Crispin Center and Oglebay Pool

The Crispin Center was one of Oglebay Park’s first major guest buildings. Construction on the area began in 1936 with Camp Waddington Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members, who terraformed the land, ensured proper drainage and plumbing, and created foundations. The bulk of the work was then funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and philanthropic donations. Sandstone for the building was quarried from nearby Peter’s Run Road. The centerpiece of the Crispin Center, the Pine Room, was so named for its plentiful pine wood supports. The pool was built concurrently with the Crispin Center using a $68,000 federal grant and money from Sarita Oglebay Russel, who also helped fund Oglebay Park’s first year of operation. The pool opened briefly in 1937 to test capacity. The grand opening of both the pool and the Crispin Center was held in 1938.

The Crispin Center is built in a Georgian Revival style. This can be seen in the resizing of various elements in relation to each other and the five bayed facade, both hallmarks of Georgian Revival architecture. The gabled roof and arc transom lights situate the building firmly in the American tradition of Georgian architecture. The rough cut and expertly placed sandstone draws from the Rustic Architecture style employed by CCC participants across the country. The building was designed by Frederic F. Faris, a Wheeling architect. Faris’ contributions on this building and in the Wheeling area are particularly impressive considering the architect had no formal training.

The pool at the Crispin Center is a significant example of post-Depression-era recreational facilities. Approximately one thousand pools were created by the WPA in the 1930s. However, only a handful are still extant, this pool in Oglebay Park being one of them. The pool at Oglebay Park stands out among other WPA pools as it features a simple design that blends with the surroundings, a contrast to the highly ornamented Art Deco pools the WPA typically constructed — perhaps this is why the Oglebay pool is one of the only ones to survive. In addition to serving as an amenity for park goers, the pool also ingeniously served as a rain collection site to stop the park from flooding. All the water that fell in the vicinity ended up in the pool, which was drained when necessary. These days, water has been rerouted via other means. 

The Crispin Center is named after Crispin Oglebay, Earl W. Oglebay’s nephew. Crispin was an industrialist, like his uncle. After Earl’s death in 1926, Crispin was appointed as executor of the late Oglebay’s will. While the city of Wheeling debated whether or not to accept Waddington Farm, Crispin was already at work caring for the estate. He contacted a variety of educational and recreational institutions before T. Frame responded enthusiastically. Frame was the director of the Extension Division of West Virginia University and immediately installed a staff of extension workers at Oglebay Park. Additionally, Crispin was a crucial mover in forming the Oglebay Institute, which continues to serve as Oglebay Park’s steward.

The exterior of the Crispin Center has changed extremely little since the 1930s. It contains a variety of recreational facilities such as a golf caddy shop, restaurant, and changing rooms and showers for the pool. The Crispin Center is significant architecturally, through its Georgian Revival and CCC architecture; institutionally, as the first major guest facility; and historically, through Crispin Oglebay’s contributions to the park.

Camp Waddington: CCC Camp at Oglebay, Ohio County Public Library. Accessed February 25th 2021. https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/research/wheeling-history/3935.

Carney, Brent. Oglebay Park. Mount Pleasant, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2005.

Cipoletti, Anna. New Deal Projects at Oglebay Park, Weelunk. January 20th 2021. Accessed February 25th 2021. https://weelunk.com/new-deal-projects-oglebay-park/.

Experience Oglebay, Oglebay. Accessed February 25th 2021. https://oglebay.com/experience-oglebay/.