The AIA Guide to Columbus

349 Pages·2008·159.356 MB·English

by  Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie

THE AIA GUIDE TO
COLUMBUS
Jeffrey T. Darbee and Nancy A. Recchie
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The AIA Guide to Columbus
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The AIA Guide to
Columbus
Jeffrey T. Darbee and Nancy A. Recchie
for the
Columbus Architecture Foundation
and
AIA Columbus
A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Preface by the Honorable Michael B. Coleman
Mayor, City of Columbus
OHIO UNIVERSITY PRESS (cid:129) ATHENS, OHIO
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Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio 45701
www.ohio.edu/oupress
© 2008 by the Columbus Architecture Foundation
Printed in China
All rights reserved
Photo Credits
Richard K. Loesch: 1-1a, 3-6, 6-1, 15-1, 15-5
Feinknopf Photography: front cover, 1-1b, 1-6, 1-8, 1-12, 1-14, 2-5, 2-8, 2-10, 3-2b, 3-5, 4-4,
4-7b, 4-8b, 4-9, 4-16b, 5-6b, 5-8, 5-9, 5-18a, 5-18b, 6-4, 6-9, 7-1a, 7-5, 7-7, 7-9a. 7-10,
7-11a, 7-11b, 8-1, 8-2, 9-2, 11-3, 12-4, 12-6, 12-9, 12-10, 12-11, 12-12, 12-13, 12-14,
12-15, 12-17a, 12-17b, 12-17c, 14-1, 14-4, 14-9, 14-11, 14-12, 14-13, 14-14, 15-6, 16-3,
16-4, 16-6, 16-7, 17-1a, 18-1, 18-4, 21-3, 22-3, 22-4
Robert D. Loversidge, Jr.: 1-1c, 1-11b, 3-1, 4-2, 4-8a, 4-14, 5-16, 5-17a, 5-17b, 6-3, 7-8, 11-2,
14-7b, 15-2, 15-3, 17-1b, 18-2b, 18-5, 18-6, 19-2, 21-4, 22-1b
Donald Olshavsky: 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-7, 1-9, 1-10a, 1-10b, 1-11a, 1-13, 1-15, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3,
2-4, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 3-2a, 3-3, 3-4, 4-1, 4-3, 4-5, 4-6a, 4-7a, 4-10, 4-11, 4-12, 4-13, 4-16a,
5-1,5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6a, 5-7, 5-10, 5-11, 5-12, 5-13, 5-14, 5-15, 6-2, 6-5, 6-6, 6-7, 6-8,
6-10, 7-1b, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-6, 8-3, 9-1, 11-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-5, 12-8, 12-16, 12-18, 13-1,
14-2, 14-3, 14-6, 14-7a, 14-8, 14-10, 15-4, 15-7, 15-8, 16-1, 16-2, 16-5, 16-8, 17-2, 17-3,
18-2a, 18-3, 19-1, 20-1, 20-2, 21-5, 22-1a, 22-2, 22-5, 22-6
George C. Anderson, Emery Photography: 4-6b
John F. Hedge: 4-15
Ellen Puckett Photography: 7-9b
The Ohio State University: 12-1
Tim Hursley: 12-7
Brian M. Dieterle: 14-9a
Richard Pontius: 21-1a, 21-b
Photos by owners: 10-1, 13-2, 13-3, 14-5, 21-2
Ohio University Press books are printed on acid-free paper Ī
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Darbee, Jeffrey T.
The AIA guide to Columbus / Jeffrey T. Darbee and Nancy A. Recchie for the Columbus
Architecture Foundation and AIA Columbus, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects ;
preface by the Honorable Michael B. Coleman.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8214-1684-6 (hc : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8214-1684-7 (hc : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8214-1685-3 (pb : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8214-1685-5 (pb : alk. paper)
1. Architecture—Ohio—Columbus—Guidebooks. 2. Columbus (Ohio)—Buildings, structures,
etc.—Guidebooks. 3. Columbus (Ohio)—Guidebooks. I. Title: American Institute of Architects
guide to Columbus. II. Title: Guide to Columbus. III. Recchie, Nancy A. IV. Columbus Architecture
Foundation (Columbus, Ohio) V. American Institute of Architects. Columbus Chapter (Columbus,
Ohio) VI. Title.
NA735.C65D37 2007
720.9771'57—dc22
2007030422
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Contents
Foreword
Robert D. Loversidge, Jr., FAIA
Chair, Columbus Architecture Foundation ix
Preface
The Honorable Michael B. Coleman
Mayor, City of Columbus xi
Acknowledgments xiii
How to Use This Guide
Rich Pontius, AIA xvii
Introduction: Columbus Development History
Jeffrey T. Darbee and Edward T. Lentz xix
Downtown
1. Capitol Square Area 3
Capitol Square 3
Lynn Street–Pearl Alley 10
2. Civic Center 33
3. Downtown South High Street 50
4. Downtown East Side 62
State Street between Capitol Square and Grant Avenue 80
Market Exchange District 88
5. Downtown East Broad Street 92
Jefferson Avenue and Hamilton Park Historic Districts 115
6. Downtown North High Street 122
East Gay Street from High to Third Streets 124
7. Downtown North Innerbelt 135
Arena District 150
Arena District West 155
8. North Market Historic District 159
Neighborhoods
9. Short North Historic District 167
10. Italian Village Historic District 173
11. Victorian Village/Harrison West/Dennison Place 177
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12. The Ohio State University 183
Surrounding Area 206
13. Clintonville 212
Old Beechwold Historic District 215
14. Near East Side 217
East Broad Street 218
Near East Side Historic District 231
15. Bexley 239
16. German Village Historic District 248
Brewery District 254
17. Franklinton 261
18. Mount Vernon Area 269
East Long Street and Mount Vernon Avenue 279
19. Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff 279
20. Upper Arlington 282
Upper Arlington Historic District 282
New Upper Arlington 282
21. Worthington 287
Gems
22. Gems 297
Glossary 307
Index 313
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Dedicated to
Elliot Leonard Whitaker, FAIA
1910–1998
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Foreword
Since its founding in 1812, Columbus, the largest city in
Ohio, has been home to many impressive architectural
landmarks. The AIA Guide to Columbus, written by Jeffrey
Darbee and Nancy Recchie and produced by the Columbus
Architecture Foundation, highlights the significant buildings
and neighborhoods in the Columbus metropolitan area,
with an emphasis on the downtown. Blending architectural
interest with historic significance, this book documents about
160 of our most significant buildings and sites.
The Columbus Architecture Foundation is a not-for-profit
charitable organization that has been affiliated with AIA
Columbus, the local chapter of the American Institute of Ar-
chitects, for more than thirty years, with the joint missions of
educational outreach and advocacy for high-quality design
of the built environment. Our first book project, Architec-
ture: Columbus, published in 1976, is considered to be the
standard reference book about Columbus architecture. This
new guide, in the works for about ten years, updates the in-
formation and provides a portable, accessible guide to the
city’s rich architectural mix. Other Foundation activities in-
clude the establishment of an architectural repository and
archives at the Ohio Historical Society.
CAF owes a special debt of gratitude to Jane McMaster,
who chaired our book committee; to Rich Pontius, AIA, for
pitching the idea in the first place and for agreeing to do
whatever was needed; to Rob Livesey, FAIA, for perseverance
and editing; and to the late Elliot Whitaker, FAIA, for en-
couragement. We are also grateful to David Sanders and the
Ohio University Press.
The American Institute of Architects was founded 150 years
ago to “promote the scientific and practical perfection of its
members” and “elevate the standing of the profession.”
Today the AIA has over 75,000 members, and it provides
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