herr2ck: Dressed Down

January 2026.

Indianola Informal K-8 School (Indianola Informal for brevity), known as the Crestview School historically, is like a little microcosm of the larger North High School further south. Both are rather severe brick Jacobethan Revival buildings along busy roads today. My photos of this one were pretty early on in my many trips across Columbus, so they’re not as great as my upcoming photos of other schools.

Indianola Informal is located at 251 East Weber Road in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Weber Road to the north, Tibet Road to the south, Druid Street to the east, and Calumet Street to the west. Aside from the north end, it is surrounded by houses.

History

Historic photo of the school in May 1915. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

There isn’t a ton of history about this one that I could find online. A Facebook post by the Columbus Metropolitan Library outlines some basics, though. The school was built in 1915 for the growing Clintonville area and its student population. Designed by David Riebel past his Richardsonian Romanesque phase into the more sober Jacobethan Revival of his later schools, it is interestingly the only Columbus school that was built with a swimming pool. It was briefly known as “Clinton High” but was soon renamed to “Crestview Junior High School” in 1916 after shifting to middle school.

The student use of the swimming pool was less than expected, however, and the pool was drained for budget cuts during the Great Depression. Students attempted to reopen the pool in the 1940s and raised funds through bake sales. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful, and the pool was covered in the 1950s to expand classrooms and the auditorium.

Rear of the building in 1915, prior to its addition. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

Two additions were built onto the building, one in 1926 and the other between 1955 and 1956, the latter of which also included a renovation. Comparing historic photos, the 1926 addition involved adding similar projecting wings to the rear of the building that the front had. The 1956 addition is a sprawling gymnasium or auditorium attached to the eastern end of the building, which is sensitive to the original’s materials but not its form.

In 1980, the school was renamed once again to “Crestview Middle School,” and it continued to operate despite a lower student population. Demolition of the school was considered in the early 2000s, which would have led to the construction of a new building across the street. Due to backlash from the Walhalla Ravine Association and residents, these plans were canceled. The school building was renovated in the 2000s and then housed the Indianola Alternative Elementary program beginning in 2009 (previously located in the building that is now Graham Elementary and Middle School). The larger building allowed the elementary school to teach middle schoolers as well, granting it the current “Indianola Informal K-8” name. It is part of Columbus City Schools but has lottery placement due to its unique teaching method and resultant demand.

Photos

Angled view from the corner of Weber Road and Calumet Street:

The wooden octagon is a ga-ga ball pit, one of my favorite games growing up.

Off-center and not-zoomed-in-enough view of the north end of the western wing:

The school is largely masonry, but stone accents such as the quoins and balustrade as well as the entire building’s form indicate the Jacobethan Revival style to me.

The building has double entrances on two towers that straddle the wings and central module, which have the school’s former name engraved and a large pediment above:

A more oblique view of the tower, showing its rambling parapet:

Nicely centered view of the middle:

These are pretty copiously placed windows for a style based on precedents that were more dark and moody.

A little tough to see past the flag, but the balustrade above has a naturalistic relief with a book in the center:

West facade:

Oblique view of the building from the southwest, at the corner of Calumet Street and Tibet Road:

The 1926 addition is visible here, which is the rightmost portion of the wing that projects outward.

Here is another view of that addition, straight-on:

Unlike the rest of the school, the smokestack here is pretty blackened by soot, though it seems to be a cell tower lately:

I wonder if the metal framing at the base is meant to structurally shore up the smokestack. It’s not original, either.

Notice the diamond pattern in the brickwork here:

The book relief is also here, and it is more visible. Remember when education was a valued part of society and something viewed as a method of bettering the human race? Our current president sure doesn’t. Odd to see architectural embellishments that have such antiquated views.