Baker Hall
The building was officially named on January 8, 1940 in memory of the former University Trustee Newton D. Baker (1871-1937).
A West Virginia native, Baker moved to Cleveland, where he served as mayor from 1912 to 1916. In March 1916 Baker was sworn in as Secretary of War under President Woodrow Wilson. In his obituary, penned by Walter Lippmann, it was said of Baker that, “…his great gift was an almost unusual capacity to select and absorb the data of a problem and to master it intellectually and see it in all its four dimensions.” Lippmann went on to write that during the turbulent time of 1917, the calmest spot in Washington, D.C., was in Baker’s office. Baker reasoned problems out, but refused to dwell on them, he said.
Baker was named to Ohio State’s Board of Trustees in 1932 to serve out the two-year unexpired term of Egbert Mack, who retired because of illness. Baker served for the next five years until his death in 1937.
Originally built as an all-men’s dorm, Baker Hall now includes several additions. The original structure, now called Baker Hall East, opened on September 15, 1940. The first addition – Baker West – opened for Autumn Quarter, 1957. Yet another addition expanded food service and opened in September 1958.
At one point there was a housing shortage for women. So women occupied Baker Hall for several years, until Paterson and Bradley halls opened in January of 1955.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: Baker Hall
