herr2ck: Twenty-Third Street School

Article written July 2026.

Mt. Vernon Junior High School, formerly known as the 23rd Street School, was one of Columbus’s most architecturally distinguished public schools. Unsurprisingly, it was defaced at the hands of stupid men and later lost to the wrecking ball. It is one of many demolished landmarks in King-Lincoln Bronzeville.

Mt. Vernon Junior High was located at 1235 Mt. Vernon Avenue in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It was bordered by Mt. Vernon Avenue to the north, houses to the south, a commercial building to the east, and Ohio Avenue to the west. The site is currently part of Poindexter Village.

History

1889 view of the school from Columbus Illustrated. (Wikimedia)

There isn’t much history available online about this school. It was built in 1888 as the 23rd Street School by prominent Columbus firm Yost & Packard in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, and it was an unusually grand example of the style with a tall central tower and a huge arched entrance. Though its walls were largely brick, it had a limestone foundation and dark stone details. Two symmetrical wings were attached to either side via recessed connectors, making the entire complex appear as three separate buildings. The tower itself is particularly whimsical as to how it suddenly erupts through the roof.

At the time, the King-Lincoln Bronzeville area was expanding eastward, and the school was meant to serve the children of the new residents. It was built as an elementary school, too, only becoming a middle school later in life.

1911 photo of the school’s north elevation. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

Mt. Vernon Junior High was a primarily Black school, which was exacerbated by the segregation of Columbus’s schools in the early 20th century. It was one of two middle schools for the King-Lincoln Bronzeville area. In 1911, the school was renamed to the later Mt. Vernon Junior High name. As of 1916, it had 21 teachers and 660 students, and its principal was Jane M. Hammond.

A group of men near the high-rise that replaced Mt. Vernon Junior High. (King Arts Complex on Instagram)

Later in its life, Mt. Vernon Junior High was used for special needs students who could not be accommodated at conventional schools. Its last school year was 1957-1958, and it was demolished soon after for a new Modernist tower in Poindexter Village. This tower was razed with the rest of the housing complex in 2013, and it has been replaced by a contemporary apartment building.