From Woody's Couch

It may come as a surprise to many, but the Oval was not in the original campus design. It was, as Shakespeare would have put it, a happy accident.  The original campus design was that of an English country manor: University Hall was set on the highest point, and a long curving drive ran diagonally across what is now the Oval towards present-day Page Hall, where the drive met High Street.  It was not until the 1890s – some two decades after the University opened – that the Oval began to take shape.

In 1890 the second chemistry building (the first had burned down, and yes, the second one also would  fall victim to fire) was built on the site of Derby Hall. In 1891 construction began on both Hayes Hall and Orton Hall. The Botany Building already stood on the site of the Faculty Club. So the North and South sides of the Oval were beginning to take shape. It should also be mentioned that several of the faculty members had homes on the grounds, including one that would have stood on the Oval today.

In 1893 the master plan proposed by Captain Herman Haerlin was the first to propose an open space on campus with no roads running through it. However, this space was described as a “quadrangle.” This plan was further aided by the completion of several new buildings: Townshend Hall, Biological Hall (on the site of Hagerty Hall), and the Armory. The roads on the North and South sides of the space were changed to connect all of the buildings, so now there were two roads linking High Street and Neil Avenue in a roughly circular shape.

In 1901 the end of the Oval closest to High Street was reshaped, giving it a more curved appearance, and making the Oval an oval. The diagonal drive that cut across the space was removed in 1912, the same year the Thompson Library was completed.

So, the Oval has changed little since 1901, which largely explains how it got its name. The first reference to “the oval” came in 1910. From 1912-1913 it was usually referred to as “the campus oval.” From 1913 to 1920 it was back to “the oval.” Note that it was not capitalized until 1920.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1914 many of the walks on the Oval were repaved, and it was at that time that the Long Walk was constructed (the “long walk” was first mentioned in 1919 and capitalized, also beginning in 1920). Another major transformation occurred in the 1970s: the roads around the Oval were made pedestrian-only walkways. This explains how you can now walk out the front doors of University, Bricker, Orton, and Hagerty Halls without getting hit by a car.

Filed by C.N.