herr2ck: Franklin County

Showing posts with label Franklin County. Show all posts

XVI

February 2026.

Southwood Elementary School is a historic elementary school building, one of the oldest in use by Columbus City Schools. It has a fun Romanesque Revival design which is identical to the Felton School in Mt. Vernon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places but demolished in 1990. Southwood has not met the same fate and has been well-maintained.

Southwood Elementary School is located at 1500 South 4th Street in the Merion Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Southwood Avenue to the north, Markison Avenue to the south, 6th Street to the east, and 4th Street to the west.

History

Historic photo of the building’s original appearance. (HathiTrust)

Southwood Elementary was built in 1894 by Columbus City Schools resident architect David Riebel at a cost of $22,000. The lot itself was purchased from a local family for $3,000. It is a Romanesque Revival design with a tall central tower and copious vaulting. Southwood Elementary’s construction was a product of the school district’s rapid expansion during the growth of the city in the 1890s. Merion Village was being developed as the south side industrialized, although the school’s immediate surroundings were sparsely populated in 1901.

When Southwood Elementary opened, it had five teachers and 250 students. Its first principal was Mary Esper, who also taught German; she held that role until 1923. The school originally taught 1st-8th grade, with biweekly carpentry and cooking classes. In 1903, a matching wing was added to the south side, completing the 4th Street facade.

1922 postcard of the school, very similar to how it appears today. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

By 1912, the school had 17 classrooms, with 16 teachers and 735 students. The school’s PTA was founded in 1917, which raised money for various improvements to the school and for struggling families during the Great Depression.

Although it is not listed on the NRHP, Southwood Elementary is on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties, listed in 2002. The school also received major renovations beginning in 2007, including window replacement and the construction of a contemporary addition attached to the school via a passageway. The work revealed chalkboards that were original to the building, which may have been removed and preserved. The renovations were completed in 2009.

Photos

Even though the Felton School was demolished, it was in pretty shoddy repair when it happened. Southwood Elementary, however, is in remarkable condition for its age. It has of course been altered, but other usually-absent features are visible today.

Southwood Elementary is finely crafted from an architectural standpoint. Its exterior is carefully proportioned and built with a thoughtful palette of sturdy materials. The entrance tower establishes a hierarchy and adds visual interest to the school, but it does not dominate the rest of the building.

One of the two wings--this one was the original, built in 1895:

Along with the brick vaulting, note the recessed spandrels between the first and second-floor windows, which have different brick patterns and varying textures.

The cornerstone is at the northwest corner of the school, which credits Riebel with its design:

This area has a diamond pattern:

This central tower is simply magnificent. Much of its detail is executed in brick, not crazy terra-cotta or carved masonry. It complements the remainder of the school excellently.

The base has a lovely vaulted entrance, which is recessed slightly. It also has coffered surrounding brickwork.

I just love towers. It also resembles the one on Fair Avenue Elementary School, a Frank Packard design from around the same time.

Riebel also proportioned it well so as to not excessively loom over the roof of the wings. It can be seen from a distance, but only the dormers and tourelles at the very top. Shoutout to the masons who built this, too--the brick vaults flow effortlessly into the otherwise standard wall construction.

It’s pretty unusual for the tourelles and dormer to be so intact, as the more decorative bits were usually hacked off during the 1950s or 1960s. Southwood Elementary seems like it has had its chimneys and decorative cornice removed, but the rest remains to this day.

One more…I always love to exaggerate towers’ stature.

Southwest end of the school, which is the 1903 addition in a matching style:

The 2009 addition does a passable job responding to the original building.

The north facade is also identical to the south, down to the brickwork and fenestration. I wonder if David Riebel just flipped his plans upside down and crossed out the tower?

It’s less intricate than the raised archivolts of the vaulted windows elsewhere, but this entrance has a fanlight and large vault, too:

I think the transom window itself is original to the building with its wavy glass.

One more of the lovely brickwork:

These 1890s schools in Columbus are always of excellent architectural caliber. This one is in great condition to boot.

Sources:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988390

Ohio Historical Marker on-site

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435063584155&view=1up&seq=343

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/12643

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/columbusmaps/id/79

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/columbusmaps/id/5510/rec/12

https://remarkableohio.org/marker/111-25-southwood-elementary-school/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwood_Elementary_School

Who Let The Dawgs Out?

February 2026.

South High School is Columbus’s public high school for the south side neighborhoods, such as German Village, Merion Village, and Schumacher Place. Like West High School, it still has its predecessor standing nearby.

South High School is located at 1160 Ann Street in the Merion Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Stewart Avenue to the north, Thurman Avenue to the south, 18th Street to the east, and Ann Street to the west.

History

Unlike the older building, there isn’t much documented history about the current South High School. Therefore, I have to use that article’s sources for this one.

South High School’s construction began in 1898, but prior to that, its students attended classes at Ohio Avenue Elementary School in Olde Towne East and Central High School in Franklinton. It was designed by David Riebel and closely resembled his work at old East High School. Though the school opened in 1900, modernization efforts resulted in every single school receiving a new building in the 1920s. South High was the second of these. (East High was first, in 1922.) According to Columbus Neighborhoods by Tom Betti, it was to be named Abraham Lincoln Senior High School, but North High School had already decided on a yearbook name and mascot and thus the directional names were retained.

Historic photo of South High School’s exterior. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

South High School was designed by Richards, McCarty, & Bulford in the Beaux-Arts style. It opened on March 31, 1924, and the old building on Deshler was used as Barrett Middle School afterwards. I’m a little iffy on the above postcard’s attribution of Richards, McCarty, & Bulford as the architects, as the building has several similarities with Howard Dwight Smith’s school buildings. South High School’s appearance is very similar to the other high school he designed (West High School)--both have pared-down classical designs with brick exteriors. The entrances also have quotes engraved above them, which was very common with Smith’s work. (Granted, it wasn’t exclusive to his designs, as Central and East High Schools have them but were not designed by Smith.)

Students on the steps of South High School in 1945. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

South High School’s documented history mostly stops after its opening. It had two additions built onto the rear and northwest side in the 1950s. One source claims it had four renovations and additions between 1957 and 1976, but there only appears to be two additions built prior to the recent expansion project. The rear addition was then expanded drastically from 2007 to 2009, which added a new gymnasium and cafeteria. This also included new stands for the stadium and a new running track. During the renovations, the old South High School building was briefly used.

Photos

South High School’s Ann Street facade today:

The entrance module has a stone base, along with four tall Corinthian columns that support an entablature and brick parapet above. There is a bit of more detailed ornamentation on the parapet and above the doors, but the overall design is very spartan.

Another angle:

You can probably make out the “SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL” carving, but there are a few others. The left-hand entrance tells students to “cultivate moral and civic ideals,” while the right urges them to “seek truth and beauty.” Finally, one along the water table reads “Within these walls may be found equal and varied opportunity for a liberal education.” [sic]

LIBERAL education?! Where’s my conservative education?

…I guess that would be homeschooling your kids and showing them PragerU videos about how Native Americans deserved to be conquered or something.

The side wings of the school have pilasters dividing the bays, but only on the second and third floor.

Very idyllic in the snow.

Sources:

Columbus Neighborhoods by Tom Betti

https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b3b87a7e-7aae-4775-92b9-3f9c07c07348/

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/23886/rec/2

https://gis.franklincountyohio.gov/parcelviewer/

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/yearbook/id/6205/

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/memory/id/4057

https://allcolumbusdata.com/school-and-education-history/

Polly

February 2026.

The Barrett, as it is known today, was once the original home of South High School. It closely resembles East High School’s older, demolished location in Franklin Park. The former school has recently been adaptively reused into apartments.

The Barrett is located at 345 East Deshler Avenue in the Merion Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Deshler Avenue to the north, the newly built apartments and Thurman Avenue to the south, new houses and Washington Avenue to the east, and Bruck Street to the west.

History

South High School, along with East High School, was established due to overcrowding at North and Central High Schools. (North High School itself was founded in 1892 after Central High School was outgrown.) This was a result of the desegregation of Columbus schools in the 1880s and stricter attendance laws for students. The rapidly growing south and east sides of Columbus were seen as suitable candidates for new high school buildings. German Village was already densely populated, but nearby Merion Village was seeing rapid growth as factories were built further south in Steelton. Prior to the construction of the first purpose-built school for South High, students attended classes at Ohio Avenue Elementary beginning in 1895 and Central High School in 1897.

The Barrett in 1909. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The Barrett was built as South High School by Columbus City Schools resident architect David Riebel. A Renaissance Revival design with a concrete and steel frame, it opened on October 12, 1900 in a ceremony attended by Ohio State president William Oxley Thompson. (Thompson would soon go on to advocate for resegregation of Columbus’s schools.) Riebel modeled the building after his then-recently built East High School, which was nearing completion when South High School’s construction began in 1898. The NRHP listing noted that many of the original interior finishes remained in 2015, including wooden trim and stamped tin ceilings. Aside from conventional classrooms, the basement had a kitchen and trade classrooms, and the third floor once housed an auditorium.

As of 1901, the surrounding area had lots divided and two outhouses built for the school’s use, but only a few houses had then been built. However, the school’s completion spurred rapid development in the area. The school property was extended southward to Thurman Avenue circa 1920.

1924 postcard of The Barrett. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

In the 1920s, every single high school in Columbus received a new building. South High School was the second of these, completed in 1923 at 1160 Ann Street a few blocks east down Deshler and opening in March 1924. East High School’s new building was completed a year earlier in 1922, North and Central High Schools also opened in 1924, and the new West High School was the last to be completed in 1929. Howard Dwight Smith designed some alterations to the old East High School building in 1924, namely new steel and concrete stairs with partitions for fire safety. Smith also converted the third floor’s auditorium to a gymnasium. Old South High School became Barrett Junior High School (later Barrett Middle School) thereafter, named after South High School’s first principal, Charles S. Barrett.

A one-story Modern addition was built onto the southeast end of The Barrett in stages, with the three opening in 1953, 1958, and 1963, respectively. The first two were designed by Benham, Richards, & Armstrong, while the third was by C. B. Forward & Associates with David E. Jones. The addition was demolished as part of the conversion process to apartments, but it had minimal effect on the original building. This added more classroom space and two gymnasiums, allowing the older gymnasium/former auditorium to be subdivided into classrooms. At this time, the original site was expanded to its current configuration, extending eastward to Washington Avenue and demolishing the houses formerly between the alley and Washington Avenue.

The school building as of 2015. (NRHP listing)

Barrett Middle School operated until 2006, and the building was temporarily used by South High School from 2007 to 2009, while their newer building was being renovated. After that, it was abandoned for a period of time. It was listed on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 2006 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 as the Charles S. Barrett Building.

The vacant building was converted to apartments circa 2015-2016, now known as The Barrett. Along with the school, five three-story apartment buildings were built to the south, as well as 22 houses to the east.

Photos

Approaching the building from the west:

It was tough to get a shot of the entire facade due to its length and the houses right behind me. Here is an angled view that does a fair job:

Very Renaissance design with the rougher stone foundation, string courses separating each floor, and a “piano nobile” on the top floor. Each wing appears to be a disparate part, but they are all connected with smaller passages.

The main “block” of the school:

That cherry picker in the way made my life difficult, too. The first two floors are pretty unremarkable aside from the slightly larger lintels on the second floor with keystones. The third floor is double-height, with tall vaulted windows lining the facade. A massive denticulated cornice with modillions runs below the building’s roof. The third floor here is taller and has a larger cornice than the others, which also establishes a hierarchy in relation to the smaller wings.

The entrance is also emphasized with this large stone portico, which has doubled Doric columns supporting an entablature and balustrade:

The columns themselves look good, but the cornice seems pretty nasty with age. Hard to believe it’s only 120 years old instead of 2000 like the Greek temples it was modeled after.

Main entrance, which has two pilasters supporting an arch:

Had to peek through the gap made by the steel decking…you can sort of make out the tin ceiling here:

Zoomed in on the third floor:

More yummy Renaissance details:

Is that paint or bird poop on the keystones? Something makes me think the former.

One of the recessed connectors, which also has a secondary entrance:

A closer look at the entrance here:

Eastern wing:

From the northeast:

Back to the western end--here’s the west facade:

It is shorter and less intricate, with regular window openings across the entire span.

The new apartments aren’t really similar to the old high school, which was likely deliberate. Their height and simpler design does not compete with the historic building.

At least they make a nice frame for the building and reinforce its classical axis:

MUCH better framing and distance from the facade here, even if it’s just the rear.

It is remarkably similar to the front aside from absent string courses and the vaulted third-floor windows. Remember, it was designed to be viewed from all sides.

Not sure what’s up with the aluminum foil on the third floor’s windows:

Zoomed in on the cornice:

It appears to be metal, not stone.

The side wings are pretty much identical, only missing the string courses. It seems like a few modillions and dentils on the cornice have gone missing over the years.

Seems like some openings on the inside have been infilled, too:

Same case on the eastern end, too. They seem smaller than windows, but there’s big gaps below that were also bricked up…were they skybridges? I don’t know what’s up with the scorching, either.