Father of ‘Third Place,’ Ray Oldenburg, Passed Away.
In “Father of ‘Third Place,’ Ray Oldenburg, Passed Away,” I reflect on the legacy of sociologist Ray Oldenburg and how his ideas about informal gathering spaces resonate deeply with the cultural, civic, and museum work I do.
Originally published on my LinkedIn.
In my life and work, hardly a week goes by that I don’t think about or discuss the many ways museums can and should be “third places,” or the places we go to be part of a community. And it’s not just me; this is a prevalent idea in the museum sector that I foresee won’t change any time soon. The concept will likely only continue to grow.
When a colleague from the University of West Florida shared with me the sad news that Ray Oldenburg had passed away Nov. 21, 2022, at the age of 90, I felt compelled to thank him and share his impact. Third Places is Oldenburg’s idea, and the fact that we’re talking about it today is thanks to him.
You might not recognize the name Ray Oldenburg. If you were to Google him, you’d likely hit a wellspring of articles about the artist Claes Oldenburg, another luminary who passed away in 2022. While Claes Oldenburg’s star might have burned brighter, Ray Oldenburg’s star was also luminous and just as impactful to me.
Oldenburg introduced the world to the idea that people need places to come together to be part of a community. He called these places “third place,” also known as a third space. Google “third place” and the hits keep coming, with seemingly a new daily article that references Oldenburg’s term and this concept. For instance, on April 4, 2022, the Atlantic published the article: “Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place.'”
Oldenburg was a longtime professor at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, joining the faculty in 1967. He would go on to chair the Sociology Department several times. However, it was Oldenburg’s writing that would bring him international acclaim. The author of numerous books, most notably, “The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You Through the Day,” which was published in 1989.
Oldenburg’s influence and work are easily seen, as are the usages of the third place terminology, with companies, coworking spaces, coffee shops, and breweries all adopting the nomenclature. Most famous for doing so is Starbucks, which has “long described itself as a third space for customers to gather after home and work,” although it is now exploring alternatives to the eat-in and hang-out experience. I believe that, as humans, our survival relies on our connections with one another, and to do that, we need space. We need third places in our communities. We need to invest in public communal spaces and protect them.
If you want to pay your respects and are near Pensacola, stop by the University of West Florida’s “Great Good Place” lounge on the second floor of the Pace Library. In 2001, it opened as a gathering space for students, faculty, and staff to serve the community while honoring Oldenburg.
You can read his Pensacola News Journal obituary here.