Oberlin Then and Now: Cabinet Hall
Then: 120 N. Professor Street, 1874, Now: Green space between Peters Hall and King Building
Cabinet Hall was constructed by the village of Oberlin in 1851 for public school purposes, and was used for school purposes from 1852 to 1874. It was located north of the Morgan House, and south of the location now occupied by Peters Hall. It was purchased by the College in 1874 at an expense of $5,500. It afforded six recitation rooms and a large room on the third floor for the cabinet of Natural History specimens, hence the name "Cabinet Hall." In 1878 the lower floor was assigned to the department of Chemistry, providing a lecture room, a working laboratory for students, and a special laboratory for the professor of Chemistry. In 1886 the northwest corner was town down. The entire building was torn down in 1901, upon the completion of Severance Chemical Laboratory.
Source: From the 1936 Alumni Catalogue and a set of building cards created by the College Secretary's office, both located at the Oberlin College Archives
Photo courtesy of Oberlin Heritage Center
