{"nrhp_refnum":"84000444","name":"Welsbach Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"116-118 E. Chestnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.968347797000035,"lon":-82.99862936599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-11-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story brick and limestone industrial warehouse at 116-118 East Chestnut Street in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, built in 1906 and designed by local architect Jacob S. Goldsmith.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as an early twentieth century warehouse in Columbus's north end rail commercial area. It is described as the earliest known industrial structure in the city to use design freedoms from steel-frame construction, with a horizontally expressed facade that anticipates modern industrial design. It also survives as a reminder of the area's rail-based wholesale distribution role.","narrative":"Built in 1906, this five-story warehouse at 116-118 East Chestnut Street in Columbus sits near the former rail yards about a mile north of the Statehouse. Its load-bearing brick and limestone walls enclose heavy timber framing, and roughly 67,500 square feet of floor area. The facade combines two design approaches: a traditional, vertically organized corner bay with a keystoned segmental arch, and two western bays with broad window openings and continuous sills that stress horizontal layers. Architect Jacob S. Goldsmith designed it early in his career, and the nomination links the contrast to the building's operations, with freight moving vertically by elevator in the east bay and horizontally through storage in the west bays. From 1907 to 1929 it served as the middle western department of the Welsbach Company, a gas lighting manufacturer. It was listed as an early example of industrial design that expressed function, and as one of a few survivors of the area's rail commerce.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Jacob S. Goldsmith","architectural_style":"Early modern industrial design with Chicago-style influence","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition, original site, altered; the form marks the property as both occupied and unoccupied. Used as a warehouse by the Welsbach Company from 1907 to 1929.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.760721-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/84000444.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000444/c8dcd97d4a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000444/c8dcd97d4a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsbach_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welsbach_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988308","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsbach_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104830558"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/welsbach-building-84000444/"}