Fontaine Building
Also known as: The Woodruff-Brown Building
Why it's listed
Built around 1894-1895 at 13 West 11th Street in Columbus, this three-story brick commercial building was probably put up by members of the Fontaine family. Its seven-bay facade features round and segmented arched openings with rusticated sandstone lintels, terra cotta decorative tiles, and slender pilasters that run up all three stories and curve around circular metal vents. The nomination describes it as the only one of its type in Columbus and notes its Sullivanesque treatment, which accentuates the building's height. An 1895 map shows wholesale boots and shoes on the first floor, a dentist and a club on the second, and rooms on the third. Later tenants included a cola syrup maker, the Harmony Club, a second-hand furniture dealer, the Elks, cotton brokers, and a real estate and insurance firm that gave the building the name Woodruff-Brown. It was considered a leading downtown business building when constructed.
Significance in brief: The form argues the building is architecturally significant as the only one of its type in Columbus, using Sullivanesque techniques such as slender pilasters that emphasize its height. It combines segmented and round arches, terra cotta tiles, circular vents and rounded pilasters. It is also significant historically as a leading downtown business building that housed many commercial tenants.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80001169, listed September 29, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 13 W. 11th St., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | September 29, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001169 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Eclectic - Commercial, with Sullivanesque techniques |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use is listed as commercial; integrity is described as intact, though the upper-floor windows are boarded up from the inside and the parapet appears altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.46657, -84.99406 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80001169.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134401722
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.