Education Department Moves Into Edgar Hall After Phillips Hall Closure

As fall classes are in full swing, Ohio Wesleyan’s Education Department has a new place to call home: Edgar Hall.

The move comes after Phillips Hall was officially decommissioned this summer, when engineers found its steam line had outlived its life span. Rather than risk a mid-semester shutdown, the university made the call to relocate everyone before classes started.

For education majors, the change means getting used to a new space. Edgar Hall, already home to fine arts classrooms and studios, now also houses education faculty offices, classrooms, and the Curriculum Resource Center — a library of more than 12,000 books, teaching guides, and materials that future teachers can use.

“It’s definitely different not walking into Phillips every day,” Tessa Koenig, an Education major, said. “But Edgar feels like a fresh start; it’s kind of fun sharing a building with the art department.”

Other departments have also shifted: Journalism and Communication is now in Elliott Hall, Philosophy and Religion moved to Sturges, and Psychology is based in the Science Center.

While the switch has been an adjustment, many students say the transition went more smoothly than expected. “It was sad at first hearing Phillips was closing, but it’s nice to see how quickly everything was organized and put together” Koenig added. 

Edgar Hall’s mix of history and creativity makes it a unique new home for the Education Department. What was once a textile mill and an art building, is now also where OWU’s future teachers are preparing for the classroom.