RESTORING HISTORY
Renovation of Historic Apperson Hall on Track

With its stone exterior walls and turret-like front corners, Apperson Hall stands as a familiar landmark at the east end of “Engineering Row” on campus. Since its construction in 1900, thousands of OSU students have learned the fundamentals of engineering in the classrooms of this majestic hall.

Soon, thanks to an ongoing fundraising campaign that is generating generous support from hundreds of OSU engineering alumni and friends, thousands more future students will study in the historic building. But these students will experience an ultra-modern interior after it is renovated into a high-tech, seismically safe, state-of-the-art learning and research center.

The stone façade exterior will be retained and restored, but inside will be interactive classrooms, a central light court, a computerized learning laboratory, and the largest auditorium within the College of Engineering. Exposed structural, mechanical, and electrical features will create an interactive “building- as-teaching-tool” for students.

Civil engineering alumnus Lee Kearney (‘63) and his wife Connie gave the $4 million lead gift of the $12 million renovation campaign that is still underway. More than 700 other friends and alumni have given additional contributions totaling more than $9.26 million to date, qualifying the project for a matching grant of $850,000 from the Kresge Foundation. A range of gift opportunities are still available to donors.

When complete, the renovated building will be renamed Kearney Hall and will house the School of Civil and Construction Engineering, including the Construction Engineering Management program and the Kiewit Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Research Cluster. The renovation will incorporate sustainable construction techniques and materials to qualify for a “Silver” certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Alumnus Lee Kearney and his wife Connie contributed $4 million toward the $12 million fundraising campaign to renovate the historic building.