THEN: Main Administration Building.

NOW: Renovated, named Lin Hall and reopened in 2001 to house the Kennedy Museum of Art; expanded in past two years to include exhibit galleries and curatorial space for the OHIO Museum Complex.

THEN: Housed male patients.

NOW: Renovated and reopened in 2020 to house office and collaborative space for OHIO employees, including the Ohio University Police Department, which occupies the first floor of Building 13.

THEN: Housed male patients.

NOW: Renovated and reopened in 2020 to house office and collaborative space for OHIO employees.

THEN: Housed male patients.

NOW: Renovated and reopened in 2020 to house office and collaborative space for OHIO employees.

THEN: Physician residences.

NOW: OHIO-owned rental units, providing temporary living arrangements. Pictured is one of two former physician residences that are now Ohio University-owned rental units.

THEN: Laundry facility. This image, circa 1893, shows a roadway that ran behind the Kirkbride complex prior to the construction of several auxiliary buildings, including the laundry facility, that were built later. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center
NOW: The Ridges Building 37 serves as the home of Ohio University Printing Services and Mail Services.

THEN: This image, circa 1977, shows what was then the Carpenter Shop and also served as activity and therapy space. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center

NOW: Houses Campus Recycling. Andrew Ladd, manager of recycling and refuse, is pictured inside Ohio University Campus Recycling’s center. Photo courtesy of University Communications and Marketing

THEN: This photo, circa 1977, shows the mental health center’s power plant. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center

NOW: Pictured is The Ridges Heating Plant.

THEN: Horse Barn. This photo, circa 1880-1920, shows the Horse Barn at the mental health center. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collection

NOW: Renovated and expanded in 2000 for the Child Development Center, the early childhood laboratory within the Patton College. Graduate student Allison Ciancibello, BSED ’20, [LEFT] and Master Teacher Lisa Kinnard work with infants in the Child Development Center. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

THEN: Cottage L, seen in this circa 1910-1915 photo, served as the suicide ward. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center

NOW: Renovated and expanded in 1995 as the Konneker Research Center, home to OHIO’s Edison Biotechnology Institute. Dr. Shiyong Wu [CENTER], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Edison Biotechnology Institute at Ohio University, is pictured with some of his students outside the Konneker Research Center. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

THEN: Amusement Building, used for chapel services, meetings, movies, activity therapy and recreation. This postcard, circa 1909, shows a bird’s-eye view of the mental health center, including the Amusement Building [FOREGROUND], which was constructed in 1900. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

NOW: The Ridges Auditorium, used for College of Fine Arts performances and event space for the University and community. Pictured is a rehearsal for the School of Music’s 2018 performance of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” staged in The Ridges Auditorium. Photo by Daniel King

THEN: Cottage R, housed male and female patients. This postcard, circa 1907-1915, shows Cottage R, which was constructed to house patients with developmental disabilities. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

NOW: Renovated and reopened in 2000 for the Voinovich School. A rainbow appears to cascade directly into The Ridges Building 22 in this 2006 photo. Building 22 is home to the Voinovich School’s Environmental Studies program and its Office of Student Success. Photo courtesy of University Communications and Marketing

THEN: Cottage O, seen in this circa 1907-1915 postcard, housed male patients. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

NOW: Renovated and reopened in 2000 for the Voinovich School. Building 21 is one of three buildings at The Ridges that house operations of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, including the school’s administrative offices and its MPA program. Photo courtesy of University Communications and Marketing

THEN: Geriatrics administration.

NOW: Renovated in 1998 and 2005 for the Voinovich School. The Ridges Building 19 houses some operations of the Voinovich School, including TechGROWTH Ohio, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the Small Business Development Center. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

THEN: This photo, circa 1977, shows what was the mental health center’s main kitchen. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center


NOW: The Ridges Building 9 houses Ohio University Moving and Surplus operations.

THEN: Bake Shop. This photo, circa 1910-1929, shows two of the individuals who worked in the mental health center’s Bake Shop. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center


NOW: The Ridges Building 8 houses part of Ohio University Mail Services. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

THEN: Patients are seen in one of the hallways in Buildings 2, 3 and 4—the western wing of the Kirkbride complex, which housed female patients. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

NOW: The Ridges’ Buildings 2, 3 and 4 are vacant, and Ohio University is actively seeking external partners interested in investing in compatible uses of the space.

Pictured in this postcard are [FROM LEFT] Cottage L (now the Konneker Research Center) and the original Cottage B, which served as the mental health center’s tuberculosis ward. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center


This photo, circa 1924 to 1940, shows [FROM LEFT] Cottage L (now the Konneker Research Center) and the new Cottage B, which was constructed in 1924, served as the mental health center’s tuberculosis ward and later housed the Beacon School. It was razed in 2013, and in 2017, the OHIO Observatory was opened near the site. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center


The OHIO Observatory houses a 1950s-era Fecker telescope. OHIO Mechanical System Technician Doug Shafer prepares the telescope for operation. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

Once part of the asylum’s farmland and orchards, The Ridges Land Lab’s 200+ acres are dedicated to research and academic use. Its trails are open for public recreation. This fold-out map featured in the Athens Lunatic Asylum’s first annual report in 1872 shows the orchards that would later become part of The Ridges Land Lab. Image courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections


Ohio University students and community members explore the plants, animals and fungi on The Ridges at the April 2018 BioBlast, an outdoor activity with the OHIO Museum Complex. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

This bird’s-eye view of The Ridges, circa 1924, shows the property as it looked from the south. Photo courtesy of the Southeast Ohio History Center


The Ohio University Compost Facility was constructed in 2009 and expanded in 2012. It is the largest in-vessel composting system at any university in the U.S. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

Built in 1914 as a cow barn, the Hocking Valley Arts Council led local efforts in 1977 to save the historic structure from demolition and establish it as an arts center. The Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center was established as a non-profit corporation in 1978. The land it sits on is not owned by Ohio University. This photo taken in the 1930s shows the dairy barn when it was part of the mental health center. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections


Ohio University students spruce up the grounds outside the Dairy Barn Arts Center during the 2018 Athens Beautification Day. Photo by Meagan Hall/University Communications and Marketing

Designated nondevelopable land, The Ridges Conservation Land’s 163 acres are reserved for academic and recreational use.


ROTC cadets Bhavan Patel, Jacob Ehreth and Armando Rodriguez plot out coordinates during a lab at The Ridges in this September 2020 photo. The Ridges’ Conservation Land is home to Ohio University’s ROTC Course. Photo by Julia Martin de Sa