Armory and Gymnasium

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Built: 1898
Address: 60 Oval Dr N
Architect: Yost and Packard - Packard, Frank L
Example of the French Feudal architectural style. It was
destroyed in a fire and was located on the current site of the OSU Wexner Center for the Arts.
Demolished: 1/7/1959

Historical Photos of the Armory and Gymnasium

Where Wexner Center for the Visual Arts now sits was once a far different structure known as the Armory. This massive brick building served as a multipurpose facility for military science, and men’s and women’s physical education. A fire in June 1958 caused significant enough damage that the Armory was torn down in 1959.

The spot was vacant for nearly three decades before the Wexner Center opened in 1989. The Wexner Center was named in honor of Harry L. Wexner, deceased father of Leslie Wexner, a 1959 OSU graduate and then-chair of the OSU Foundation.