Oberlin College Archives

OBERLIN COLLEGE ARCHIVES

Browse Items (17 total)

  • Tags: early Oberlin College structures

Keep Home

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Keep Home was built in 1839. It was the home of Rev. John Keep (1781-1870) and Lydia Keep who owned and occupied the house for many years. In January, 1889, it was donated to the College by Theodore J. Keep and Mrs. Mary A. Keep, "... to be used as a…

Finney House

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In 1835 the College built, on the present site of Finney Chapel on Professor Street, a two-story brick building, “spacious and comely.” This building was erected as a home for Professor Charles Grandison Finney. Sometime during the year…

Geography Building/East Lodge

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Beginning in 1929 the house on the property at 86 West Lorain Street was used for the department of Geology and Geography as headquarters for the work in Geography. The house was built in the early 1840s by Professor Henry Cowles and was located on…

Music Hall

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Music Hall was built in 1842. It was a one-story frame building, 30 by 50 feet, located on the site where Baldwin Cottage now stands. Music Hall was built through the efforts of Professor George N. Allen, the choir of the first Congregational Church,…

Old Laboratory

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The Old Laboratory, located south of Colonial Hall, was built in 1838 according to plans obtained by Dr. James Dascomb, Professor of Chemistry, Botany and Physiology, when a student at Dartmouth and Yale. It was a one-story brick building, 30 by 50…

Tappan Hall

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Tappan Hall, completed in 1836, was named in honor of Arthur Tappan of New York City, who provided most of the funds needed for its construction. Tappan was for many years one of the most influential supporters of the Oberlin Collegiate Institute…

Walton Hall

Walton Hall was erected in 1835 as a dormitory for men, with funds given by the Presbyterian Church of Walton, New York. It was located on the west side of South Main Street. It was a two-story frame building containing twelve rooms, each room…

Ladies Hall (1st)

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The first College building for women's lodging, called Ladies Hall, was completed in 1835. It stood on the south side of West College Street between Professor and Main Streets. It was a frame building of three stories, with two wings extending toward…

Fairchild House

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The house of President James Harris Fairchild (1817-1902) stood on Elm Street near South Professor Street. It was built in 1841 by the College Farmer and purchased by Fairchild when he was a professor in 1849. During the famous Oberlin-Wellington…

Oberlin Hall

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The construction of Oberlin Hall was begun in the summer of 1833, and it was ready for use the following December. This building was known at first as the Boarding House and later as Preparatory Hall. It was then officially named Oberlin Hall. It was…

Ladies Hall (2nd)

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The foundations for the Second Ladies Hall were laid in the spring of 1861, at the breaking out of the Civil War. Work upon the building proceeded slowly. The walls were put up and the building enclosed in 1863. At the Commencement exercises in 1865…

Mahan-Morgan House

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In 1835, the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (former name of Oberlin College) erected a house for the use of its first president, Asa Mahan. The street upon which the Mahan and Finney houses were erected was given the name Professor Street for the first…

Colonial Hall

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The construction of Colonial Hall was begun in the autumn of 1835 and was completed in the summer of 1836. It was named Colonial Hall because the colonists subscribed nearly half of the cost of the building, and in return were given the privilege of…

College Chapel (Old)

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The College Chapel was begun in 1854 and was completed in 1855. It was located on the campus south of Tappan Hall. It was built of brick, two stories in height, with dimensions 56 by 90 feet. As originally planned, the first floor contained offices…

Cincinnati Hall

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This rough log structure, also known as “Rebel Hall,” and “Slab Hall,” was built by the early settlers in 1835, to accommodate the students who came to Oberlin from Lane Seminary, Cincinnati. It was located approximately on…

Carpenter's Shop

The second building to be built at Oberlin was the Carpenter’s Shop, erected in the autumn of 1835, west of the former Oberlin Hall on West College Street near the corner at Main Street. It was a two-story frame building, painted red, in…

Cabinet Hall

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Cabinet Hall was constructed by the village of Oberlin in 1851 for public school purposes. It was located north of the Mahan-Morgan House, and south of the location now occupied by Peters Hall. It was purchased by the College in 1874. It afforded six…