{"nrhp_refnum":"84000107","name":"Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb","other_names":["Deaf School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"408 E. Town St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.96060086750006,"lon":-82.98871340561149,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The 1899 school building of the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb at 408 East Town Street, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, with a surviving early 20th-century powerhouse on a 10-acre site. The building is a three-story buff brick structure designed by Richards, McCarty and Bulford.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its eclectic architecture, which draws on French, Gothic, Dutch and Jacobethan sources and includes intricate carved stonework. It is also significant for its place in the development of Ohio's state institutions for the handicapped. The school was the first public institution for the handicapped in Ohio and the fifth school for the deaf founded in the United States.","narrative":"Completed in 1899, this three-story buff brick school building in Columbus was designed by the Columbus firm Richards, McCarty and Bulford for the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb. Its steep gable and hip roof, pointed arch entrances, Flemish gables and carved stone details blend French, Dutch, Gothic and Jacobethan influences. Rows of oversized stone heads frame the two east entrances. The building was called an architectural gem at its dedication. Some features have been lost, including the height of the east towers, which were cut down in the 1950s, and the stained glass transoms, though the form, interior spaces and most exterior detail remain. The institution traces to an 1827 legislative act and opened in 1829, making it the first public institution for the handicapped in Ohio. The 1899 building was needed for rising enrollment and broader teaching methods. A powerhouse also survives on the 10-acre site. The state emptied the complex in the late 1970s, and plans called for office use.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Richards, McCarty, Bulford","architectural_style":"Eclectic, with French, Dutch, Gothic and Jacobethan influences","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant at the time of nomination; the state emptied the buildings in the late 1970s. The site was leased to the City of Columbus and then to a private developer for rehabilitation as offices. The original 1860s Second Empire building was destroyed by fire in 1980.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.014751-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/84000107.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000107/4ad3eddac3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000107/4ad3eddac3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wdzinc","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_Ohio_Former_School_For_Deaf.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Wdzinc</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_Ohio_Former_School_For_Deaf.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988493","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16896092"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/ohio-institution-for-the-education-of-the-deaf-and-dumb-84000107/"}