February 2026.
The Jones Heel Manufacturing Company is one of the lesser-known historic buildings in the Brewery District, since it is much further south than the main stretch of breweries. It is the only remaining factory building off of what is known as the Whittier Street Peninsula, a formerly industrial area that was redeveloped as the Scioto Audubon Metro Park.
Jones Heel Manufacturing Company is located at 841-843 South Front Street in the Brewery District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by houses to the north, Whittier Street to the south, Front Street to the east, and the peninsula to the west.
History
An image I found of another Jones Shoe Manufacturing Co., which my source claims operated from 1887 to 1910. (Columbus Neighborhoods)
Wikipedia and many other sources claim that Jones Heel Manufacturing was a subsidiary of the larger Jones Shoe Manufacturing Company, which supposedly opened south of Whittier Street at 893 South Front Street. However, Sanborn maps show that no such factory was ever there (it has been residential ever since the first houses were built at that address), and the existing buildings are the only ones that seem to have ever been built. The above image shows a building with that name, though it is presumably unrelated.
Historic drawing of the factory buildings. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
Anyways, the Jones Heel Manufacturing buildings were completed in 1917. Soon after, the company was one of the largest shoe manufacturers in the entire country as of 1919. The main building uses a reinforced concrete frame, typical of early 20th-century industrial buildings, and its exterior is brick with metal sash windows. The smaller one-story building has a brick exterior with a concrete floor, iron columns, and a wooden roof. Both are great examples of two competing styles--the more conventional, almost Victorian construction versus the more open and innovative high-rise building. Remember, industrial architecture was a major influence for Modern architecture within the coming decades.
Columbus also had several shoe factories at the time, such as the Julian & Kokenge Co., Bradford Shoe Company, and Kropp Shoe Company. I’ve visited all three of these locations. However, all have since closed.
Rendering of the current plans for Jones Heel. (MA Design)
In 2021, a developer proposed to demolish all buildings on the site aside from the six-story tower and build a large apartment building. These plans were opposed by the Brewery District Commission and ultimately canceled. However, more sensitive plans have been approved from MA Design, which involve placing a modern apartment building on top of the smaller building that telescopes away from the edge of the site to allow views of the taller tower. This will obviously involve some pretty serious structural alterations to the building, but at least it is being preserved and not demolished.
Photos
It seemed like some early work was ongoing at the site, as there were several work trucks nearby. The upper windows were also newly boarded up.
This shed-like building is very sprawling and has a shallow roof pitch. I don’t think the roof monitors are original, and they will be removed in the coming construction work.
The faded sign that once advertised its tenant, since tagged over by some crappy toy graffiti:
I somehow aligned the corners of the building perfectly here, which was completely on accident:
South face of the high-rise building:
The only visible concrete is above the large industrial windows, and the remainder of the facade is clad in brick.
The rear has an area with smaller windows, probably where the stairs are:
Looks like one of the gutters has recently fallen down to earth:
This view won’t exist in about a year:
I also popped my head into the one-story building, since there was a wide-open garage door. You can see the structural system it uses, as well as some construction materials:
It seems like workers are pretty busy digging a foundation for the new apartments:
Hopefully this structural stuff remains, even just as decoration. It appears to be in great condition today (which may not actually be the case). I’m not the hugest fan of the apartment building’s design, but it does a much better job preserving the historic ones than the earlier proposal.
Sources:
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/14467/
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06656190101/?sp=3
https://columbusunderground.com/developer-pitches-plan-for-historic-brewery-district-buildings-bw1/
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