Cincinnati Hall

Date

1835-1840

Location

North Professor Street near West College Street (demolished)

Architects/Collaborators

Builder unknown

Style

Pre-Railroad Folk

History

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 the site where the Conservatory stands facing North Professor Street, which was then the border of the forest toward the west. It was a one story building, 144 by 24 feet. The outside of the building was battened with slabs retaining the original bark of the tree, which gave the building a decidedly rustic aspect. The interior was constructed from beech tree boards fresh from the mill. It was divided into twenty-four rooms for young men, each room being 12 feet square, lighted by a single window. The rooms were entered only from the outside, there being no internal communication. One end of the Hall was fitted up as a kitchen and dining room. Cincinnati Hall was occupied for two or three years, then used for shop purposes, and wholly disappeared about 1840.

Source

Oberlin College Archives, Office of the Secretary Records.