The College Green is the center of Ohio University's Athens campus. With its brick walkways and shade trees, it has provided a quiet respite to Ohio University students for over 200 years. Three of the oldest buildings on campus are located on the College Green. Cutler, McGuffey, and Wilson halls date from the 19th century and are fine examples of Georgian architecture. Cutler Hall, which currently houses the administrative offices of the president and others, was built in 1816 and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.Also on the College Green is Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. The west portico of the auditorium faces the center of the Green and is the site of a series of plaques honoring famous individuals who have spoken on campus, including Teddy Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy.The Alumni Class Gateway is located at the northwest corner of the Green at the corner of Court and Union Streets where Ohio University and the City of Athens meet. The gate greets all who enter with an inscription that reads:SO ENTER THAT DAILY THOU MAYEST GROW IN KNOWLEDGE WISDOM AND LOVEFor those departing, another inscription reads:SO DEPART THAT DAILY THOU MAYEST BETTER SERVE THY FELLOWMEN THY COUNTRY AND THY GODFacing Cutler Hall, on the north side of the Green, is a second gate, the Class Gateway. The Class Gateway is inscribed with a passage from the Ordinance of 1787 that reads: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The gate was an alumni gift and commemorates the graduation of 1815, the first in the Old Northwest Territory.Located between the two College Green gates is the Athens County Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was erected in 1893 to honor the 2,610 citizens of Athens County who served during the Civil War. The brick and stone plaza was added to the monument in modern years.
