| June 5, 2001 | Contact: Tom Hof
(614) 688-3455
|
Motorists Insurance Gift Supports Ohio Stadium Enhancement and Renovation
COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University has announced a recent gift of $2 million to the Department of Athletics from The Motorists Insurance Group Foundation, the charitable arm of The Motorists Insurance Group of Columbus. The gift, which will support a large-scale art glass installation in the rotunda of the historic Ohio Stadium, will also help to defray stadium renovation expenses.
“We are deeply gratified by this very generous gift,” said Ohio State Director of Athletics Andy Geiger. “This installation will be a spectacular visual representation of the spirit and tradition of ‘game day’ in Ohio Stadium, and we thank The Motorists Insurance Group for making it possible.”
The installation, designed by The Agency Graphic Design of Powell, Ohio, will comprise three opalescent glass panels—each approximately 18.5 feet high and 12 feet wide—placed in the stadium rotunda’s window openings and lit from behind. The center panel, featuring a large scarlet “Block O” on a gray background, will be flanked by panels depicting scenes of the Buckeye football team in action (see enclosed images). The installation will also include a series of four plaques mounted between the rotunda’s entrance arches, three of which will provide a glimpse of Ohio Stadium history.
The fourth entrance arch plaque—in addition to a fifth plaque mounted beneath the center art glass panel—will recognize The Motorists Insurance Group’s longtime support of Ohio State, which includes past gifts to such areas as the College of Medicine and Public Health and the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, in addition to the Department of Athletics. The company has also supported the Ohio State Football Radio Network for 30 years.
“The Motorists Insurance Group, with it history of supporting The Ohio State University and its athletics programs, is pleased and honored to play a significant role in the renovation, preservation, and enhancement of Ohio Stadium by funding the rotunda artwork,” said John J. Bishop, Motorists chairman, president, and CEO.
“The rotunda, recognized throughout the college sports world as the symbol of Ohio State football pride, will now have a permanent memorial to the Buckeye traditions that are the heart and soul of the finest football program in the country,” he added. “We are particularly happy to make this contribution at a time when longtime Ohio State supporter Robert E. H. Rabold, chairman emeritus of Motorists, is retiring after 41 years of service.”
Established in 1928, The Motorists Insurance Group markets competitive personal, commercial, and life insurance products through more than 2,800 independent agents to more than 32 million people in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In addition, the company’s American Hardware Mutual subsidiary markets commercial lines of business in 34 states. Ohio State football legend and three-time All American Archie Griffin is the company’s corporate spokesperson and a member of its board of directors.
This gift to support Ohio Stadium is part of Ohio State’s ongoing fund-raising efforts following the success of its five-year, $1.23 billion “Affirm Thy Friendship” Campaign.
Editors Note: Electronic images of the windows are available. Please call Amy Murray at (614) 292-8385.
Contacts for more information:
· Tom Hof, associate athletic director, The Ohio State University, (614) 688-3345 or hof.1@osu.edu.
· Paul Richards, manager of corporate communications, The Motorists Insurance Group, (614) 225-8205, (614) 885-6207, or Paul.Richards@motogroup.com.
Facts: Ohio Stadium Art Glass Installation
The Agency Graphic Design of Powell, Ohio, has been commissioned to design and build three large-scale, illuminated art glass display panels to be installed in the rotunda of the historic Ohio Stadium. The installation represents a gift to Ohio State football players and fans from The Motorists Insurance Group, a longtime supporter of The Ohio State University. It is part of the stadium renovation project and will certainly add to the overall beauty of the “Horseshoe.”
· The panels—each approximately 18.5 feet tall and 12 feet wide, depicting scenes of the Buckeye football team in action—will be installed on the inner south wall of the rotunda:
· The center window frames, on a gray background, a large scarlet “Block O”—an icon long associated with the university and with the Buckeyes.
· The left window depicts a Buckeye running back crossing the goal line as his teammates block for him. An official signaling a touchdown is shown just behind the players.
· The right window features a powerful portrayal of the Buckeye defensive line grinding an opposing team's end-zone drive to a halt.
· The images of the players are not intended to represent specific individuals, but rather the offensive and defensive squads that comprise the Buckeye football team. The players are depicted in contemporary equipment and uniforms, providing a link to current times and a watermark for future generations.
· The art glass panels will be sandwiched between layers of non-glare, laminated safety glass, to protect the windows and reduce reflection. The panels will then be suspended in custom-built, gray, aluminum frame structures engineered to meet building code standards. The windows will be illuminated from behind with theatrical lighting, enhancing the impact of the images for both day and night viewing.
· The installation will include four cast-aluminum plaques placed at eye level between the entrance arches of the rotunda. Three of the plaques will provide the history of Ohio Stadium; the fourth will recognize The Motorists Insurance Group’s longstanding support of Ohio State. An additional plaque to be mounted beneath the center “Block O” panel will recognize The Motorists Insurance Group as sponsor.
· Historic considerations were an integral part of the installation’s design process. Ohio Stadium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; when the renovation project is completed, the rotunda, its adjacent towers, and its end towers will be the only remaining exposed sections of the structure’s original exterior facade. The new art glass panels will be placed in the large window openings of the rotunda that were originally covered in clear glass panes. The newly designed panels are rendered in opalescent art glass and assembled using the same leading technique traditionally used in stained glass windows. Opalescent glass was made popular in the 1920s, the same decade during which Ohio Stadium was constructed.
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