The designer of the iconic horseshoe-shaped Ohio Stadium also created other structures in Columbus, two of which are in danger of being demolished.
Columbus Landmarks Foundation announced its annual Most Endangered Sites list on May 28 and it includes two school buildings designed by the ‘Shoe’s creator, Howard Dwight Smith.
The foundation’s annual list, with six buildings on it this year, is intended to raise awareness about and encourage reinvestment in at-risk historic properties.
“Our Most Endangered Sites list is an early warning signal, a proverbial beacon that blares the warning that the places that carry our city’s memory are at risk of disappearing,” said Toni Bell, past president of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation Board, in a news release.
Two school buildings created by Ohio Stadium architect face demolition
Smith was born in the late 1800s and died in 1958. He attended and graduated from Ohio State University, served as professor and university architect there, designed the beloved Ohio Stadium, created mansions for the rich and famous and designed myriad other buildings in Central Ohio. Included in his work are more than 30 Ohio State structures designed from 1918 to 1956, according to a 2022 Ohio State Alumni Magazine article about him.
Smith designed Fairwood Elementary School, built on the East Side in 1921. It was the first school built to accommodate the city’s growing Black population. The Tudor Revival style structure is still in use but its closure is planned at the end of this school year, with the Columbus school board considering demolishing it, among other options, according to Columbus Landmarks.
Smith also created the East Side’s Courtright School, built in 1927. It began being used as a church in 1959. It was listed for sale in 2025 and sold with an uncertain future, the foundation said. It was designed in an Egyptian Revival style with palm-topped columns, a cavetto cornice and winged-orb motifs over the doors.
“It is our hope that these properties will be given new purpose with investments in their historical significance,” said Chris Hune, CEO of Columbus Landmarks Foundation, in a news release.
Homes, a Downtown Columbus office building also endangered
Also on the 2026 list are three residences and a Downtown office building.
One is on the South Side at 871 Carpenter St. and is rare in that it was build in 1872 and is still standing, according to the foundation. It was built with camel-back masonry and is indicative of the city’s late 19th-century change from rural township to urban city.
The other two residential buildings, in German Village, are also masonry buildings built in 1890. At 147-157 Thurman Ave., the buildings are continuing to deteriorate due to neglect but are protected by the National Register of Historic Places.
“Like any good history, the buildings tell truths about who we’ve been, what communities were able to build, and what we value,” Bell said. “Before we erase these buildings, we owe Columbus a pause and a plan, so we won’t have to placate people in the aftermath of demolition.”
A six-story building constructed in 1957 at 50 W. Gay St. served as an office building but is now owned by the city and has been vacant since 2018, according to the foundation. It is built in the Midcentury Modern style with red granite, Indiana Limestone curtain walls and a rooftop neon sign.
“Columbus is growing fast. Growth can be good, but demolition is permanent,” Bell said.
Underserved Communities Reporter Danae King can be reached at dking@dispatch.com or on X at @DanaeKing.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Stadium architect’s other Columbus designs in danger of demolition
Reporting by Danae King, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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