotunda is constructed

throughout in Caen stone and the stairways leading to the ex-

hibition rooms on the second floor are of Tennessee marble;

the south end of the building is devoted to the library of the

Society, where provision has been made for the necessary ex-

tension, as required by the growing library. The library fur-

niture is made of steel and grained mahogany. Adjoining the

library are the offices of the Curator and Trustees' room, all of

which are equipped with steel furniture, grained mahogany, fur-

nished by the Sage Cabinet Company of Marietta, Ohio.

The building is also furnished with four large vaults, fitted

with combination locks, one connected with each of the exhibition

rooms and one connected with the office of the Curator. The

vaults will be used for the preservation of manuscripts, papers

and other valuable objects.

The exhibition room at the north end of the building will

be used for the historical collections of the Society and the entire

second floor will contain the archaeological collections of the

Society. The cases in the rooms above are made of mahogany

by the Columbus Show Case Company. The electric light fix-

tures are made of bronze, are of special design for the building

and were furnished by the Post-Glover Electric Company of Cin-

cinnati. The elevator is the latest improved electric elevator

and was furnished by the Otis Elevator Company, Chicago. The

vacuum cleaning system was furnished and installed by the Mc-

Keever Electric Company of this city.

This building contains in round numbers 600,000 cubic feet

and the cost per cubic foot for the building alone, was 16 1/5

cents; including the furniture, elevator, vacuum cleaner, as you

see it today, 18 8/15 cents per cubic foot. A few comparisons

of the cost of the various buildings of like character in this

country will be of interest. The Wisconsin Historical Society

building cost for construction alone 20 cents per cubic foot, in-

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Dedicatory Exercises May 30, 1914.        361

 

cluding furnishing and equipment 29 cents per cubic foot. Mil-

waukee Public Museum 21 cents per cubic foot for construction

alone. Chicago Public Library 43 cents per cubic foot complete.

State Library of Richmond, Va., 23 cents per cubic foot for con-

struction. The Boston Public Library cost 70 cents per cubic

foot, but, as you perhaps know, this building is very handsomely

furnished and decorated. These figures as to construction are

most interesting and instructive; they exhibit the fact that this

beautiful museum and library building of the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society has been constructed and

equipped at a minimum cost to the state of Ohio. Certainly the

people have received their money's worth and now, Mr. Chair-

man, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to say on behalf of the

faithful chairman of the building committee, Mr. Lewis P.

Schaus, as well as the committee itself, that they have attempted

to erect this building with the same care as to expense and

quality that they would have exercised in building for them-

selves and it is confidently believed that the trust committed to

them has been administered upon a prudent and businesslike

basis.                  *     *   *

Following the reports of the building committee, ex-Gov-

ernor Campbell, representing Governor James M. Cox, who,

much to his expressed regret, was unable to be present, received

the building in behalf of the state. In his remarks, which were

most happy, Governor Campbell spoke of the work of the Society

through the many years of its history, the indefatigable efforts of

its officers, his own personal interest in its progress, and the

gratification he took as the first governor to appoint trustees,

and now, as one of its trustees himself, in behalf of the absent

governor, to receive it from the building committee and turn it

over to the officers of the Society.

In behalf of the Society and its officers, Vice President Daniel

J. Ryan accepted the building. He spoke with much appreciation

of the value of such an institution to the state, its educational

and intellectual efforts, emphasizing the fact that in these modern

days, when materialism so monopolizes all social and mental ef-

fort, there is greater need of organizations like this one, to foster

and perpetuate the historical and scientific lines of study.

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