Ohio Stadium was built between August 1921 and October 1922 and won immediate acclaim for its innovative architecture, including reinforced concrete construction, double-deck seating, and an open-ended horseshoe design. Ohio architect Howard Dwight Smith received an Exhibition Gold Medal for "excellence in public works" from the American Institute of Architects. Dedicated at the October 21, 1922, OSU-Michigan game, the stadium seated 63,000, with temporary stands raising capacity above 72,000, and fans nicknamed it "The Shoe" or "The Horseshoe" for its shape. Over the next century, renovations and additions introduced press boxes, elevators, address systems, scoreboards, lighting, and more seating while preserving the original basic structure. In 1974, Ohio Stadium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Smith was the architect, E.H. Latham Company the contractor, groundbreaking came on Aagust 3, 1921, and the opening game was held on October 7, 1922. In 1922 the stadium measured 754 feet long, 597 feet wide, and 107 feet tall, with a capacity of 63,000; by 2022 it measured 919 feet long, 679 feet wide, and 138 feet high, with a capacity of 102,780. Expansions came in 1948, 1991, 2001, and 2014.
