Park Hall
Park Hall is part of a complex of south-campus residence halls built during the 1950s to accommodate a growing post-war student population.
The Board of Trustees officially named the dorm on September 1, 1958, in memory of former OSU Dean Joseph A. Park. It was dedicated October 7, 1959.
Joseph A. Park came to Ohio State as a student in 1914; he enlisted during his junior year and left for two years to serve in the U.S. Army, returning to OSU two years later with the rank of second lieutenant. He graduated in 1920, and later received his master’s degree in 1931.
In 1927 he joined the University as a “student councilor;” two years later, he became the first Dean of Men at Ohio State—a job he held for 25 years. His job was a conglomeration of duties that are now performed by several Student Life offices: He processed donations and distributed them to financially strapped students; he worked to reduce the antics and hazing within the fraternities; during the Second World War, he gave emotional support to students about to be called up for active duty. Along the way, he founded the Student Senate, organized the Student Court, and suggested the concept of the Stadium Dorms, which gave financially deserving male students a cheaper room and board alternative. Regrettably, his time at OSU was cut short: he passed away in 1952 at the age of 58 after battling cancer.
A $171 million South Campus dorm renovation project begun in 2011 includes connecting Park and Stradley halls through an addition, which will include several hundred beds. The project also updates dorm rooms and adds air conditioning.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: Park Hall
