herr2ck: Columbus - Dennison Place - King Avenue West of Neil Avenue

March 2026.

Dennison Place is a small, largely residential neighborhood that is south of OSU campus and immediately west of High Street. Its primary thoroughfares are King Avenue and 5th Avenue, and this post mostly focuses on the former. (I have photos along Neil Avenue, too, but those are in a separate article for continuity purposes.)

There isn’t much history available online on Dennison Place, but given that it doesn’t really appear on Sanborn maps until the 1901 edition and the methods through which Columbus (and other large cities expanded), we can assume it was being developed to its present density around the turn of the 20th century. Indeed, the Near Northside Historic District listing (which includes Dennison Place) states that it was platted in 1888 by Anne Dennison, who was influenced by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and designed the picturesque “Circles” area. Beforehand, the area was owned by William Neil and his family, who farmed there.

Dennison Place is located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by King Avenue and the University District to the north, 5th Avenue and Victorian Village to the south, High Street and Weinland Park to the east, and the Olentangy River to the west. This post resumes from the previous one’s ending at Neil Avenue and continues to the Olentangy River.

Kathryn Houston House (306 King Avenue)

A uniquely Spanish Revival house, uncommon in Columbus and very rare in this area, 306 King is also newer than the surrounding houses. Historic records on the auditor’s website state that a mortgage company acquired the prior building/land in 1933, and Kathryn Houston, who owned the house through around 1960, appeared on the assessment list in 1935. Therefore, this house was likely built c. 1933-1935.

Detail of the entrance vestibule:

314 King Avenue

314 King, built in 1897, is characterized by its massive tower, which dominates more than half of the facade. It seems to encompass three floors, too. Very appropriate for a Queen Anne house.

This porch has classical details such as the columns, denticulation, and pediment:

320 King Avenue

This 1898 house might be my favorite in this stretch due to its abundant historic details. The porch is intact, slate roof and ironwork included, and the rest of the house has a similar quality. I like the original door and porch light fixture, too.

Detail of the arched window, with its rough brickwork, stone impost blocks, and stained-glass lunette:

Wooden turret, with more stained glass and the original roof cresting, slate shingles, and finial:

332 King Avenue

332 King, dating to 1893, has fancy brickwork surrounds on all of its windows, as well as more elaborate stone lintels. The woodwork on the porch, gables, and dormer is also in good shape.

338 King Avenue

Since we’re getting further west of High Street and later on in the chronology of this area’s development, more 20th-century styles such as American Foursquare are starting to pop up. The 1901 Sanborn map shows that this area of King was sparsely developed at that time, with almost no houses at all west of Neil Avenue. 338 does show up on the 1901 map, meaning it was likely newly built at the time, but its western neighbors do not. It’s also pretty richly decorated for the more austere Foursquare style.

Detail of the porch’s columns and pediment:

342 King Avenue

An unusually late Queen Anne house built after 1901 (the auditor’s website says 1905), 342 King has a tall tower with a conical roof and finial, a projecting bay with a small dormer, and a wide porch.

343 King Avenue

Another American Foursquare, this house has some interesting details such as its dormer and visible rafters. It was built after 1901, given that it doesn’t appear on that year’s Sanborn map.

345 King Avenue

This late Queen Anne house also dates to after 1901, when the style was falling out of favor. Nonetheless, it has rich woodwork in the gable, brackets, and porch. I like its color scheme, too.

348 King Avenue

An unusually detailed American Foursquare house, the bay window and porch also break the style’s typical symmetry. The dormer is very large and features Beaux-Arts decoration.

352-354 King Avenue

This duplex is an interesting Colonial Revival design with a gambrel roof, which has two small, square dormers.

Detail of the two different roof pitches:

358 King Avenue

I like the green shingles in this Queen Anne’s gables. The porch also has unique woodwork, with a checkerboard-like pattern and ellipsoid openings.

Detail of the interesting porch woodwork:

361 King Avenue

Another similar Queen Anne, I liked this one’s colorful paint job.

383-385 King Avenue

This house, one of the few west of Michigan Avenue built before 1901, is likely larger and more elaborate than its neighbors because of its placement on a corner lot. It has a large turret with a conical roof, a large bay window on the Michigan Avenue side, and fancy woodwork in the gables. It is a duplex, however, which may also explain the longer plan.

390 King Avenue

This Queen Anne house has its original slate roof, as well as a dormer and bay window. The blue paint is almost the exact same shade as the sky, making it look like the tops of the gables are hollow.

391-403 King Avenue

These three different American Foursquares exhibit the meaningful stylistic variations available within its framework. Each house varies in width and depth, but still maintains the rectangular plan essential to the Foursquare design. Beyond that, they have different masonry exteriors, window shapes, porches, and dormers.

396 King Avenue

I like the colorful woodwork on this American Foursquare house, which was built after 1901.

410 King Avenue

This Foursquare, completed in 1908, has some Renaissance flair with the various arches and curvy parapets. The remainder of the house is pretty typical of the style, though.

Vaulted porch detail:

466 King Avenue

This one has always bugged me because of its poorly scaled columns, which are much too skinny for their height. Given that this building is classically inspired (though I really hope not designed by a practicing architect), it doesn’t follow the proportions established by classicism. It was also completed in 1966, which is very late for a backwards-looking building like this one.

It’s also odd how the central bay opens to a blank brick wall:

The entablature, which is also poorly scaled, is about ready to fall down:

Battelle Memorial Institute

This Beaux-Arts building was built from 1928 to 1929 by architect Otto C. Darst as the original headquarters of Battelle Memorial Institute (more commonly Battelle for brevity), a non-profit scientific research company that was founded by Gordon Battelle that year. I have a friend who works there, and he told me that the building is disused and a large chunk of it was demolished recently, which is true. A Mid-Century Modern auditorium addition, which was built in 1961, was razed in 2015 along with part of the older 1929 building.

In terms of Columbus history, Battelle is probably best known for their lawsuit beginning in 1969, alleging that the company did not meet their charitable obligations as a non-profit. As a result of this lawsuit, Union Station was demolished, as part of Battelle’s settlement was intended for a transit center there. The company’s trustees voted that this transit center, which would have preserved portions of the Union Station arcade, would not use their money properly, and they instead proceeded to demolish the station.

The entrance portal has a carved message in gold leaf, but it was tough to read in the shade:

Aside from aliens in their basement, Battelle has some interesting claims to scientific fame. Their research has led to the development of cruise control, nuclear fuel rods, and barcodes, among other commonly known advancements.