The Columbus Board of Trade Building was a historic building on

Capitol Square Capitol Square is a public square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The square includes the Ohio Statehouse, its Capitol Grounds, as well as the buildings and features surrounding the square. The Capitol Grounds are surrounded to the north and west ...

Downtown Columbus, Ohio Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio), Broad and High Street (Columbus, Ohio), High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inn ...

. The building was built in 1889 for the present-day Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and was designed by

Elah Terrell Elah Terrell (18511920) was an American architect from Columbus, Ohio. Terrell designed important buildings under the company Elah T. Terrell & Co. in Ohio, notably in Sheffield, Ohio, Sheffield, Lorain County, and Columbus. Terrell was a member o ...

and Joseph W. Yost. It became vacant in 1964 and was demolished five years later. The

Rhodes State Office Tower The James A. Rhodes State Office Tower is a 41-story, state office building and skyscraper on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The Rhodes Tower is the List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio, tallest building in Columbus and the ...

sits on the site today.

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The building was located on East Broad Street on the city's downtown

, opposite the

Ohio Statehouse The Ohio Statehouse is the List of state and territorial capitols in the United States, state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, ...

. Its style has been described as

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

, with elements of both styles. The building's façade had three similarly-sized bays, with the central bay six stories tall, and side bays of five stories. Each bay was flanked with a column capped with a tall conical roof. The central bay featured a trio of round-arched windows separated by columns at its top level, capped with a steep hip roof. The main entranceway included two immense squat columns appearing to support a deep stone cornice as well as the large stone arch entrance. The exterior included smooth and rock-faced

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

stone, used in combination on all floors of the building. Early in the building's history, it was a prominent landmark on East Broad Street, and was built in a modern and fashionable style with weighty elements that reflected the permanence of both the Board of Trade and the city it represented. The building's arched windows and oversize entranceway gave an impression of importance and stateliness supporting the commercial role of the building.

History

The building housed the city's fourth and current organized chamber of commerce, which was established in 1884, initially headquartered at the

old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to: Asia In Hong Kong * Old City Hall (Hong Kong) Europe In Croatia * Old City Hall (Zagreb) In Denmark * Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen * Old City Hall (Aalborg ...

. In 1886, the group spent $45,000 to purchase a building known as the Buckeye House Hotel or Gardner House, built in 1837. Both its demolition and construction of the new building began that year. The total cost was about $165,000. On May 3, 1888, workers removed scaffolding amid construction, unexpectedly collapsing a basement ceiling arch. Two people were killed and another worker was seriously injured. The event shocked the organization's members, who considered abandoning construction. Work nevertheless continued, and the building was opened on July 23, 1889. The building had a 2,000-seat auditorium at the rear of the building, razed in 1932. In 1964, the building became vacant as the chamber of commerce had moved to a location on North High Street. The Board of Trade Building was demolished in 1969, shortly after pieces of its façade fell to the street. The

sits on the site today.

References

External links

* {{History of Columbus, Ohio 1889 establishments in Ohio 1969 disestablishments in Ohio Demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio Buildings and structures demolished in 1969 Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio)

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History

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