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About ILGARD
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Restored Ridges Building Now Home to New ILGARD Offices
January 2002
In January, the Institute for Local
Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD) moved
into a freshly renovated building that residents of the former
Athens Mental Health Center once called home.
The building, now known simply as
Building 22, was a cottage built in 1903 as part of an innovative
plan to create a family-like atmosphere that would aid patients
recovering from mental illness. This idea was an essential
part of the Kirkbride plan, a radical architectural solution
to mental illness at the time, which emphasized fresh air
and indoor and outdoor recreation.
"The large common area, giant
fireplaces and numerous windows are hallmarks of this design,"
says Mike Finney, associate director for operations and senior
project manager at ILGARD. "Renovation was a challenge
but the original design makes for some really unique office
spaces."
According to Mark Weinberg, director
of ILGARD and the Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public
Affairs, expansion was essential in order to accommodate client
and training services, make necessary technology updates and
operate more efficiently. ILGARD also needed elbow room.
"The number and type of projects
that we are involved in has grown so much since 1993 that
we simply ran out of space," says Weinberg. "Involving
Ohio University students in various projects required expansion
as well; this year alone we employ 74 O.U. students."
Governor Taft and the Ohio General
Assembly appropriated funding for the renovation, which concentrated
on emphasizing the original beauty of the building while providing
functional space for ILGARD's many units.
ILGARD's new address:
ILGARD
Ohio University
Building 22, The Ridges
Athens, Ohio 45701
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