Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 6:00pm, Executive Director Tom O’Grady will present; Architects of the Athens Asylum: The Architectural and Sculptural Legacy of Levi Tucker Scofield , a program that will focus on the extraordinary genius of architects Levi T. Schofield and Herman Haerlin.

Where: Southeast Ohio History Center, 24 W. State Street, Athens, Ohio

Cost: Free and open to the public

When: February 22nd, 2018 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Light snacks will be served.

A master-builder, Levi Scofield designed a number of the largest public buildings in Ohio in the 19th century. These included school buildings, asylums, orphan’s homes, penitentiaries, and federal buildings. He designed two major sculptural works, first viewed at the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago, which now occupy  a couple of the more precious pieces of real estate in Ohio, the Statehouse grounds in Columbus and the Public Square in Cleveland Ohio. Scofield designed homes for Euclid Avenue millionaires in Cleveland and was one of the few golfing partners with classmate John D. Rockefeller. Most of the legacy of this Ohioan has been demolished. Only a couple of these endangered treasures remain. His first work, undertaken at the age of 26, was the Athens Asylum, the largest building in Ohio at the time of its construction. It still stands today.

The destruction of such historic and amazing architectural achievement, such as Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany is a stark reminder that if we don’t advocate for the preservation of these national treasures, they will slowly disappear from the landscape.

For more information call 740-592-2280.

                                        Article on the tearing down of Greystone in NJ

Thank you to our sponsor, BDT Architects and Designers for supporting the work of the Southeast Ohio History Center, and for making our building a shining example of how buildings can transform in purpose while still keeping their historic and cultural essence. We salute you!

BDT Architects and Designers

“This program is made possible, in part, by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any findings, views, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”