Fisher Hall was a building at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Originally the Oxford Female College, the building was later used as a sanitarium and was purchased by Miami in 1925. It served as a first-year men's residence hall (though it was briefly a women's hall during World War II), Naval training school, and theatre. The building remained in use as a dormitory until 1958, when the upper floors were condemned and the theatre remained the only part of the building still in use. With the construction of Miami's Center for Performing Arts in 1968, the theatre became unused and the building turned into a storage facility. After a push to save the building in the mid-1970s, the hall was razed because the cost of renovating the building was identical to the costs of new construction. Miami University's hotel, The Marcum, was built in 1982 on the former site of Fisher Hall. Fisher Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, but delisted that same year.

Construction and planning

Fisher Hall was constructed over a period of four years and completed in 1856. The simple and reserved style of the windows and spacing suggested a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

tradition. The three-story building formed the letter T and the head of the T, which is the east–west section, was designed to have a major porch with an entry at each end. The center had a projecting section that enclosed a third story

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

. There was a full basement that contained a kitchen. It was initially built as an independent college building and then

Oxford Female College Fisher Hall was a building at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Originally the Oxford Female College, the building was later used as a sanitarium and was purchased by Miami in 1925. It served as a first-year men's residence hall (though it was br ...

occupied a remote location northeast of the developing town of Oxford, Ohio as well as Miami University. The building's brick shell varied from 12" to 16", and is a local, pale red and sand molded brick. The floor area of Fisher Hall was variously stated between and 61,384 square feet.

History

Fisher Hall was dedicated on September 3, 1856 as the Oxford Female College. It was founded and constructed under the leadership of Reverend Dr. John Witherspoon Scott, a pioneer educator and father-in-law of President Benjamin Harrison.

Ebenezer Lane Ebenezer Lane was a lawyer from the U.S. State of Ohio who served on the Ohio Supreme Court 1830 to 1845. From 1840 until his retirement, he was Chief Justice. Youth Ebenezer Lane was born September 17, 1793 at Northampton, Massachusetts. His ...

, a Cincinnati judge, donated 44 acres of land on the northeast edge of Oxford as well as a substantial amount of money. The building was designed by

James K. Wilson James Keys Wilson (April 11, 1828 – October 21, 1894) was a prominent architect in Cincinnati, Ohio.American Institute of Architects. Fisher Hall stayed a part of the women's college until 1882. Eric Johannesen, writer of ''Ohio College Architecture Before 1870'', called the building "one of the finest examples of institutional architecture from this period in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

Fisher Hall as Oxford Female College c1860

In 1867, in an attempt to preserve the school, President Robert D. Morris combined it with the

Oxford Female Institute Oxford Female Institute is a registered historic building in Oxford, Ohio, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Oxford Female Institute was affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, and its first president was John Wit ...

, another women's school across town. The building was to serve as a boarding institution. After Morris’ death in 1882, the old college building was sold to George F. Cook, founder of the Oxford Retreat Company, for $45,000 and used as a sanitarium by Dr. Cook until the mid-1920s. Miami purchased the building on August 15, 1925 and remodeled it as a freshman men's residence hall from 1926–1941. Then it became a

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

training school from 1941–1944. The radio school trained 5,854 men and women ( WAVES). The U.S. Navy established officer-training units across the nation, and this helped to develop Miami's present Navy

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

program. It later became a women's residence hall from 1944–1945 and then once again, a men's residence hall until 1958. The building was then used as a residence hall for women through at least the 1960-1961 school year. Later the first floor became the Miami University Theatre until the construction of Miami's Center for Performing Arts was completed in 1968. With the construction of a new theatre in CPA, Fisher Hall became a storage repository. Despite efforts to renovate the building, it was destroyed because the calculated cost of restoration was roughly comparable to the cost of new construction.

Naming of Fisher Hall

Dr. Alfred H. Upham, president of Miami University at the time, named the building after Judge Elam Fisher, a trustee and alumnus of the university. The name Fisher Hall was appropriate because while the building was occupied by

, Elam Fisher was kicked out while courting a young lady.

Disappearance of Ronald Tammen

Ronald Tammen, 19, was a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

who was enrolled in Miami University School of Business Administration, now known as the

Farmer School of Business The Farmer School of Business (FSB) is the business school at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, offering on-campus undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as online graduate programs. The school and the Department of Accountancy are accredit ...

. Ronald was studying in his room in Fisher Hall between 7 and 9 pm on April 19, 1953. He left his books open and other personal belongings and stepped outside but never returned to his room. His roommate reported his disappearance the next day to campus officials, who notified police the next day. After a few months, the case was placed in the unsolved files. There were three theories on his disappearance. The first was that Ronald Tammen met foul play, the second, that he was a victim of amnesia and finally, that he deliberately planned to leave the campus and start a new life under an assumed name. The third option is what is considered most likely by authorities. An April 1960 article from the '' Dayton Daily News'' mentioned that Tammen's roommate Chuck Findlay still believed he was alive and the two of them were "very, very close". Findlay's mother who occasionally corresponded with Tammen's parents in

Maple Heights Maple Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland. The population was 23,138 at the 2010 census. History Maple Heights Transit In 1935, the City created Maple Heights Transit to provide connections t ...

, a suburb of Cleveland, said his parents have never given up hope and "they feel that he’s somewhere in the world today, and that someday he may come back to them."

The Marcum Center

The Marcum Center, a hotel and conference facility opened in September 1982 on the former site of Fisher Hall. The building is named for Joseph T. Marcum, a Miami alumnus killed in a car accident in 1973. Marcum's father Joseph L. Marcum, also a Miami alumnus, served on the Advisory Council of the School of Business Administration and contributed money toward's the center's construction in his son's memory.

References

External links

Marcum Conference Center Webpage
{{NRHP in Butler County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Butler County, Ohio Buildings and structures of Miami University Demolished buildings and structures in Ohio Buildings and structures demolished in 1979 Former National Register of Historic Places in Ohio History of women in Ohio