Felton School
Why it's listed
Felton School, at Leonard Avenue and North Monroe Street in Columbus, is a brick Romanesque Revival school completed in 1893 to designs by David Riebel. It has a raised rock-faced stone foundation, a steeply pitched slate hip roof, and a central entrance tower with a round-arched doorway, corner turrets and a pyramidal roof. Round-arched second-floor windows and patterned brickwork between floors add detail. Inside, eight classrooms per floor open off a central hallway, and many retain slate blackboards, hardwood floors and pressed metal ceilings. One-story wings were added in the mid-1950s. Riebel began practising in Columbus in the early 1890s, and this was one of his first school designs; it is nearly identical to Southwood School of 1894. The building is valued as an excellent example of its style and period and as a neighborhood landmark. It was used as a school until the mid-1970s, then stood vacant before a purchaser planned to rehabilitate it as offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is an excellent example of Columbus educational architecture of its period and of the Romanesque Revival style, with particularly fine and extensive decorative brickwork. It was also designed by a noted local architect, David Riebel, and its tower has made it a neighborhood landmark since it was built. Interior and exterior features remain virtually unaltered.
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 84003677, listed May 31, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Leonard Ave. at N. Monroe St., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | May 31, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003677 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1893 |
| Architect / builder | David Riebel |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant at the time of the form; the school was used until the mid-1970s and had recently been purchased, with rehabilitation plans to use it as a corporate office building. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 39.97554, -82.97823 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 84003677.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.