Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Put-In-Bay Visitor Center Renovation
Type of Construction
General Contracting
Square Footage
10,109
Construction Budget
$4,934,642
The existing building was home to the State Fish Hatchery from 1907 till 1988. Since then, the building has been used as a research center for Ohio State University and the ODNR Division of Wildlife as well as a public education center. The intent of the renovation is to preserve the building for future generations, make it accessible to all visitors, and to enhance the visitors’ educational experience.
The renovation will include exterior restoration where needed, new energy efficient windows and new metal roof. The interior finishes of the building will remain and be modified only as required to facilitate any new rooms. The floors will also remain the existing concrete providing visitors with a clear visual representation of how buildings were engineered during early times.
To make the building accessible to all visitors, a new entrance will be created on the road side of the building that will be served by an ADA accessible ramp. At this new entrance location, a portion of the façade and roofline will be modified slightly in order to create a visible entrance for way finding. To enhance the visitors educational experience, the existing displays will be redesigned and enlarged. Much of the existing historic fishery items such as fish tanks and fresh water and waste water piping for the tanks will remain to provide an educational and tangible link to the past.
