Fort Hayes
Also known as: Columbus Arsenal; Columbus Barracks
Why it's listed
Fort Hayes is a military post of about 70 acres close to downtown Columbus, Ohio. Created in 1863 as the Columbus Arsenal for making and storing war materiel, it became an Army recruiting depot called Columbus Barracks after the Civil War and was renamed in 1922 for Rutherford B. Hayes. The initial buildings were designed and built under Colonel T. C. Bradford. Its centerpiece is the 1864 Arsenal, a three-story brick Tuscan Revival building with a five-story tower, long in almost continuous military use. Other surviving structures include a late-1890s gatehouse, a 1910 administration building, a 1907 post exchange and gym, a 1908 hospital, and officers' family quarters begun in 1894. The post was listed as the oldest federal military installation in continuous use in Ohio. It keeps much of its nineteenth-century character, and the Arsenal is believed to be the only surviving Bradford-built structure in the country. Federal plans anticipated its disposal by 1972.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls Fort Hayes the oldest federal military installation in continuous use in Ohio. It retains much of its nineteenth-century architectural and military atmosphere and is an environmental area worth preserving for Columbus. Its 1864 arsenal building is the oldest substantial, permanent U.S. military structure in Ohio and is believed to be the only surviving structure designed and built by T. C. Bradford in the nation.
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 70000491, listed January 26, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cleveland Ave. and I-71, Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | January 26, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000491 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Colonel T. C. Bradford (initial buildings, 1863-1865, designed and built under his supervision) |
| Architectural style | Tuscan Revival (Building 62, the Arsenal) |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair and altered, on its original site. Owned by the Department of Defense and occupied for military use. Declared excess in 1965, with abandonment by the Ohio National Guard planned for 1972. |
| Acreage | 70 |
| Coordinates | 39.97458, -82.98859 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 70000491.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5471307
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.