The School of Architecture was founded in 1909 as the Department of Architectural Engineering within the College of Engineering. W.A. Etherton served as its first Head.

Over the next 38 years, the School and its programs developed under the leadership of Professor Etherton and five other men who served as Head. Most notable among these was Phillip A. Wilber, who led the School from 1927 to 1947.

By 1930, the architecture program had been expanded to five years in duration and the School was offering the Bachelor of Architecture degree in either of two options: design and structures. By that time, Professor Wilber had also attracted an outstanding young faculty, the nucleus of which remained to guide the School through the Great Depression, World War II, and on into the mid-1960’s. This group established a heritage of excellence and cultural diversity within the School, as well as the guiding educational philosophy that continues to be followed to this day – a philosophy that focuses the curriculum primarily on preparing students for the private practice of architecture or engineering.

The 20-year period following WWII was very important in the School’s development. Returning military veterans brought with them levels of maturity and goal-orientation that were especially well-suited to the School’s educational philosophy. This synergism resulted in student work that enlarged the School’s heritage to include national and international recognition for excellence in architectural education. In two separate years of the early-1950’s, the School received unprecedented recognition when it was named as the outstanding architecture school in the nation by the Beaux Arts Societies of New York and Paris and, in those same years, the top national student award went to one of its students. Also, during the period from the mid-1950’s to the mid-1960’s, OSU students won or placed in numerous national student design competitions, thus further broadening the School’s recognition for excellence in design education.

The School’s heritage of cultural diversity among its students also began in the years following WWII when OSU President Henry G. Bennett was appointed to lead the federal government’s Point Four Program to assist development of Middle Eastern countries. Dr. Bennett strongly believed that one of the best and most enduring ways to assist these countries was to make American higher education readily available to their citizens. OSU quickly became a leader in this effort and for many years had the highest percentage of international students among major American universities. The School of Architecture is no exception to this record. Since 1950, virtually no class has graduated from the School without a significant contingent of international students.