Article written July 2026.
The Columbus Developmental Center, once the Ohio Institution for Feeble-Minded Youth, was an early school for people with intellectual disabilities. Though its current campus is bland and functionalist, its original Gothic Revival building was an interesting landmark of Victorian architecture in Columbus. The design was asymmetrical and picturesque, as if straight out of a Dracula movie.
The Columbus Developmental Center is located at 1601 West Broad Street in the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Broad Street and the site of the Columbus State Hospital to the north, Sullivant Avenue to the south, I-70 to the east, and Columbian Avenue to the west.
History
The first effort to establish a school for educating children with intellectual disabilities was in 1850, as a senator tried to get a report of their population in Ohio and effective practices to educate them. Three years later, senator Norton Townshend asked governor William Medill if the state of Ohio could build a school, as the former had studied medicine in Paris and was exposed to their efforts to care for intellectually disabled children. Despite Townshend’s efforts to sway Medill, the latter was not convinced and remarked that “fools” could not be taught anything. Subsequently, a bill to establish the school did not pass the legislature.
Renewed interest for a school occurred in 1856, when the superintendent of the New York Asylum for Idiots lectured Ohio’s legislature and brought two of his students. Another bill was drafted, which became law on April 17, 1857. Subsequently, the Columbus Developmental Center was founded in 1857 as the Ohio Asylum for the Education of Idiotic and Imbecilic Youth. (I have to clarify this every time I write about historic buildings with a similar function--these terms were not pejoratives at the time and were medically accepted.) Three trustees were appointed: Norton Townshend, William Dennison Jr., and Asher Cook. R. J. Patterson was the school’s first superintendent.
The Neville Mansion. This Greek Revival form is much different from its current Colonial Revival appearance. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
After visiting similar schools and hiring two teachers from the New York Asylum for Idiots, the Columbus Developmental Center opened in the Neville Mansion (on Main Street in Olde Towne East near Columbus Public Health/Ohio School for the Blind) on August 3, 1857, with nine students. At that time, it was only the second such school that was state funded. The school grew quickly, as it had 30 students by 1858 and 57 by 1862. Since the Neville Mansion could only hold about 50 students, the Columbus Developmental Center purchased land for a larger building away from downtown Columbus in 1864. At this time, it was the consensus of the medical community that alcohol was a major cause of “idiocy,” and that it was possible to train people with intellectual disabilities. More regrettably, sterilization of these people was widely advocated.
Engraving of the school building, which shows it in its original form. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
The main building of the Columbus Developmental Center was built between 1865 and 1868 in the Gothic Revival style. When it opened that July, the school housed 105 students, rapidly increasing to 300 at the end of the year. In 1871, it was renamed to the Ohio Institution for the Education of Idiotic and Imbecilic Youth. (I guess “institution” is a step forward from “asylum.”) The main building had wings added to it in 1876 and 1878, along with the construction of a heating plant, laundry, workshop, coal house, and hospital on the campus.
Circa 1897 view of the rebuilt main building. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
1881 was a significant year for the Columbus Developmental Center. It was renamed to the Ohio Institution for Feeble-Minded Youth, a name it would use for the following 60 years. Their population continued to grow, with 614 students attending that year. However, the main building and the school’s records were almost completely destroyed in a fire that November, leaving only the stone walls. It was rebuilt by 1884, with fire safety improvements such as fire escapes and alarms.
Additions for dining rooms, workshops, and kitchens took place between 1888 and 1890. The main building was damaged again by fire in 1895, though it only affected the south wing. It was rebuilt and completed that May. This second fire also resulted in the building’s conversion from gas lamps to electricity. In 1898, the Orient State Institute opened southwest of Columbus, which helped reduce the load on the Columbus Developmental Center. The first adult patients were admitted to the school in 1904, who were committed (as they would at a mental hospital).
Boys at work in the school’s workshop. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
By the first few decades of the 20th century, efforts were being made to more equitably educate and care for children with intellectual disabilities (though they were not medically accepted just yet). Although this may be common sense today, it was revolutionary for the time, as treatment in the past either involved locking away the children for their entire lives or attempting to reintegrate them into society. Experts began to reject the previously established consensus and advocated against corporal punishment and in favor of learning handcrafts that were easy to understand. The Columbus Developmental Center placed more emphasis on industrial training beginning in 1907. However, at the state government level, people could still be institutionalized indefinitely and their marriage forbidden. In addition, the population of these institutions continued to rise, as more and more children were committed over time.
In 1912, a school building was built at the Columbus Developmental Center, and special classes at public schools began. More institutions were built and expanded across the state.
1957 photo of the exterior. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
In 1945, the school was renamed to the Columbus State School. Around this time, some of the original architectural details were removed from the exterior, such as the tall roof of the tower. The school’s educational approach shifted towards one similar to public school, with a focus remaining on industrial arts but other new courses such as music classes. However, the curriculum also involved religious education.
The current buildings on the site. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
The 1884 school building was demolished after 1957 and replaced by a Modern design by architects Tibbals, Crumley, & Musson, which stands today. The school was renamed to the Columbus Developmental Center in 1980 and continues to operate.
Sources:
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/memory/id/24554/rec/18
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/9999/rec/5
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/p16802coll34/id/4855/rec/88
https://fcbdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/150_Years_History.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment