The recent suggestion that the president’s house might no longer house the president has prompted responses from both current and past occupants of 29 Park Place.
The Ohio University Board of Trustees said a donor, who has not been named, has expressed interest in renovating OU President Roderick McDavis’ house, situated just down the road from Baker University Center, or building a new one.
“(My wife) Deborah and I are very happy at 29 Park Place,” McDavis said in a statement Thursday. “I especially enjoy being able to walk to work, the easy interaction with faculty, students and staff and the hosting of our community at our home.”
There is a need to explore using private resources and not funds designated for academic facilities to “shore up and sustain” the president’s residence, he said.
“(The board is) exploring all options to ensure an appropriate solution to meet the needs of the residence and its place in our university’s legacy and presidential history,” McDavis said.
Another university official who has been in the house recently, however, said the property is in good condition.
“I toured the house with President McDavis about a year or a year and a half ago,” said Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for Facilities. “The interior of the house is in fine shape.”
The condition of the house is good to fair, but the cottage and gardens at the rear of the property need work, Wyatt said.
Although OU’s previous seven presidents have lived in the house during the past 60 years, breaking the tradition doesn’t have to be a bad thing, one former president said.
“(My wife and I) never considered (moving), but that does not mean that Dr. McDavis doing it is wrong,” said former OU President Robert Glidden. “It’s a minority today of university presidents who live in the middle of campus like the OU president does.”
The important part of having a presidential residence on campus is entertaining faculty, students and others, he said, adding that if the president moved off campus, there could be another place on campus for him to entertain.
“Renee and I really did enjoy being on campus and being close to the office,” Glidden said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal for the president to be living off campus.”
Negotiations between OU and the donor who will potentially purchase or renovate a house for McDavis are still in the very early stages, officials said.
Though the board’s statement acknowledges the donor’s interest, nothing concrete has developed yet, said Trustees Secretary Peter Mather.
Mather said he could not comment on whether or not a property would be built on or off campus and what would happen to the president’s current residence if he left.
The house is currently valued at $926,050, according to the Athens County Auditor’s Office.
The house was built in 1898 and was sold to the university in 1951 for $60,000, according to a previous Post article.
OU’s Division of University Advancement referred all questions to the president’s office and the Board of Trustees.
dd195710@ohiou.edu
