Manasseh Cutler Hall

The College Green of Ohio University is the university's centralized quadrangle lawn which saw the first academic buildings in the former Northwest Territory. The yard sits roughly aligned to cardinal directions, with Manasseh Cutler Hall facing true north. The Green, at the heart of the Athens campus, is surrounded by administrative, academic, and library buildings named for figures that played pivotal roles in university history: Manasseh Cutler, Robert Wilson, William McGuffey, and Vernon Alden to name a few. The most prominent three structures which adorn College Green, all over 200 years old and made of red brick, are featured on the official university logo and set the university's Federal appearance: Cutler Hall, originally constructed in 1816 as the College Edifice but not officially open until 1819 due to a fire, is the home of the President's office; Wilson Hall built 1837 houses the College of Arts & Sciences; and McGuffey Hall was built 1839. For most of the nineteenth and twentieth century, College Green saw small memorials and wartime monuments dedicated in remembrance of the people involved in those centuries' great conflicts. The Green is the centerpiece of a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, encompassing the collegiate yard, flanking buildings, and other nearby campus buildings. College Green is based upon the classic layout of traditional English and New England towns and similar to university quadrangles. College Green features Galbreath Chapel, the spire of which, topped with a brass weather vane, is modeled after that of the portico of Nash's All Souls Church in London. Other buildings on the College Green include Chubb Hall, home to Undergraduate Admissions as well as the Offices of the Bursar and Registrar; Ellis Hall, home to the departments of English, Classics, Religious Studies, and Philosophy (built in the early 20th century entirely with state funding); Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium; as well as Bryan Hall, an upperclassman residence hall. The University Sundial, located behind Galbreath Chapel, was constructed in 1907 and marks the original location of the university's first building. A plaque embedded on the Green's main walkway notes: College Green, which was home to the first Ohio University students almost two centuries ago, welcomes all who walk its paths, and embodies the openness and democratic spirit that define Ohio University. President Lyndon Johnson's first ever public reference to the Great Society took place during a speech to students on May 7, 1964, on the College Green: And with your courage and with your compassion and your desire, we will build a Great Society. It is a Society where no child will go unfed, and no youngster will go unschooled. President Johnson later formally presented his specific goals for the Great Society in another speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Friday May 22, 1964. The College Green has been frequently referenced in Athens literature and music. Its gateway is used by the entering freshman class upon their official university convocation, and is also the site of the international promenade during the university's International Week. The College Green has been the site of musical performances, protests, progressive movements, and patriotic displays. Most of the university student body passes through College Green at some point in their time as a student because of the presence of the registrar and bursar there. For almost all of its life, the College Green has welcomed tourists and visitors who want to see its prominent stature in Ohio and American history. Wolfe Garden is located on the south-central edge of College Green, between Alden Library and Cutler Hall; a low stone wall around the garden defines a shape approximating that of the State of Ohio. The enchanting "Green Lady," a statue entitled American Woman by sculptor David Hostetler, is a popular landmark at Wolfe Garden. The Amphitheater on the southwestern corner of the College Green evokes the classical inspiration of the Athens campus, recalling the epic and dramatic arts of the Old World. College Green is framed by two main university gateways: Alumni Gateway and the College Gates. Alumni Gateway, built in 1915, features the text "That thou Mayest Grow In Knowledge, Wisdom and Love," borrowed from the Latin phrase inscribed over a gateway to the University of Padua, and was dedicated upon the 100th anniversary of the university's first graduating class. The newer College Gate, built in the 1960s, features words taken from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 regarding public education. Traditions surrounding College Green include the latter half of first year convocation, where students, led by the Ohio University Marching 110, march up Richland Avenue, onto Presidents Street, turning north onto Court Street, and entering the Green through the College Gate at the corner of Court and Union Streets. From there, a large involvement fair is held where students find their clubs they wish to be involved with. Notable features of College Green include:

The Athens Governmental Buildings are a complex of buildings in central Athens, Ohio, United States. Among these buildings are the Athens County Courthouse, the Athens City Hall, and the former post office, now Haning Hall of Ohio University. The current post office is a much more recent building away from the town center, on East Stimson Avenue. Together, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.The oldest of the buildings included, the Silas Bingham House, also known as the old log courthouse, was built in 1804. The Athens County Courthouse was built during 1877–80. The Athens City Hall, built in the 1800s, was one of few city halls that old in southern Ohio which were still in use in 1999. Haning Hall is a former post office.

The E. W. Scripps School of Journalism is part of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. Founded in 1924, the school has been recognized by The Associated Press and U.S. News & World Report for excellence in instruction and research in the fields of journalism and mass communications. The program was recently recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Ohio Board of Regents, and has attracted more than $54 million in grants, awards and investments. The School of Journalism is accredited by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The school's current director as of March 2020, Edith Dashiell, joined OHIO in 1992.

The John Calhoun Baker University Center, located near the center of Ohio University's main campus in Athens, Ohio, is a building that serves the Ohio University student body. Named for Ohio University’s 14th President, John Calhoun Baker, the Center opened in January 2007. It replaced the original Baker University Center, which was renovated as the Schoonover Center housing the Scripps College of Communication. The building provides facilities, programs, services and amenities that serve the University community, the Athens, Ohio community and visitors. It is operated by the Ohio University Division of Student Affairs.

The Athena Cinema is a movie theater in Athens, Ohio that has been continuously operating since 1915. Originally called Majestic Theatre, the name was eventually changed to Schine's Athena before its current incarnation, The Athena Cinema. Today, it is owned by Ohio University.

Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subsequently approved for the territory in 1802 and state in 1804, opening for students in 1809. Ohio University is the oldest university in Ohio and among the oldest public universities in the United States. Ohio University comprises nine campuses, nine undergraduate colleges, its Graduate College, its college of medicine, and its public affairs school, and offers more than 250 areas of undergraduate study as well as certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". As of Fall 2020, the university's total enrollment at Athens was slightly more than 18,000, while the all-campus enrollment was just over 30,000.Ohio's intercollegiate athletic teams are known as the Bobcats and compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as charter members of the Mid-American Conference. Ohio football has participated in 16 bowl games through the 2023 season. The men's basketball team has made 14 appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, with their most recent appearance in 2021.

Ossian C. Bird Arena is an ice arena and recreational sport facility located in Athens, Ohio and owned and operated by Ohio University. The arena serves as the home for Ohio University ACHA Men's college ice hockey teams that compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association at the Division I level as a member of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League and at the Division II level as a member of the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League. The Division II team won the 2018 TSCHL Tournament Championship. Bird Arena is also home to the Ohio University Synchronized Skating Team who compete in the Open Collegiate division of synchronized skating. The Bird Arena features a 190′ × 85′ ice sheet for ice hockey, figure skating and open skating, and local high school hockey.

Ohio University's Aquatic Center is the swimming and diving facility of the Ohio Bobcats. It has been home to Ohio Bobcats swimming and diving since it was opened on January 27, 1984 before a dual meet against the Youngstown State Penguins. The Aquatic Center has a potential to hold 1,105 spectators in the bleachers located above two sides of the pool. The Olympic-sized pool at the Aquatic Center has 22 25-yard lanes, 10 50-meter lanes and a pair of one and three meter diving boards. The pool's shallow end is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) deep and the pool's deep end is 14 feet 2 inches (4.32 m) deep. The surface area of the pool is 12,300 square feet (1,140 m2), which contains 645,468.75 US gallons (2,443,365.0 L) of water. Because it is one of the best swimming and diving facilities in the region, the Aquatic Center has hosted the 1985 NCAA Diving Regionals, 6 Women's Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships (1986, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2005), and 4 Men's Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships (1988, 1991, 1998 and 2002). The Ohio High School Athletic Association also holds regional-level competition here often. In addition to serving as the home of the Bobcats, the facility hosts various local high school swim meets and is used by Ohio University faculty, staff, and students as well as Athens, Ohio community members for recreational swimming.

Grover Center was originally built to be the home for the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team. The first men's basketball game in the arena featured the Ohio Bobcats hosting the previous years national champion Ohio State Buckeyes on December 1, 1960 to a sold out crowd. The Ohio Bobcats basketball team only called the Grover Center home from 1960–68 after the much larger Convocation Center opened up December 3, 1968. It is named after former Bobcat coach Butch Grover.

Ohio Brew Week is a festival held annually in Athens, Ohio. The 9-day celebration of Ohio brewing brings together brewers and beer lovers from all around the nation to sample beers and celebrate the joy of craft brewing. It is a week full of the celebration of “craft beer and Ohio pride.” More than 26 different breweries located around Ohio showcase their beer at restaurants, bars, and breweries in uptown Athens. These breweries include: Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, Rhinegeist Brewing Co. in Cincinnati, and a local favorite, Jackie O's Brewery in Athens. Events, concerts, and competitions are held throughout the week as well as barbecue cookouts, multiple happy hours, dinners, "meet the brewer", pool tournaments, tastings, golf outings, karaoke, corn hole tournaments, trivia, a haunted tour, and other activities.

The Athens News (stylized as NEWS) is an American free weekly, English-language newspaper published in Athens, Ohio. It was founded in 1977, and serves the area that contains Ohio University. It was initial published weekly under the name Athena "A" News but was published every Monday and Thursday since 1982 before becoming a weekly paper in 2019. Today, it publishes every Wednesday. It is one of three newspapers in Athens County, alongside The Athens Messenger and Ohio University's The Post. In the fall of 2014, the News was acquired by Adams Publishing Group, who had acquired the Messenger earlier that year. Corinne Colbert currently serves as editor of the publication and Cole Behrens serves as Associate Editor. The Athens NEWS was founded in 1977 as an alternative publication to the local media environment, which included The Athens Messenger and The OU Post — but in the 1980s The Athens NEWS became a staple for local news in Athens due to its focus on the city and investigative content. The Athens NEWS recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017 and commemorated the occasion by publishing a book "40 Years on the Bricks: A History of The Athens NEWS." Microfilmed issues of the Athens News issues from 1977 to 1990 and paper issues from 2000 to present are located at the Ohio University Alden Library Annex.

Athens Downtown Historic District is a registered historic district in Athens, Ohio, United States, listed in the National Register on September 30, 1982. It contains 88 contributing buildings, made from an assortment of materials. The architecture is in the style of Late Victorian with periods of significance from 1900–1924, 1875–1899, and 1850–1874. The downtown district is currently being used for Commerce / Trade, Domestic, Education, and Government.The district has a number of contiguous contributing buildings, many with brick facades, bracketed cornices, and decorative arched stone lintels.