Kuhn Honors and Scholars House
This house was the second president’s house on campus. It was built on the site of the University astronomer’s residence and adjacent to Emerson McMillan Observatory, which was built in the 1890s.
The first University Architect, Joseph Bradford, designed the English Tudor style home, with three stories and 5,170 square feet. Bradford had also designed the OSU Oval. President William Oxley Thompson turned the first shovel for the house, but his successor, George Washington Rightmire (1925-1938), was the first to live there.
Rightmire’s successors, Presidents Howard Bevis and Novice Fawcett, also lived in the home. By the end of the 1960s, the house was beginning to show its age. It was also difficult to maintain as a private residence due to its busy location. A fire in 1971 caused significant damage; presidents also felt they needed a larger house for entertaining. After President Fawcett left office, and the president’s residence moved off campus, the house was used in many different ways.
It finally became the Albert Kuhn Honors and Scholars House in 1987. Kuhn filled many roles at the University during his 34-year career, including serving as the first director of the Honors and Scholars Program.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: Kuhn Honors and Scholars House
