By: Jessica Hamilton
Crowning Nippert Stadium is the historic Dieterle Vocal Arts Center, which has entirely unexpected origins. Originally built in 1910, the center was originally named Schmidlapp Gymnasium. It was named after Jacob Schmidlapp, a native Ohioan who made his fortune from distilling. He held personal values of not needing to sit on wealth as you get to being fifty or sixty, his age. Therefore, he dedicated himself to spreading his wealth to various institutions. This included the Schmidlapp Gymnasium, as well as low-cost housing for local low-income laborers in Cincinnati, specifically focused on the black community in Walnut Hills.
During its time as a gymnasium, it featured a full swimming pool in the basement. Additionally, It served as the home arena for Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball from 1911 to 1954, when they moved to the Armory Fieldhouse. During this time, they would win numerous conference championships. For games, the seating capacity was less than 1,000.
There was vast collaboration on the building in its initial construction with architectural firms Tietig & Lee firm and Garber & Woodward firm taking on the project together. These men had met through their common tie from a long closed Cincinnati Technical School.
What they created together was in the style of Renaissance revival, which was a popular style in Cincinnati from 1890-1915. The most notable detail of the style on Diertele is its entablature, the intricate detailing found lining the building’s roof. These intricate carvings can also be found around the doorways along with the university’s seal embedded in the wall. Another element of the style can be found in the building’s segmented window heads. This is also where you can see the center’s signature diamond element. Despite its immense detail, it still remains one of the less decorated examples of the style. The same style can be found on vast manors and palaces within Europe.
It was extensively renovated in 1995 to fit the new college. One of the main rooms within the building is the gorgeous Nippert Rehearsal Studio, with tall windows granting gorgeous views out into Nippert. The space is utilized as a space for rehearsals and workshops, as well as being used for the occasional performance. The building also includes faculty studios, private coaching rooms, warm-up rooms, a choral library, and a rehearsal room. You can also find the Italo Tajo Archive Room, named after the former faculty and operatic bass.
In charge of the 1995 renovation was Henry Cobb. He made sure to upkeep and preserve the building’s gorgeous exterior. One of the major efforts of switching the building into a place for vocal excellence was updating the building to have the proper acoustics needed for performers.
The vocal center has been a large contributor to what makes Nippert Stadium so unique. Dieterle’s important historic relevance allows it to stand strong, rather than be torn down to expand seating with the stadium. When looking at the logo for Nippert Stadium, you may notice a signature diamond shape and crest. These are explicit references to Diertle’s exterior details. While there is still immense detail to see on the building, it is currently under construction to make sure generations to come can see its full detail. Maintaining a legacy that is 115 years old.
Sources:
https://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/collections/university-archives/buildings.html
https://ccm.uc.edu/overview/facilities/dieterle.html
https://sites.google.com/site/ucwalks/points-of-interest/ccm/dieterle-vocal-arts-center
https://walnuthillsstories.org/stories/jacob-schmidlapp/
https://gobearcats.com/sports/2017/6/15/cincinnati-basketball-timeline.aspx
https://ccmpr.wordpress.com/tag/italo-tajo/
https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/obituary-italo-tajo-1453463.html
https://nippert.gobearcats.com/
Cover image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:140702sMT21-2.jpg