The Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center is a combination art gallery and teaching space, primarily for visual artists and crafters, in downtown

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. It is a 38,500 square-foot space at 139 West Main Street, and is part of the city's

Scioto Mile The Scioto Mile is a collection of parks and trails along both banks of the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state ...

tourist district. Features of the space include a

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

lab in the basement, with

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

labs on upper floors. It offers community oriented arts classes at a variety of levels, and is also utilized as an events space.

History

The site of the center was originally a state

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state, usually ...

, in 1814. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1861 as it exists today by prisoner labor as the Ohio State Arsenal. This brick

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

building housed weapons and horses during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Historical artifacts on site include an eagle-and-shield from the battleship '' USS Ohio'' and a bell from the missile cruiser the '' USS Columbus''. A proposed

flag of Ohio The Ohio Burgee is the official flag of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a distinctive triangular Swallowtail (flag), swallowtail flag. Its red, white, and blue elements symbolize the state's natural features and order of admission into the Union. ...

briefly flew over the arsenal. The arsenal building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on July 18, 1974. The Cultural Arts Center is also featured on many of Columbus's historical tours. Access to the building was acquired by the city from the state through a 99-year lease at a cost of $1/year. It was transformed into an arts center starting in 1976, with the help of a $1.4 million grant from the

US Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econo ...

, with the official opening on June 11, 1978. The arts center was formerly housed in the old Engine House No. 12, from 1952 to 1978. The building was named for Priscilla Tyson, the longest-serving female councilmember on the

Columbus City Council The Columbus City Council is the lawmaking body of Columbus, Ohio. It meets in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of Columbus City Hall. Following the 2023 election, the City Council expanded from seven to nine members. Counc ...

, in 2023.

References

External links

* * {{Columbus Register of Historic Properties Arts centers in Ohio Buildings and structures in Downtown Columbus, Ohio Columbus Register properties Culture of Columbus, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio