In the near future, students will be packing their bags and returning to their homes for winter break. Over the course of the month-long vacation, Ashland University will be undergoing several changes, resulting in a slightly changed-or perhaps updated-campus. Specifically, when students flock back in mid-January, Miller Hall will be completely demolished.

David Roepke, Ashland University’s archivist, led me through the abandoned building in a typically forbidden tour in order to let a pair of eyes observe the premises for a final time.

Though Roepke highly values the preservation of the campus’ history, he knows the decision to tear down AU’s oldest building was inevitable.

“They [Ashland University] don’t like old buildings. How many do you notice around campus?” Roepke said.

In preparation for its decimation, what has been a storage space for approximately five years has finally been cleared out enough to allow a person to wander throughout the musty halls. In a relatively short span of time, the interior is in shambles, with flecks of paint chipping off walls and outdated pieces of furniture creating an obstacle course.

Along the corridors of the first floor, rooms that once held classes are now a vacant memory, filled with junk instead of students. Blackboards are attached to every room, a far cry from the dry erase boards and projection screens that are used in classrooms today. The perimeters of the ceiling are crusted over with mildew and eaten away from water damage.

“Nobody really cares about it. I think it’s kind of unfortunate-once a building’s gone…this is the last link to the old campus,” Roepke said. “You’re in the building now, but a year from now, how are you going to describe it to someone who hasn’t been here before?”

Like the thick, dusty air permeating Miller Hall, a weighty history does as well. As the oldest building on campus, it was constructed in 1923 after Dr. Jacobs, Ashland College’s president at the time, wanted to update the grounds.

“The money [to build Miller] was raised through private donations through the citizens of Ashland County and members of the Brethren Church,” Roepke said. “It was the first modern building on campus since the school opened. The church and the citizens came together and raised the $80,000 it would take to construct the building.”

Jacobs had the building named after Dr. J. Allen Miller, who, with the combined efforts of he and his wife Clara Worst Miller, pulled Ashland College out of debt. In fact, if it weren’t for such strong efforts to support the educational institution, Ashland University would not be in existence today.

Ashland College, which was funded through the Brethren Church, experienced a severe loss of funds after the church split in 1881. As a result, Ashland College reached a debt of $40,000-a monumental sum during that time-and was struggling for financial stability until Dr. J. Allen Miller and his wife intervened.

“For about ten years until 1898, the school was floundering and didn’t have any real direction to it,” Roepke said. With Dr. Miller and Clara Miller’s assistance, the money the school owed was mostly paid off by 1900.

“If they hadn’t stepped forward and done that, the school probably would have closed up and gone the way of a lot of private academies,” Roepke said.

Since Miller Hall’s construction, it has served many purposes.

The first floor primarily contained classrooms, in which a wide variety of subjects were taught. According to Roepke, history, business, social science and religion classes have been conducted in the building.

As recent as 2005, science classes were held in Miller Hall due to the renovation of Kettering.

At one point, the building held many offices that are now in Founders. The second floor contained the Registrar’s office, the Business office and even the President’s office.

Reportedly, Miller Hall has also once served as Ashland’s Theological Seminary.

Lastly, up until 1960, AU’s library was located on the third floor until it transferred over to Patterson. It is because of the rich past attached with Miller Hall and its significance as the oldest building that there has been some dissent over its demolition.

But in order to restore Miller Hall, it would cost around a hefty six million dollars.

Expenses aside, Roepke was one of the fervent advocates in favor of keeping Miller Hall. He was so adamant about keeping Miller, he conceived of detailed plans in order to transform it into a useable building once more.

“It was my suggestion to Dr. Finks to restore the building back to its 1920s appearance,” Roepke said.

Despite the planned retro design, one feature of the updated building Roepke wanted was quite modern. On the third floor where the library once stood, the archivist suggested constructing an internet café.

In the end, Miller Hall’s poor interior condition would have been too pricey to salvage and benefit the university.

Today, instead of remembering Miller as an academic building, most students associate the building with flimsy rumors pertaining to possible hauntings.

Taking into consideration Roepke has spent many hours in the neglected building, he would be the first to be aware of any inexplicable happenings. However, Roepke readily dismissed the notion.

“I haven’t seen anything,” Roepke said. Instead of straining to recollect any potentially paranormal experiences, he brought up a particular prank a couple of students pulled back in the 1930s.

“Some of the students brought up a cow and put it in the library and tied it to the librarian’s desk. Apparently cows go up steps but won’t go down,” Roepke said with a chuckle. But there was much more that happened within the building’s walls than pranks.

“Think of all the students that have come here and studied and sat up here in the library and worked on their papers,” Roepke said. “Think of all the students that have gone here over the last 85 years.”

The university archivist reflected on Miller Hall’s deep history with a bittersweet reverence only granted to the most admirable of campus landmarks.

“It is the last link to the old campus,” Roepke said, not for the first time.

When students return from winter break, the oldest building at Ashland University will be forever erased.