Ana Wacker, Moritz College of Law class of 2027, a student ambassador for the college, highlights a rendering of the new law campus building. Announced Monday, the Moritz College of Law will be moving to the downtown Huntington Bank building. Credit: Michael Goulet | Campus Photo Editor.
Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law will move from campus to the historic Huntington building in downtown Columbus — located at 17 S. High St. — with the hope of welcoming students in fall 2029.?
The university announced the partnership with Huntington Bank Monday at an event in the bank’s historic building downtown. The event followed the Board of Trustees’ approval in June to lease the space for 20 years.?
“This place is much more than a building,” university president Ravi Bellamkonda said. “It signifies this move of Ohio State. How interwoven, interconnected we are as a community — the university, the city, civic leaders and banks like Huntington.”
One of the main motivators behind the move is bringing law students closer to the Ohio Statehouse and law firms in the area, Bellamkonda said.
“This building is minutes away from leading law firms that recruit our students from Moritz, literally embedding our students in the city and its fabric with policy leaders not too far away, giving them incredible opportunities, not just for our students but for our faculty also,” Bellamkonda said.?
Moritz College of Law Dean Kent Barnett said that the move is exciting not only for what it means for the law school, but that it also pays homage to both Huntington and Ohio State’s histories.?
“This is a full circle moment for the college of law,” Barnett said. “Many of you may not know we started just down the street at the Franklin County Courthouse before moving to Page Hall and then to our current home at Drinko Hall.
When asked about Drinko Hall’s future use, Bellamkonda shared that the university has “several ideas” for the space, but didn’t provide any further details.?
Outside of the academic and professional benefits for students, the city itself is expecting a change. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said he is excited to see how the downtown area will shift with the larger student population.?
“Our city feels different when Ohio State students come back to campus,” Ginther said. “They bring with them so much energy and optimism for the new school year, and soon downtown is going to benefit from that energy as the university brings an academic program off its main campus and into the center of downtown Columbus.”?
Ginther also connected the relocation to growth of downtown Columbus as a whole.?
“We’re continuing to invest in housing, public spaces, safety and the things that make downtown such a great neighborhood and a great destination,” Ginther said. “Now the Ohio State University is making a significant long-term investment in downtown’s future as well.”
The building will remain a part of Huntington’s history downtown, operating a ground-level bank branch at the historic site, Central Ohio Region President Sue Zazon said. For the school, the building plans include adding more windows, relocating the library and ensuring there is an appropriate amount of study spaces.
Ana Wacker, a third-year law student at Moritz College of Law, is excited for the move, though bittersweet she won’t get to experience the new building — at least as a student.?
“I’m planning to start my legal career here in Columbus, so I’m really excited to be down the street and be able to pop in [and] give back what I’ve gotten from the school,” Wacker said. “I think it’s an exciting way to bring that connection to the community, but then also put students in a building that kind of demands professionalism, demands excellence, which is something that law school is really good at cultivating.”
For students, faculty, staff and members of the downtown population, the move marks the first step in development initiatives that go far beyond traditional campus borders.
“The future of this city and the future of our downtown has never been brighter,” Ginther said. “Welcome home, Ohio State, to downtown Columbus.”
