See five historic Columbus buildings added to endangered sites list

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus nonprofit has named five landmarks at risk in the city, including a hospital tower that's part of Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center.

Since at least 2015, the Columbus Landmarks Foundation has released a yearly list of the most endangered local sites as part of an effort to preserve city landmarks and neighborhoods.

The endangered lists can sometimes foreshadow the fate of the properties they name. A separate organization, Preservation Ohio, also releases its own annual statewide list. Shortly after the group added the Farm Crest Bakeries Building, it was demolished in May.

The five historic locations picked by Columbus Landmarks for 2024 are below:

Spaghetti Warehouse

Originally an ice storage warehouse in the 1880s, the Franklinton site at 397 W. Broad St. is most known for functioning as the original Spaghetti Warehouse building. In 2022, the building suffered a partial roof collapse and has remained vacant since. The Spaghetti Warehouse ultimately reopened Downtown at 150 S. High St.

Columbus Landmarks said the building was built as a solid masonry structure to accommodate heavy loads. It also has decorative features like recessed window openings and a brick corbelled cornice.

The building is in danger of demolition due to strong development pressures, according to the Columbus Landmarks Foundation. In January 2024, the Robert Weiler Company submitted site plans for a 534-unit building and a 577-space parking garage to the city, which would require knocking the old building down.

Ohio State Hospital East Tower

Built in 1971, the 16-story Ohio State Hospital East tower at 181 Taylor Ave. was designed by notable African American architect Leon Ransom Jr. and featured in a book from Routledge Press titled "African American Architects." The hospital building is an iconic landmark on the Near East Side, according to the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.

Columbus Landmarks said the building is a Mid-Century Modern tower that exhibits recognizable elements of Modern Design. Those include vertical bays of plate glass windows, dark porcelain steel panels and a strong base clad in rusticated stone.

Ohio State has recently had plans to demolish the tower, according to Columbus Landmarks. Its fate currently remains unclear.

Mifflin No. 5 School House

The Mifflin District No. 5 Schoolhouse at 3680 Westerville Road is an example of early schoolhouses quickly disappearing from local communities, according to Columbus Landmarks Foundation. The nonprofit said the schoolhouse's construction dates to 1920.

With a small brick structure, the building features a distinctive tower with exposed rafter tails at the roof overhang.

The Development Commission approved the site of the century-old schoolhouse for the construction of multifamily housing and parking lots. This means the building's fate is uncertain.

The Sugar Shack

Once known as the Chapman Building and housing a grocery store in the '20s, this 1551 N. 4th St. site eventually became the Sugar Shack four decades later in the '60s. It was a popular local destination and live music venue, according to Columbus Landmarks Foundation. Functioning as a mixed-use building, it also featured apartments above the first floor.

The building has been vacant for a long time and may face demolition due to growing development pressures in Weinland Park, Columbus Landmarks said.

Holy Rosary & St. John Catholic Church

Designed by Columbus architecture firm David Reibel & Sons, the Holy Rosary & St. John Catholic Church at 640-660 S. Ohio Ave. was built in 1898. The Catholic diocese recently closed the parish, which the Columbus Landmarks Foundation said provided services to a diverse congregation over many generations.

The church is designed in a High Gothic style with distinctive high towers, rich masonry detailing, and large stained-glass windows donated by the parishioners that also bear their names. The property features a rectory built in 1899, a parish school built in 1905, and a convent built in 1950.

Columbus Landmarks said the fate of the structures remains uncertain at this time.