Mershon Auditorium
Never officially named by the university, the original portion of Mershon Auditorium (east side) was completed in April 1957.
Col. Ralph D. Mershon, who graduated from OSU in 1890 with a degree in electrical engineering, left $7.5 million to the university (which he made from his many patents). He stipulated that the money was to be kept in a permanent fund with only the fund’s income spent. Half of this income was to be spent on furthering civilian military studies, the other half was to be used at the discretion of the Board of Trustees. It was this discretionary fund that was used to pay for the Auditorium.
Despite the existence of a much bigger concert venue on campus (the Schottenstein Center), the Auditorium is still used for performances for the adjacent Wexner Center and other campus events.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: Mershon Auditorium
