{"nrhp_refnum":"73001438","name":"Smith, Benjamin, House","other_names":["Columbus Club Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"181 E. Broad St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.96244913800007,"lon":-82.99588184599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick mansion with a mansard roof at 181 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, built in the early 1860s for financier Benjamin E. Smith. It is now occupied by the Columbus Club.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent and important example of Italianate Second Empire architecture, and one of the finest buildings in Columbus. It also served as Ohio's governor's mansion in the 1880s, housing Governors Hoadly and Foraker. It survives where its original neighboring buildings have been razed.","narrative":"Built in the early 1860s at 181 East Broad Street in Columbus, this brick mansion with sandstone trim and a slate mansard roof was home to financier Benjamin E. Smith, who is believed to have had railroad connections. The house rises two stories plus the mansard, with round-headed windows, elaborate hoodmolds, bay windows and a columned, arched entrance. Inside are very high ceilings, ornate marble fireplaces and richly carved wooden moldings. Smith lived here until 1883, when he moved to New York City. In 1884 the state of Ohio rented the house as a governor's mansion, and Governors George Hoadly and Joseph Foraker lived there. The newly formed Columbus Club bought the house and grounds in 1886 and has worked to keep its character and original appearance. The building is valued as a fine example of Second Empire architecture, standing in a location where the neighboring buildings of its own era have long been demolished.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (circa 1860)","architect_builder":"Benjamin E. Smith (built the house as his residence); no architect named","architectural_style":"Italianate Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and used as a private club by the Columbus Club; the interior architectural features have been preserved, with some later additions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.401372-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001438.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001438/2debdb4735-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001438/2debdb4735-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ɱ","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Smith_House_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ɱ</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Smith_House_02.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988346","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Smith_House_(Columbus,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96373408"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/smith-benjamin-house-73001438/"}