{"nrhp_refnum":"82003570","name":"Rankin Building","other_names":["Union Building Savings &amp","Loan Company","Edwin M. Ellman Proper"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"22 W. Gay St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.96370697900005,"lon":-83.00130405299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial building at 22 West Gay Street in downtown Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, built around 1898-99 (the revised form gives 1911) for L.L. Rankin and given a Neo-Classical facade in 1930.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is notable for its monumental Neo-Classical facade, added in 1930 when Union Building Savings & Loan Company moved in, which it says has no equal in Columbus. The facade's scale is unusual for such a small commercial structure. It also notes the building's reputation as the first absolutely fireproof business office building in the state, and the loss of many small-scale commercial buildings downtown.","narrative":"Located at 22 West Gay Street in downtown Columbus, this three-story brick commercial building was put up for L.L. Rankin, president of the Buckeye State Building and Loan Co., which it first housed. Its earliest form had a five-bay front with a doorway at the right under a triangular pediment. In 1930, when Union Building Savings & Loan Company moved in, a Neo-Classical facade replaced it. The new front has engaged Ionic columns set between cut stone piers, a high parapet with dentils, and a two-story round stone arch at the entrance. Inside, a first-floor safe was built with railroad rails covered in plaster and brick, and the third floor served as an auditorium. The building was reputed to be the first absolutely fireproof business office building in the state. It was listed because the monumental facade is unusual on so small a structure and because downtown development has erased many similar small commercial buildings.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition and altered; the owner planned extensive rehabilitation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.562599-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/82003570.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003570/3ff8a8e80c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003570/3ff8a8e80c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ɱ","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diamond_Exchange,_Columbus.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:Diamond_Exchange,_Columbus.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988374","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankin_Building_(Columbus,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97356019"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/rankin-building-82003570/"}