Unique Former Train Depot in Columbus OH
Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station, Columbus Ohio
The Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad has a short, but complicated, history. In 1869 the Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad was incorporated. It soon began a race to gain access to the Hocking Valley coal fields with the Columbus, Ferrara and Mineral Railroad. Between 1872 and 1876 the two roads combined through the mechanism of stock manipulation. The Ohio Central was in receivership by 1879.
In 1885, a new railroad was formed, The Toledo and Ohio Central, which acquired right-of-way on the bank of the Ohio Feeder Canal north to West Broad Street. It built this station in 1895. By 1900 the T & OC had been purchased by its rival, The Hocking Valley Railroad. Later, the New York Central Railroad gained control of the operation and used the station.
The station was used until 1930 when the NYC transferred its functions to Union Station in Columbus. The building was then leased and finally purchased by the Volunteers of America.
This former railroad station, known to Columbusites as "that funny building on West Broad," is today one of the few visual delights of an area of the city composed mainly of hideous used and new car dealerships and small business blocks.
Building Description
Built of brown brick in 1895, the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station is one of Central Ohio's greatest architectural oddities. It is not exactly clear what the architect, who is unknown, was attempting to convey. The building consists of two stories with a three and one-half story tower. The building measures approximately seventy by forty feet and is four bays by six bays.
The most striking feature is the Oriental-appearing tower and front entrance. The brick tower has stone quoins and tapers to the compound pagoda, tile roof. Above the stone plaque bearing the banner of the railroad is, on each of the four sides of the tower, a vertical openwork brick pattern which reinforces the Oriental appearance of the whole. Secondary octagonal towers flank the center tower. Arched windows are. employed throughout the second floor. The large front doors are entered through a one-story, columned, hipped-roof entrance porch.
At the second floor level, which corresponds to the level of the viaduct, is a loading platform. Passengers would enter the front door and buy tickets inside, then, by using the stairway, ascend to the second level to board their trains.
The interior of this building is most impressive. Fortunately the present owners have done little to alter its original appearance. The passenger waiting room is elegant. Italian marble floor and mahogany woodwork are beautifully preserved. Cornice around the vaulted ceiling possesses elaborate bas-relief decoration. Other areas of the station have been modernized, and several large rooms have been converted into dormitories.
The Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Station still retains much of its original character. Through the work of the Volunteers of America it will be preserved for future generations as a reminder of the past glories of a local railroad.
South side (1973)
