Hale Hall (formerly Enarson Hall)
This building opened as OSU’s first student union in 1911. It was the fourth student union in the nation, (behind Harvard, Princeton and Pennsylvania), and the first built at a public university.
Constructed at an original cost of roughly $70,000, the Ohio Union (officially declared as such by the Board of Trustees in 1909) featured a barber shop, billiard and pool room, bowling alleys, dining rooms, reading and writing rooms, and a Trophy Hall. The building became too small for a fast-growing student body after World War II.
After a new Ohio Union was built on High Street, this building was turned into the student services building, where such offices as financial aid could be found. At one point, it even housed the Division of Art while Hayes Hall was reconstructed.
In 1978, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1986, it was named after OSU’s 10th president, Harold L. Enarson.
After the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center moved to the building in 2013, it was renamed Hale Hall. Hale, a former vice provost of minority affairs, played an active role in increasing the number of minority students at OSU during his 18 years of service to the University.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: Hale Hall
