Recitation Hall was built in 1891 on the Capital University campus. It housed classrooms, a library, a laboratory, and a chapel along with a 90’ bell tower.
Recitation Hall Capital University
by Edie Mae Herrel
Image (c) Bexley Historical Society
Much of the fundraising for Recitation Hall was through pledges or subscriptions, but the “Brick Plan” was unique.
Two Lutheran newspapers ran articles that stated, “… estimated that the walls would require 486,000 bricks; the cost of these, plus labor, would amount to not quite one cent a brick.”
There were about 45,000 Sunday School children in the Synod and, “…if each gave a dime, … the cost of erecting the building would be almost covered.”
It is not known how much was raised through the “Brick Plan”, but the building’s total debt of $13,260.61 was paid by 1897.
It was in this building that the newly incorporated Village of Bexley held their first council meeting led by Mayor Frank Holtzman.
The building was razed in 1969 to make way for the Blackmore Library.
Written by Nancy Beck
July 2026
All artwork and images (c) Bexley Historical Society 2026.
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