I wanted to take this blog update opportunity to point out an article written by Stephanie Stark, a Backdrop Magazine writer. As the creative director of the magazine, I watched this story about Baker Center grow and evolve, and I think it’s worth a good read. It deals with Baker and the debt the facility has caused the university and its students. If you pick up the hard copy, there’s also a timeline that illustrates this.
For my blog, I was going to write something similar to this, but I figured Steph did such a great job that I would just forward this story along.
You may or may not have noticed, but there’s a new building on campus located on West Green. It’s the Academic & Research Center or ARC. While it may seem like academics and research can happen at any building on campus, this new facility will provide new opportunities for students in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology and the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
According to the Ohio University website, “The ARC will bring people together to enhance learning, advance research, and promote collaboration to take OHIO to a new level.” The building houses a cyber lounge, exhibition gallery, research laboratories, and learning studios.
The $35 million dollar facility was funded by many OHIO organizations including the Ohio University Alumni Association and the Osteopathic Heritage Association.
The facility’s development can be seen here, along with floor plans and a virtual tour. Be sure to stop by and take a look at the new impressive piece of architecture added to OHIO’s campus.
At 131 W. State St., out by ARTS/West, lies a building that stands out among the surrounding slew of run-down college housing. Contrary to the knowledge of most Ohio University students, the inhabitants of this structure have affected their daily lives, especially their surroundings.
RVC Architects houses three principal architects: David Reiser, John Valentour and David Callahan. In the 37 years the firm has been around, it’s designed, built and renovated buildings in town and on Ohio University’s campus.
“Ask me which ones we haven’t touched, that would be easier,” Julie Smith, office manager, said with a giggle. RVC has contributed as construction managers on big names such as Baker Center, Bentley Annex, and the new Academic Research Center. To be a construction manager means “It’s your responsibility to make sure the plan is built right. You’re the one that the contractors call when there’s a problem. You get to do all the fun stuff.”
RVC has also served as the primary architects for The Ridges’ Auditorium and Childhood Development Center, as well as the West State Street Technology Center and the restoration of The Dairy Barn.
Reiser stood in front of a bulldozer in the ‘70s in order to save The Dairy Barn from demolition. “You have to remember they were hippies,” Smith said. Since then, Reiser and the rest of RVC have continued to work on the facility.
The RVC building once housed an electrical substation in the ‘20s and in 1973, its remaining structural beams were transformed into a home for those who would change the face of Athens, Ohio, forever. Showcasing clean lines, sharp angles, and stained glass, this building exemplifies everything that is RVC Architects.
“They took this building and they designed this place for architects, and over the years people came and went, but since 1982, it’s been Reiser, Valentour, and Callahan, or RVC Architects. The three principals,” according to Smith.
Smith has been with the firm for 23 years and is one of only 12 employees, which includes five architects, one mechanical engineer and an interior designer.
Reiser was an Ohio University professor of architecture in the 1970s. “Valentour and Callahan were two of his students and he decided to open an architectural firm in Athens sort of based on a modern, youthful student thing,” Smith said.
“We’re a small company in a small town. We end up having to do lots of different jobs,” Valentour said. “We don’t just do carry-outs or apartments. We do a little bit of everything.”
Of the three principals, Callahan is the one that primarily works with the university. He is currently working on the new Office of Education Abroad, which will be located in the facility that was once home to the Sigma Xi fraternity house.
Valentour, on the other hand, focuses on student housing.
“I do a lot of apartments for college kids and I’m always trying to think of how the students want to live,” said Valentour, who is responsible for the design behind Palmer Place, Mill Street Apartments and the Foster Place community.
With increased competition in the housing market, Valentour said “you’ve got to make it nice.”
Valentour tends to avoid carpet and instead opts to use hardwood.
“Things that try to keep the buildings living as long as possible without maintenance [are] a big deal for most landlords. And a lot of times, they make things nicer, too,” he said.
Valentour also makes an effort to think of “little things” to set his apartments apart from the others.
“I’ve been doing a lot on buildings with little balconies and things, inside, outside space.” Even when Valentour isn’t able to create large college party porches, he makes an effort to include small balconies with a European feel. “Not necessarily big balconies, but it’s nice just being able to open up some doors and you’ve got a view of the street.”
One of Valentour’s signature “European” balconies can now be seen above the new GG’s Bubble Tea, located at 19 S. Court Street. Valentour was responsible for designing the space of the new upstairs apartment, as well as the face of the bubble tea business itself.
Megan Schilling, a senior studying education, has been working at GG’s since the establishment opened in late September.
“For the space, I think it’s pretty functional,” Schilling said. “The way it’s set up, you can fit a decent amount of people in here.”
With bright reds and oranges, and blue aluminum siding, the space emits a young and modern feel, while still feeling personal and inviting with the inclusion of oversized couches and chairs.
RVC was also the architectural firm behind the recent change to the face of College Bookstore, which was done to draw more customers coming from Baker Center.
“When they moved Baker Center, we made [the bookstore’s] front door sort of at an angle, pointing more down the street,” Valentour said.
This sort of conceptual thinking exactly is what scores RVC Architects countless jobs, College Bookstore and GG’s Bubble Tea being just a couple of many on Court Street.
“It’s pretty interesting up and down Court Street,” Valentour said. “Things change here and there. We’re always modifying, adding and subtracting.”
RVC recently finished the renovation of The Pigskin, and they are also responsible for the Athens County Courthouse renovations. While the firm does plenty of work outside of Athens, including Nelsonville’s Rocky Boots and the new Nelsonville-York City School District building, they are partial to working in Athens.
“We like to stay sort of close to home, so that means making sure that the clients we have are happy with what we do. That way we get more work from them,” said Valentour, who has also had experience working in larger cities.
“I was working in Washington DC on $100 million projects in Georgetown and I decided I didn’t want to be there. I just didn’t like it. It’s not what everybody wants to do.”
Valentour instead decided to pursue his career in Athens, where he says he sacrificed in terms of economic potential, but finds it just as rewarding.
“I like every job. I don’t care what it is,” Valentour said. “We do a little bit of everything. We’ve done multimillion dollar homes and big commercial projects.”
The multifaceted RVC Architects has worked on countless projects since it’s inception in the ‘70s. “We’ve probably worked on some of your favorite bars or pizza places uptown. There are like 2,000 files downstairs,” Smith said.
“Each architect would pick his own project that he’s proud of. They’re proud of them all. So to pick one, it just wouldn’t happen.”
On Saturday, October 2, The Summit at Coates Run hosted an MTV Red Carpet Premiere Party. The event celebrated the MTV Real World/Road Rules Cutthroat Challenge and featured appearances by cast members Mark, Paula, Jenn, Dunbar and Chet.
The Summit coins itself, as “Ohio University’s premier off-campus student apartment community,” according to its website. It features luxury three- and four-bedroom furnished apartments, which include private bathrooms for each bedroom, walk-in closets, and, of course, crown molding. Its resort-style pool was home to Saturday’s event.
The MTV Red Carpet Premiere Party was the second MTV event The Summit has hosted in the past year. The Jersey Shore’s Ronnie made an appearance in the spring. This event featured a live DJ, free food and contests. With no more than 30 students in attendance, the turnout was small.
Kyle Crow, a fifth-year senior studying computer science, said the Summit “definitely uses the events as a way to lure people [to the Summit].”
This is Crow’s first year living at complex, but so far he has no complaints. The Summit’s location on Richland Avenue is generally considered “too far” for Ohio University students, but Crow does not agree. “Not with the buses,” he said “The bus comes every 20 minutes.”
Andrea Harless, a political science major and Summit “All Star,” said, “The biggest concern is that we’re so far away, but because of the busing, it’s really nice.” The Summit also runs a late-night bus on the weekends, one Harless claims is often called “the party bus.” The late night bus runs from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Harless’ position as an “All-Star” allows her to live at The Summit and work off her rent. She performs tours, markets events and works at The Summit’s clubhouse. Harless has lived in her apartment for a year now and “truly enjoys” living at The Summit.
“I love it,” she said. “Everything’s just perfect. It makes a difference. Home is where you can be and where you can relax. If you’re living somewhere nice, then I feel like it’s not such a burden.”
Paul Wilkins, an Ohio University senior and ITS major attended Saturday’s event. Wilkins’ only complaint about The Summit dealt with his apartment’s “sensitive” bathroom and kitchen faucet fixtures.
“This is my first year at The Summit,” Wilkins said, “and I like it a lot. They have events like this when the weather is nice. I don’t use the pool a lot, but I’ll come out sometimes when they do things like this.”
The Summit at Coates Run has many amenities other than their “resort-style” pool. Harless explained The Summit offers “a clubhouse that has a pool table and flat-screen television. We also have a state-of-the-art fitness center with treadmills and ellipticals. We have two tanning beds and a movie theater.” The tanning is included with The Summit’s rent, as well as the ability to rent out the movie theater. “A lot of students like to rent it out to watch football games and stuff,” Harless said.
To rent a four-bedroom unit from The Summit will cost each resident $595 a month during the 2011–2012 school year. Rent includes electricity, gas, water, cable and high-speed internet, as well as access to The Summit’s amenities. The Summit is now leasing for the 2011–2012 school year.
In the three years that I’ve been here, I’ve watched many businesses open and close on Court Street. It’s always exciting when somewhere new opens, as going to the same restaurant or coffee shop can get old after sometime. Being somewhat of a design nerd, something I look forward to is what the new establishment might look like. The following are three fresh new spaces that have popped up on Court Street within the past year.
Court Street Coffee
Court Street Coffee opened about a year ago this Fall. Previously home to a mensware store, the Court Street location is centrally located and in the perfect spot to compete with other surrounding coffee shops like Perk’s and the Donkey.
My favorite part of Court Street Coffee is the atmosphere. With warm red tones and ambient lighting, it has a cozy feel that can keep me warm and studying even on the coldest days. The coffee shop isn’t usually too crowed, giving it a calming feel. Oversized couches and arm chairs don’t hurt, either. The shop also has unique items for sale like purses and scarves. Stop by this welcoming, and often over looked, cafe for delicious specialty drinks and smoothies.
Fluff
Fluff is a new bakery that opened up on Court Street this past Monday. The owners are a couple of OU grads who saw an opportunity to fulfill their dream when Coldstone closed last Spring. I’ve been in there twice now, and I must say, everything I’ve had has been delicious. I never wanted my mini cheesecake to end.
The walls were painted by local artist Jeff Shrittholt, who also painted The Union and Casa. They really exemplify Fluff’s slogan, “Life is fun. Eat it up.” The bright blue and orange are full of energy and make you that much more excited about the delicious treats that await your taste buds. The goodies are all displayed on cute trays and dishes, giving the bakery an even more whimsical feel. For dinner tonight I enjoyed “The Cheeseball,” a sandwich made with homemade focaccia bread and Boar’s Head chicken. Yum!
The Pigskin
The Pigskin Sports Bar & Grill is nothing new for OU students, but after a small shop closed next door, the owners snatched up the space and began expansion. Open for lunch and dinner daily, the Pigskin isn’t just a place for late night drinks.
The newly remodeled Pigskin features hardwood floors and cozy booths. A big open space makes it a fun an exciting atmosphere to meet up with friends and have a drink. Flat screen televisions are on just about every wall, and a pool table and games in the back reinforce the “sports” in Sports Bar & Grill. A few of my friends have recently scored jobs at The Pigskin, so it seems the bar is doing well. Not to say I ever doubted them, as I’ve waited in a line the past few weekends just to get in the door.
I’ve got to say, I’m happy to see these places land on Court Street because it means that our little town is keeping its head up in the economy. But as long as there are college students with a need for caffeine, exciting weekends, and sweet treats, it doesn’t seem as though these fresh, new spaces will be going anywhere anytime soon.
Mark Chapman in front of a 142 W. Union, a Foster Place Property.
Mark Chapman is an elementary school teacher and the property manager of Foster Place Properties. The majority of his houses are new or remodeled, and all priced very reasonably. I know first hand because I am one of his residents. So far it’s been a great experience and I thought he could give me a bit of insight about being a landlord and overseeing quality properties in Athens, Ohio.
Wendy: Can you tell me a little about how Foster Place started?
Mark Chapman: Well it was in I guess 1991, the properties were all going up for sale, and they were all going up as a block, and my father caught wind of it and thought it might be something he’d like to pursue. He contacted the people selling it, actually it became kind of a cool story. He had another group of figures who wanted the first few properties and wanted to pay more money for it and everything, and they planned on coming in and tearing down the whole neighborhood and starting up a new complex and the former owners liked the idea of having the neighborhood continue on and kind of be similar to what it was, in that regard.
W. So the neighborhood has always been like a community?
MC. Yeah, it started out as… 138 W. Union was the home of a spice trader and he set up his house right across from the train station and then built most of the other houses around just for his workers, employees, and family. He was Hull Foster, that’s why it’s Foster Place. [When we acquired the property] most of the houses were in pretty rough shape and pretty well run down. We waited for people to move out of the ones that were inhabited. A lot of it was not student housing at the time and we didn’t want to kick people out.
W. How many houses since you acquired the neighborhood in 1991 have remodeled or built?
MC.Probably about 15. A pretty significant amount.
W. You just recently built a new house. Was that a unique opportunity for you?
MC.Well this is the first year for that house. The last build we would’ve done before that would’ve opened up a year before, 13 Foster Place.
W. And Do you have any plans to build more?
MC. Oh I don’t know. There’s potential there. We own the building at the end of Smith Street in Foster Place, but currently there’s a person living in half that building. And that resident has lived there 20 years. We don’t really want to force their hand. Part of that is because we’re not sure what we want to do with that space, either.
W. I’ve noticed much of your housing is sort of upscale in comparison to other student housing. What are some of the things you think about when you’re choosing the finishes and coming up with the layout of a new house or remodel?
MC. It’s kind of nice that [upscale housing has] become marketable to students. We’ve always really tried to foster energy efficiency, and more and more over the past five years that’s really become a priority people ask about. It’s something we already sort of did as a building practice, and it ended up turning into a demand in the field. More and more people are looking for lots of light, open space, wood floors, solid surface counter tops. Just things that kind of make it feel more, not necessarily urban, but more lofty, with more of an upscale-type of feel to it.
W. While there is a demand for it, typically college housing isn’t exactly the best, and your standards seem to be higher than other landlords. Why do you feel that in dealing with college students, and some of the stereotypes associated with them (binge drinkers, messy), that it is okay to create such spaces?
MC. Well I feel like college students are a pretty diverse crowd. There are a lot of people who don’t want to live in anything that would be considered a nice house because they’re more focused on having large parties and don’t want to worry about damages. But when you try to make nice places you can bring in a different style of tenant.
W. And what are some of the things you think about when you’re choosing a new tenant?
MC. There’s really no solid criteria for anything, it’s just kind of the feel of a person on the walk-through. Sometimes it’s nice looking at some of the places they’ve lived in the past. It can give you a little bit of insight into what people are looking for, but people can also change so much from year to year.
W. It seems that students are looking for new housing earlier and earlier every year, and maybe the market is getting more competitive…
MC. Which is really funny, it seems like there’s so much more supply, but I’d agree with you. Mainly, I wish it would kind of slow down and people could get their bearings and get back on campus and wait for the following years.
W. Do you think you’re more selective [in choosing a new tenant] than other landlords you’ve met?
MC. I don’t know. I don’t know a whole lot of different people in town. I just know some of the names, and you hear different stories from everybody. I do know that some of the people I know, I think they do a pretty good job with what they’re doing, too.
W. It seems that everyone has a very different landlord experience, but there are a lot of horror stories around. Do you have any good ones?
MC. No, not really. I lived in our houses all throughout school and just kind of got back into it a couple years ago when I moved back to Athens. When you have it tenant, it’s either like “these tenants are the worst people in the world,” and you take that with a grain of salt sometimes. And then there’s good people who are good to their landlords.
W. So aside from your teaching career, is it safe that this landlord aspect of your life isn’t one of the more stressful things you do?
MC. I mean, mostly, no. In the summer time with move outs and repairs and cleaning, it can be a pretty stressful time. But then that’s not during the school year so that cuts down on alternative stresses. But within the fall there can be some pretty hectic days, too.
W. Any plans or goals for the future of Foster Place?
MC. In the immediate future, no. There could be the chance if something comes or if opportunities present themselves where there’s a good opportunity to build or markets switch. But I know nothing really in the near future.
Take a look at Mark’s properties at www.fosterplace.com. I truly recommend him to anyone looking for quality Athens housing.
Established in 1804, Ohio University was the first college founded in the state. While our school wears this label proudly, our decaying brick buildings and unfit student housing do not. Some may call this historic charm, but others may agree that some of these places are simply inadequate. With the construction of Baker and Ping and new, upscale student housing complexes, such as The Summit and Palmer Place, our college town has began to battle it’s reputation for rundown facilities and living spaces. This does not come without a price, and when it comes down to it, is it worth it in the long run to create such high-end spaces for college students? And, on top of that, are students even willing to pay for them?
After moving from the rundown treehouse I inhabited my junior year to the renovated and beautiful duplex I live in now, I have to say that I do believe creating upscale spaces for college students is a worthwhile venture. I truly think that our surroundings strongly affect the life we live, and beautiful, functional spaces can only make things better. In this blog, I will examine some of these spaces and some of the questions that come along with them. Was Baker Center a good idea when taking into consideration it’s cost to the University? Are student’s willing to live at the Summit at Coates Run with it’s distance to campus? Why do landlords like mine feel that they should invest the money into creating such spaces for binge drinking, messy college students? I’d like to know, and I’m sure quite a few other Ohio University students would, too. This quarter it’ll be my mission to look into upscale student facilities help you decide whether to break out the big bucks to live the good life in Athens, Ohio.
A designer and student attending Ohio University. Intensely excited to graduate and see what is next. Loves meeting new people and traveling to new places. Cat lady at heart. Admirer of beautiful spaces with an unusual love of the color purple.
