{"nrhp_refnum":"93000402","name":"Central Building of the Columbus Young Men's Christian Association","other_names":["Central Branch of the YMCA of Central Ohio"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"40 W. Long St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.96503743400007,"lon":-83.00251366699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seven-story steel-frame and concrete YMCA building at 40 West Long Street in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, built in 1923 and dedicated in 1924. Walter F. Shattuck of the Chicago firm Shattuck and Layer designed it.","why_significant":"The nomination cites Criterion A for the building's contributions to social history and education in Columbus, through housing, youth programs and the YMCA Schools that grew into Franklin University. Under Criterion C, it is a distinctive example of Jacobethan and Late Gothic Revival civic architecture in downtown Columbus. The building remains largely intact and still serves its original purpose.","narrative":"Rising seven stories at Front and Long Streets, this Columbus YMCA building was completed in 1923 and dedicated in 1924. Chicago architect Walter F. Shattuck designed it in a blend of Jacobethan and Late Gothic Revival styles, with Flemish-bond brick, limestone trim, buttresses, battlements and pointed arches. Inside, a U-shaped plan wraps around a central block holding a natatorium, twin gymnasiums and other fitness facilities, while the upper floors contained offices, classrooms and rooms for men. The building mattered to the city for what it offered: temporary housing for men seeking work, a free club for disadvantaged boys, and space for the YMCA Schools, which pioneered evening and trade classes and became Franklin University in 1933. Its architecture also set it apart from the classical civic buildings along the nearby Scioto corridor. After nearly seventy years it still serves as a YMCA, and its floor plan and finishes remain largely unchanged.","period_of_significance":"1924-1943","architect_builder":"Shattuck, W. F (Walter F. Shattuck of Shattuck and Layer, Chicago)","architectural_style":"Jacobethan Revival; Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in active use as a full-service YMCA with single-room-occupancy housing; the interior is described as essentially intact, and work was underway to upgrade mechanical systems and restore public spaces.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.485456-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/93000402.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000402/f2b0ab869f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000402/f2b0ab869f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ɱ","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus,_OH_-_YMCA.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:Columbus,_OH_-_YMCA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988491","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_YMCA","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q95049701"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/central-building-of-the-columbus-young-mens-christian-association-93000402/"}