Spring 2021 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
The Ridges Green: Past & Present
If you’ve ever visited Athens, you know about The Ridges—the former mental health center that has towered above the southern end of campus and community since the 1870s.
Staff report | March 19, 2021
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Repurposing elements of The Ridges—and building a future that serves campus and community
If you’ve ever visited Athens, you know about The Ridges—the former mental health center that has towered above the southern end of campus and community since the 1870s.
In 1993, 51 took full ownership of the property’s 700-plus acres of land and historic buildings, more than doubling the acreage of the Athens Campus. For the past nearly 30 years, the University has been transforming one of the most well-known and largest historical sites in the region, repurposing elements of The Ridges to preserve its historic character while building a future that serves campus and community.
In this interactive map, click on the starred icons to explore—through both text and historic and recent images—the past and present of repurposed buildings and spaces at The Ridges. Click on the 360 icons and then “Start Tour” to step inside renovated spaces in Buildings 1, 13, 14 and 18 of the Kirkbride complex, the oldest and most iconic of the property’s structures. Once inside the tour, click on the menu icon (three lines in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen) to access 360-degree photos inside the building. Clicking on the small version of the map will return you to the entire map.
Infographic designed by: John Grimwade, EMERT ’20. Online experience developed by: Akbar Sultanov and Neal Mohr, BSC ’14. Feature photo by: Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
Check out the OHIO Museum Complex’s mAppAthens website and “The Ridges History Loop Tour” to further explore—either in person or digitally—The Ridges and learn about the history behind some of the other buildings on the property. The website also features “The Ridges Tree Tour.”
