for Courage, for Grandeur,…

for Courage, for Grandeur,…. . , Initial plans for Ohio Stadium were met with resistance. Critics regarded a 60,000-seat as folly and an outrageous financial risk. In the face of opposition, the Athletic Board proceeded with planning, University Architect Joseph N. Bradford conducted site surveys, and a University-owned field on the east bank of the Olentangy River was designated for a stadium athletic complex., In 1918, the Athletic Board asked Professor of Architecture Howard Dwight Smith to design a football stadium with running track and practice fields. The University Board of Trustees approved plans for the stadium in 1919, but the required the construction to be funded by private contributions., In 1920, the Athletic Board elected Columbus industrialist and OSU graduate Samuel N. Summer as chair as a fundraising campaign for Ohio Stadium. Summer enlisted thousands of volunteers to support the national campaign, which kicked off in October with a weeklong campus festival and student parades from the University to downtown Columbus. Three months later, fans, students, alumni, and corporate supporters had raised $1,082,878 to build Ohio Stadium., Construction began in August of 1921. Smith's architectural plan for Ohio Stadium employed several modern innovations and an exterior facade inspired by his studies of classical architecture. The graceful rhythm of the exterior arches is reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum, and the coffered ceiling of the rotunda is strongly influenced by the Pantheon. Smith's design for Ohio Stadium won the 1921 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for public architecture.