Home for the Aged Deaf
Also known as: Central College
Why it's listed
Built in 1875 on Sunbury Road in Westerville, this three-story brick building was part of Central College Academy, an institution founded in 1842 after Squire Timothy Lee offered 100 acres to the Columbus Presbytery for a school of higher learning. It has a hipped slate roof, a three-by-three-bay plan, segmental arched openings with brick hoodmoulds, two-over-two double-hung windows, projecting bays on the north and south sides, a denticular cornice, and a square cupola with round-arched windows and corbelled brickwork. The style is basically Italian Villa, though the belvedere uses an arcaded corbel table typical of Romanesque Revival. The building was sold in 1895 to the 9th Ohio Deaf-Mute Reunion and later became part of a complex run by the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association, where it serves as the Home for the Aged Deaf. Together with three other nearby buildings, it represents how religion and education shaped the village.
Significance in brief: It is one of four buildings in the Central College group that together reflect the influence of religion and education on the development of the village. The nomination treats the buildings as well-preserved historic resources of a small community whose history centered on the Presbyterian church and Central College.
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 80004522, listed November 25, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6971 Sunbury Rd., Westerville |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 25, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004522 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa, with an arcaded corbel table on the belvedere typical of Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Inventory sheet lists interior and exterior condition as fair-poor and marks the property as possibly endangered; it is used as the Home for the Aged Deaf within a campus of old-age resident housing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.10124, -82.88925 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 80004522.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138337685
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.