Columbus Landmarks

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation, known as Columbus Landmarks, is a nonprofit historic preservation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The foundation is best-known for its list of endangered sites in the city and its annual design award, given to buildings, landscapes, and other sites created or renovated in Columbus. It was established in 1977 as a project of the Junior League of Columbus, Ohio, following the demolition of the city's historic Union Station. It is headquartered at 57 Jefferson Avenue, a contributing structure in the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in Downtown Columbus.

For local landmarks in Columbus, see Columbus Register of Historic Properties.
Columbus Landmarks Foundation
Foundation office
Established1977
Location57 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates39.965336°N 82.985137°W / 39.965336; -82.985137
PresidentPeter Krajnak
CEORebecca F. Kemper
Websitecolumbuslandmarks.org
DesignatedDecember 2, 1982
Part ofJefferson Avenue Historic District
Reference no.#82001459 [1]
DesignatedDecember 12, 1983
Part ofJefferson Avenue Historic District
Reference no.CR-23

History

The organization was founded in July 1977.[2] It had its origins with the demolition of Union Station, the Daniel Burnham-designed train station torn down in the 1970s.[3] Local residents were disappointed with the destruction of numerous iconic buildings, which had set the city apart from others of its size, including Union Station, the Central Market, the second Franklin County Courthouse, the Deshler Hotel, and the Peruna Building.[4]

Around 1980, the organization was headquartered at 22 N. Front St., a small office space decorated with photographs of Union Station and desktops adorned with terra cotta remnants of the train station arcade. It had about 650 members, three part-time, and two full-time staff, as well as a large group of volunteers.[4]

In 2018, the foundation changed branding, including the design of a new logo which features the Union Station arch.[4]

Activities

As of 2019, the Columbus Landmarks Foundation has 1,500 members and corporations.[2] Activities include hosting about 75 tours and events each year and publishing an annual list of endangered sites in the city. The foundation also awards the Ed Lentz Prize for history and preservation projects, created in honor of its Director Emeritus in 2019; he is considered the preeminent Columbus historian.[2]

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation has two funds for preservation of central Ohio buildings, both announced in 2020. Its endangered properties fund is for purchasing or securing options for historic buildings at risk of demolition, and is funded by a $200,000 bequest made in 2009 from a family fund at the Columbus Foundation. Properties purchased are to be resold along with a preservation easement to owners aiming to preserve the property. Proceeds from the resale are to be returned to the fund. The other fund, for home preservation loans, provides loans with low interest rates to homeowners wishing to repair and maintain historic houses. The fund is aimed toward affordable neighborhoods, rather than upper-class areas like Victorian Village and German Village. The initial funding was $100,000 from a personal estate.[5]

The organization's first revolving fund for rehabilitating buildings was initiated around 1980. The first project using the fund was rehabilitation of 1063, 1065, and 1435 Oak Street, National Register-listed properties.[4]

Headquarters

The organization is headquartered at 57 Jefferson Avenue, part of the Jefferson Avenue Center in Downtown Columbus,[6] and a contributing building to the Jefferson Avenue Historic District. The building is a two-story residential-style structure with a mansard roof. It has narrow windows with incised lintels, similar to other buildings in the historic district. Towards the building's cornice are small rectangular frieze windows. The south façade includes a full bay window. An addition to the building's south side is of an unknown age. The property is separated from the sidewalk by an iron fence with limestone posts.[7]

Endangered properties list

Columbus Landmarks publishes an annual list of the most endangered properties in the city. The list is aimed to raise awareness to the sites' history and redevelopment potential.[2] The endangered site list was first released in May 2014.[8]

Sites added to the list are left abandoned or at risk of demolition, are at least 50 years in age, and contribute to the value and culture of Columbus. The organization recognizes five priority neighborhoods – areas that have faced historical disinvestment, and with the greatest historic building losses. The Hilltop, Linden, Milo-Grogan, King-Lincoln Bronzeville and the South Side are prioritized on the list.[9][10]

Design award

Columbus Landmarks also hosts the annual James B. Recchie Design Award, given to quality urban designs for new and existing buildings, parks, public art, and other spaces. The award was first given in 1984, in memory of one of the organization's founding trustees.[11]

Award winners include:[12]

Columbus Metropolitan Library Main Library
Columbus Museum of Art
Ohio Statehouse

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Comstock, Paul (December 29, 2019). "Columbus Landmarks prize lauds historian, columnist Ed Lentz". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  3. Wiggins, Michael De Bonis, Leticia (31 October 2019). "Romance Out Of The Rubble". radio.wosu.org.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "New Look for Columbus Landmarks – Columbus Landmarks". The Columbus Dispatch. March 18, 1980.
  5. Weiker, Jim (November 24, 2020). "Columbus Landmarks launches two funds to preserve historic buildings". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  6. "57 Jefferson Avenue". The Jefferson Avenue Center.
  7. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  8. "The Gunning House Removed From Most Endangered Buildings List". June 25, 2014.
  9. Walsh, Maeve (May 27, 2022). "Where are the 'most endangered' sites in Columbus?". NBC4. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  10. "Columbus Landmarks to help historic preservation in five neighborhoods, including Hilltop".
  11. Buchanan, Doug (October 4, 2018). "Columbus Landmarks names winner of city's best urban design project". Columbus Business First.
  12. "Past Recchie Design Winners – Columbus Landmarks".
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