Central High School (Columbus, Ohio)#History

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Central High School

| nrhp_type =

| image = Central High School 1.jpg

| caption = East facade of the 1924 building

| location = Columbus, Ohio

| coordinates = {{coord|39|57|34|N|83|0|27|W|display=inline,title}}

| district_map = {{maplink|plain=yes|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|type=point|zoom=14}}

| map_caption = Interactive map highlighting the building's location

| area =

| built = 1924

| architect = William B. Ittner

| architecture = Classical Revival

| added = March 7, 1985

| refnum = 85000484{{NRISref|2008a}}

| designated_other1 = Columbus

| designated_other1_abbr = CRHP

| designated_other1_date = July 5, 1991

| designated_other1_number = CR-50

| designated_other1_num_position = bottom

}}

Central High School, also known as High School of Columbus and High School of Commerce, was a four-year secondary school (grades 9–12) located in Franklinton, Columbus, Ohio. It was a part of Columbus City Schools (at the time Columbus Public Schools). On March 7, 1985, the 1924 school building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is considered part of the Columbus Civic Center Historic District.

History

Central High School dates to the earliest high school education in Columbus. In its 1862 building and in prior homes, it was known as Columbus High School, and was the only high school in the city.

From 1862 to c. 1928, Central High School was located at East Broad and Sixth Street, current site of the Capital University Law School. It was considered an architectural ornament for Columbus, and featured a 150-ft.-tall tower. The site was purchased in 1859 and construction was underway from 1860 to 1861, with a cost of $23,400. The school opened in the following fall term. It was originally able to house 300 students, increased as expansions opened in following years.{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Alfred Emory|title=History of the City of Columbus, Capital of Ohio|volume=1|publisher=Munsell & Company|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CLECAAAAMAAJ|date=1892|access-date=March 15, 2023|page=555}} The building was designed by architect Nathan B. Kelley.{{cite web|title=Firsts in the Columbus Public Schools|url=https://www.ccsoh.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=16168&dataid=37067&FileName=Firsts%20in%20Columbus%20City%20Schools.pdf}} It closed in 1924 and was demolished in 1928.

The last building for the school was located at 75 South Washington Boulevard and opened in 1924. Because of declining enrollment in the school district and deterioration of the building, Central High School permanently closed following the 1981–1982 school year, in June 1982. After the closure, Central High School was used as a shooting location for scenes in the 1984 film Teachers, depicting the fictional "John F. Kennedy High School".

Columbus Public Schools sold the building to the City of Columbus for $15 million in 1988. In July 1994, Columbus City Council granted the science museum the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) a 28-year lease on the building.{{cite news|title=COSI Wins Central Lease|work=Columbus Dispatch|date=July 19, 1994|pages=01A|quote=The Columbus City Council voted 6-0 last night to approve a 28-year lease on old Central High School. It will allow COSI to develop the abandoned high school building into a 300,000-square-foot museum and science education center, with a Scioto River view of Downtown. City officials praised it as the type of development they envisioned when Columbus purchased the site for $15 million in 1988.}} COSI remodeled portions of it for the new site of a museum, incorporating the building's historic facade into the structure, designed by architect Arata Isozaki.{{cite news|title=Columbus Mileposts - June 11, 1997: COSI breaks ground for riverside location (Photo)|url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/11/cosi-breaks-ground-for-riverside-location.html|accessdate=November 18, 2014|work=Columbus Dispatch|date=June 11, 2012}} Isozaki used the high school's 1924 exterior facing downtown as its east entrance; a balance to the facility's progressively futuristic west entrance.{{cite web|url=http://www.cosi.org/about-cosi|title=About COSI}} On November 6, 1999 COSI moved into the old Central High School building.

File:Middle Building, Columbus.jpg|Middle Building, 1847-1848

File:Columbus school illustration 11.tif|Covert Building, April 1848-May 1849 and winter 1849/50-1853

File:Columbus school illustration 12.tif|May 1849-winter 1849/1850

File:State Street school.png|Old State Street School, 1853-1862

File:Columbus Illustrated (73b).jpg|1862-1924

Athletics

Ohio High School Athletic Association team state championships:

Baseball – 1929{{cite web|url=http://www.ohsaa.org/|title=Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site|accessdate=2006-12-31|author=OHSAA|author-link=OHSAA}}{{cite web|url=http://www.yappi.com/baseball/StateChamps.html|title=Yappi Sports Baseball|accessdate=2007-02-12|author=Yappi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308100827/http://www.yappi.com/baseball/StateChamps.html|archive-date=2007-03-08|url-status=dead}}
Boys' Golf – 1937
Boys' Track and Field – 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930
Boys' Gymnastics - 1929

Notable alumni

George Bellows, American realist painter, known for his depictions of urban life in New York City
Howard Cassady, Heisman Trophy winner of 1955 for the Ohio State University; professional football player for the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles and baseball coach for the Columbus Clippers.
Harold Cooper, Franklin County Commissioner, President of the Columbus Jets and the International League
Fred Cornell, author of Carmen Ohio
Bob Kline, former MLB player (Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators)
Perry L. Miles, U.S. Army brigadier general{{cite magazine |author=Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy |date=July 1962 |title=Obituary, Perry Lester Miles |url=https://digital-library.usma.edu/digital/collection/assembly/id/9878/rec/1 |magazine=Assembly |location=Newburgh, NY |publisher=West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc. |pages=89–90 |via=West Point Digital Library}}{{cite news |date=June 3, 1894 |title=Ohio Boys At West Point |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/military-clipping-jun-03-1894-4284426 |work=Cincinnati Tribune |location=Cincinnati, OH |page=16 |via=NewspaperArchive.com}}
Dave Roberts, Major League Baseball pitcher
Dom Sigillo, American football player
Mose Solomon, the "Rabbi of Swat," Major League Baseball player
Ernie Wheelwright, American football player and actor

References

External links

[https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/yearbook/id/340/rec/5 Columbus High School History 1847-1910]

Category:School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio

Category:Defunct schools in Ohio

Category:High schools in Columbus, Ohio

Category:Public high schools in Ohio

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio

Category:1862 establishments in Ohio

Category:Columbus Register properties

Category:Columbus City Schools