Ohio University Schedules Demolition of Building That’s Believed To Be Haunted.. Students and Preservationists Hope To Persuade Them Not To Demolish The Building… Haunted Society Paranormal News – Subscribe To Our News Feed Here
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012
Article By: Phillip Brunelle
www.HauntedSociety.com
ATHENS, OHIO — The Ohio University has announced their plans to demolish a historical building, that’s said to be haunted, before this coming Halloween… but many students and historical preservationists are objecting to the University’s demolition plans.
The Ridges Building 26 was once used as the Beacon School, but the 88-year-old historical building was originally built to serve as a tuberculosis ward at the state mental hospital that once owned the property, which was acquired by Ohio University in the 1980’s.
Officials at Ohio University said they’re hoping to demolish Ridges Building 26 before Halloween to prevent curious students and ghost hunters from trespassing and causing more vandalism to the building. “Ridges Building 26 has become an attractive nuisance” said Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for facilities.
Harry Wyatt said he’s not happy about demolishing a historical building, but in its state of disrepair he’s concerned for people’s safety. “When trespassers break in they’re putting themselves in danger” Harry Wyatt said, he continued “This is a part of my job that I hate, but personally and professionally, I’m convinced that this is the right thing to do for this building, for safety reasons.”
The state of Ohio has promised Ohio University $300,000 for the demolition of Ridges Building 26, and this has the historical society furious, and they’re wondering why the university isn’t using this money to rehabilitate the building, rather than tearing it down. “The building has historical significance as part of a still-intact mental-health campus that dates to 1868” said Tom O’Grady, President of Athens County Historical Society. “The building is not falling down, It’s deteriorating around the edges.”
K. Robert Toy, a lawyer on the historical society’s board, questioned why, if Ohio University is concerned about trespassing, they recently removed a fence that had been posted with ‘no trespassing’ signs. “If it’s an attractive nuisance, it’s more of one now,” K. Robert Toy said.
Ohio University Campus Police told Haunted Society that they’ve arrested 55 people in the last few years for trespassing at the haunted Ridges 26 Building. Most or all of which were thrill seeking students and ghost hunters breaking in to investigate because of the local folklore and claims of paranormal activity.
The last public statement given to Haunted Society Paranormal News was issued by Ohio University spokeswoman Renea Morris, who said, “The goal is for the building to be demolished prior to Halloween, but no demolition date has been set at this time. The project is going through final plan review and standard institutional approvals prior to its initiation.”
Students, preservationists and many people in the paranormal community are hoping that before Ohio University makes any final approvals for the demolition of the haunted Ridges Building 26, that they consider using the $300,000 toward rehabilitating the building and using it for a meaningful purpose. The office of the President of Ohio University can be contacted by Email Here if you would like to voice your opinion to the university, or you can comment below to share your thoughts. If you’re not a member of Haunted Society Paranormal Network, we invite you to Join Here. Haunted Society is a trusted source of bizarre and paranormal news and a free paranormal social networking website.
MESSAGE TO OHIO UNIVERSITY
This has importance to the paranormal community for a couple reasons, for one, we like many preservationists, prefer to preserve history whenever possible, but also because this building was once the location where many people died from tuberculosis. Of course with the rumors of the building being haunted, many people will be attracted to it, but if the building is haunted, this means that there are spirits within the walls of this building of every person who died there.
Haunted Society asks that Ohio University reconsiders their plans to demolish Ridges Building 26, and use the $300,000 to rehab, or at least, improve upon securing the building to prevent trespassers and vandalism. If they should still move forward with the demolition of the building, we ask that before doing so, that Ohio University consults a paranormal professional for a spiritual cleansing, to release the spirits of anyone left behind, or that’s attached, or stuck inside this building. Ohio University might find this to be bizarre or unimportant to consider, but if you would consider this and need assistance getting someone for a spiritual cleansing, PLEASE CONTACT US HERE.
