Ohio National Bank building

The Ohio National Bank building is a historic commercial structure in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Although its name derives from the bank that commissioned it, the Wikipedia subject is the building rather than a currently operating financial institution or a contemporary banking brand. The structure was planned as a purpose-built home for Ohio National Bank at a time when the institution was considering a more ambitious skyscraper project. In January 1910, the bank’s directors chose instead to develop an exclusive bank building on the site of the former Lazarus Block, near the Ohio Statehouse. The architects Richards, McCarty & Bulford designed the building in a Neoclassical idiom, with an appearance intended to complement the monumental architecture of the Statehouse. The city approved the plans in August 1910, and contractor Henry Lauer undertook demolition of the older building. The removal of the Lazarus Block’s distinctive clocktower in June 1910 attracted local attention. The new bank opened for business on November 27, 1911. The building is constructed of brick and faced entirely in stone. Its principal facade is distinguished by two massive Doric columns, each approximately five feet in diameter, together with two large stone pilasters. Earlier plans called for a marble facade along High Street and a semi-dome containing a large skylight. Inside, the principal banking space was a richly ornamented, two-story lobby with a coffered ceiling and classical decorative details. The building has retained much of its original character, making it an important surviving example of early twentieth-century commercial architecture in Columbus. Between 1912 and 1923, the structure also accommodated the administrative offices and school library of the Columbus Public School District. Those facilities had been transferred from the nearby Columbus Public School Library building after that structure was damaged beyond repair in 1912. The school offices and library later moved to Sullivant School, after which the former institutional spaces in the bank building were remodeled by Richards, McCarty & Bulford. The Ohio National Bank building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Its nomination recognized the building as one of Columbus’s significant examples of Greek Doric classical ornamentation, including its refined exterior and interior detailing. In 2023, the building and other properties on the same block were sold to Harsax Management Company. The company announced plans to demolish several structures on the site, creating uncertainty about the building’s future. Available reference material does not establish whether the Ohio National Bank institution itself remains active, nor does it provide reliable information about its founding date, management, financial activities, or current corporate ownership.

The Ohio National Bank building was conceived in 1910 as a dedicated headquarters and banking facility for Ohio National Bank in downtown Columbus. The bank’s directors had considered constructing a skyscraper but ultimately selected a lower-scale monumental design for the site of the former Lazarus Block. The location was close to the Ohio Statehouse, and the intended architectural relationship influenced the building’s Neoclassical appearance. Richards, McCarty & Bulford were commissioned as architects. The plans received city approval in August 1910, while contractor Henry Lauer began removing the earlier building from the site. The Lazarus Block’s clocktower, a familiar local feature, was taken down in June 1910. Construction proceeded through the following year, and the completed bank opened on November 27, 1911. The building’s design uses a brick structural body with a complete stone exterior facing. Its High Street elevation incorporates two large Doric columns and two substantial pilasters. The columns are approximately five feet in diameter, giving the entrance a strongly monumental character. Proposed features included a marble High Street facade and a semi-dome with a large skylight. The interior centered on a two-story banking lobby with a coffered ceiling and elaborate classical ornament. The property had an institutional use beyond banking during the 1910s and early 1920s. From 1912 until 1923, the Columbus Public School District used portions of the building for administrative offices and a school library. The district had relocated those functions after the nearby Columbus Public School Library building suffered damage that made it unusable. In 1923, the offices and library moved to Sullivant School, and Richards, McCarty & Bulford remodeled the vacated areas. The structure remained substantially intact and became recognized as an important example of classical commercial architecture in Columbus. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The designation emphasized the building’s Greek Doric ornamentation and the quality of its exterior and interior detailing. In 2023, Harsax Management Company acquired the building together with other properties on the block. Plans to demolish several structures introduced a preservation concern regarding the Ohio National Bank building. The available reference material does not clarify the building’s subsequent fate, and it does not provide sufficient evidence about the operating history, leadership, financial performance, or present status of the bank that originally commissioned the property.

• 2023

  Property sold amid redevelopment plans

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  Harsax Management Company acquired the building and other properties on the block and planned demolition of several structures.

• 1980

  Added to the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  The building received historic-register recognition for its architectural significance and refined Greek Doric ornamentation.

• 1923

  School offices and library relocate

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  The Columbus Public School District moved its offices and library to Sullivant School, after which the former spaces were remodeled.

• 1912

  Columbus Public School District begins occupying the building

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  The building began housing administrative offices and a school library after the district’s nearby library facility became unusable.

• 1911

  Building opens for business

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  The completed Ohio National Bank building opened on November 27, 1911.

• 1910

  Decision to construct a dedicated bank building

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  Ohio National Bank’s directors decided to build a purpose-designed headquarters after considering, but not pursuing, a skyscraper project.

• 1910

  Architectural plans approved

  [1]Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org

  The city approved plans by Richards, McCarty & Bulford in August, while demolition of the Lazarus Block was undertaken by contractor Henry Lauer.

A landmark early twentieth-century commercial building whose architectural identity is based on Neoclassical and Greek Doric design rather than on a currently documented banking product portfolio.

• 2023

  Sale of the building and surrounding propertiesOther

  Background

  The historic building was sold together with other properties on its downtown block.

  Action taken

  Harsax Management Company acquired the properties and announced plans to demolish several buildings on the site.

  Aftermath

  The plans created uncertainty over the preservation and continued existence of the Ohio National Bank building.

  Source

• 1910

  Bank selects a dedicated monumental headquarters instead of a skyscraperStrategy

  Background

  The bank’s directors evaluated a skyscraper concept while planning a replacement for the Lazarus Block in downtown Columbus.

  Action taken

  They chose to commission a purpose-built Neoclassical bank building from Richards, McCarty & Bulford, designed to relate visually to the nearby Ohio Statehouse.

  Aftermath

  The resulting building opened in 1911 and later became a listed historic property.

  Source

1. 1Ohio National Banken.wikipedia.org