120 S. Central Avenue is a former school building in the Franklinton neighborhood of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. The building was built for the West High School, and later served as Starling Middle School and Starling Elementary School. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 2022.

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The building is situated in a residential part of the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is on a plot, bordered by Central Avenue to the west, State Street to the north, Town Street to the south, and Brehl Avenue to the east. The grounds include grassy lawns, sidewalks, and trees, as well as asphalt parking and play areas to the north and east of the building. The school was designed in the Neoclassical style. It was made of blond brick, with a stone foundation and a symmetrical T-shaped layout. The original structure was designed by prominent Columbus school architect

David Riebel David Riebel (August 7, 1855 – July 29, 1935) was a German-American architect in Columbus, Ohio. He was the head architect for the Columbus public school district from 1893 to 1922. In 1915, ''The Ohio Architect, Engineer and Builder'' consider ...

. It has three projecting pediments; one at either end and one in the center. Its roof once had dormers on its facade and side elevations, no longer extant. A rear addition was created in 1926, designed by Howard Dwight Smith, architect of the

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement c ...

. This housed a cafeteria, five classrooms, two locker rooms, and sewing and mechanical drawings rooms. Another addition was completed in 1955. This addition was built in the International style, and contained a gymnasium and auditorium. It was not part of the building's nomination to the Columbus Register of Historic Properties. The building's main entrance is at the center of the facade, with a sidewalk leading up to it, as well as stone steps with a stone rail near the door.

History

The building was built for the West High School, and was converted to Starling Junior High School in 1929, when a new West High School was built. The school was eventually converted to become Starling Elementary School, and closed in 2012 when a new Starling Elementary School was constructed across the street, at 145 S. Central Avenue. The building has been vacant since c. 2014. The school building was listed as one of several endangered properties in the city, in Columbus Landmarks' 2021 list. In 2022, it was announced that a Columbus developer plans to convert the building into units of affordable housing. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 2022.

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* {{Authority control 1908 establishments in Ohio School buildings completed in 1908 Columbus Register properties Defunct public high schools in Ohio Franklinton (Columbus, Ohio) National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio Public elementary schools in Ohio Public middle schools in Ohio Residential buildings in Columbus, Ohio School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Schools in Columbus, Ohio Columbus City Schools

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