Rowan Hall

Rowan Hall
Rowan Hall as of November 2011
Location within Ohio
General information
Architectural style	Georgian
Location	Oxford, Ohio
Country	United States
Coordinates	39°30′26.88″N 84°43′59.19″W / 39.5074667°N 84.7331083°W / 39.5074667; -84.7331083
Inaugurated	Oct. 28 1949
Cost	500 thousand USD[1]
Owner	Miami University
Technical details
Floor area	11,438ft²
Design and construction
Architect	Potter, Tyler & Martin
Main contractor	Frank Messer & Sons

Rowan Hall (Miami University) located in Oxford, Ohio, is a building owned and operated for miscellaneous purposes by Miami University, primarily Craftsummer. Constructed in 1949, the hall was named after Miami alumnus Admiral Stephen Clegg Rowan.

History

The hall was originally to be the home of Miami University’s Naval Science department. Here, the Naval Science department housed various Navy equipment, such as large artillery guns and other small munitions.^[2] Rowan Hall served this purpose until 1970 when the Naval Science department was moved into the recently constructed Millett Hall. The hall now serves miscellaneous purposes, including housing art sales. Rowan Hall is going to be part of the university’s Armstrong Student Center, for which it is current under renovation.

Stephen Clegg Rowan

Stephen Clegg Rowan attended Miami University from 1825-1826. He was the first graduate of Miami to attend the Naval School in Annapolis, even without any Naval training at the university. He participated in three wars during his tenure in the Navy—the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. He retired on February 26, 1889 with 63 years of service as an Admiral. He died not long after on March 31, 1890.^[3]

Student occupation

One of the most significant moments in Rowan Hall’s history is the occupation of the hall in 1970 during an anti-Vietnam War rally held by the students.^[4] The students were originally occupying Roudebush Hall, the main administrative building on campus, when one suggested that they go to Rowan Hall as that’s where the ROTC was housed at the time. Along with the anti-war protestors, there were several members of the Black Student Action Association protesting racial inequality.^[5] The occupation included anywhere from 300 to 400 students who locked themselves in around 5 p.m. on April 15, 1970. The occupation lasted only until 10:45 that night when the State Highway Patrol entered the building and arrested 176 students. Outside of the building, the police resorted to riot control measures of using tear gas, mace, and dogs to disperse the crowd. This sit-in led to a number of further student protests demanding amnesty for those who had been suspended for the occupations, revising racial admissions, and in general protest of the police action taken during the course of the event.

Armstrong Student Center

Rowan Hall is planned to become part of the new Miami Armstrong Student Center, replacing the university’s current student center—the Shriver Center.^[6] This new student center will be a massive renovation to three halls—Rowan, Culler, and Gaskill. The Armstrong Student Center will be much larger than the current student center, and will include numerous dining halls, retail spaces, theaters/lecture halls, and a roof garden.^[7]

References