Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station

The Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station is a former railroad station located in Franklinton, by downtown Columbus, Ohio, known for its "whimsical and unusual" architecture.[2] Built by the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad in 1895, it served as a passenger station until 1930. It served as an office building for Volunteers of America from 1931 to 2003, and has served as a meeting hall for a firefighters' union since 2007. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station
The station building in 2009
Interactive map highlighting the building's location
Location379 West Broad St.,
Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates39.96054°N 83.01071°W / 39.96054; -83.01071
Built1895
NRHP reference No.73001440[1]
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1973

History
The station (left) and its architectural inspiration, the Macklin Hotel
Aerial view of the station building and its newer addition

The Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad built the station in 1895, intending it as a display of the talents of architects Joseph Warren Yost and Frank L. Packard and of the railroad's prosperity.[3] The tracks were then at ground level on the west side of the building. The distinctive Macklin Hotel, since demolished, was located across the tracks. Yost and Packard modeled the station after the hotel's three pagoda-style towers, but added an Art Nouveau twist.[3]

In 1911, the railroad raised its tracks to eliminate grade crossings. The station was awkwardly modified, with passengers exiting the second story onto an elevated platform. In 1930, service moved to the larger Union Station and the station was abandoned.[3]

The next year, Volunteers of America purchased the building and began using it as office space. The Macklin Hotel was demolished in 1955, leaving the station standing without its original context.[3] The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It suffered a fire in 1975 which destroyed the roof, but the VoA restored it three years later.[2] The organization moved out of the building in 2003.[3]

In 2007, the International Association of Fire Fighters local 67 bought and restored the station building for use as their offices and meeting hall.[3] Norfolk Southern Railroad freight trains continue to use the elevated tracks.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "TOLEDO & OHIO CENTRAL RAILROAD STATION". ArChallenge. AIA Columbus. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  3. Essley, Joffre (November 26, 2013). "The Most Unusual Building in Columbus". Columbus Underground. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
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