Ohio University broke ground April 21, 2025, on the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts Violet L. Patton Center for Arts Education. The event took place in McCracken Field, behind Patton Hall, on the university's Athens campus, marking a significant milestone in the revitalization of the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts renewal strategy.
The event kicked off with a welcome followed by various speakers including Interim Dean Jody Lamb, Violet Patton's lawyer Katharine Davidson and first-year musical theater student Erica Ahmed.
The Patton Center, named in honor of a $50 million gift from the late Violet Patton, BSED ‘38, LHD ‘11, is central to the university's $99.2 million plan to enhance arts education and community engagement. The center will feature a 350-seat proscenium theater and rehearsal hall, as well as a lobby dedicated to fostering connections among students, faculty and community members. Additionally, the facility will include an art gallery and exhibition spaces to showcase student and artist work.
Not only will this new center serve Ohio students, faculty and staff but also the broader Appalachian Ohio community.
The Patton Center is part of a broader initiative to transform the university's arts facilities into more interdisciplinary, innovative and collaborative places. Major renovations also are planned for Seigfred Hall, which houses the School of Art + Design.
The overall goal is to create an Arts + Education Green that brings together the College of Fine Arts' six schools and four professional arts programs, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and enriching the educational experience.
Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2026, with students occupying the spaces in fall 2027.
