herr2ck: Helios

March 2026.

Columbus’s former Municipal Light Plant is probably best known for its tall smokestack that has been painted yellow with the Columbus Crew logo, which is visible from OH-315, I-670, and US-33. However, I think that its industrial Romanesque Revival design is very interesting and hearkens back to a time when industrial buildings were something that could be ennobled through their architectural design.

The Municipal Light Plant is located at 555 West Nationwide Boulevard in the Arena District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Nationwide Boulevard and Overlook at Astor Park to the north, Spring Street to the south, the Jaeger Machine Company Building to the east, and the Olentangy River to the west.

History

Before the construction of the Arena District, the area was known for its industrial presence. Various companies built factories along what was then Naghten Street and Dublin Avenue beginning in the late 19th century, and the Ohio Penitentiary had been located there since 1834. However, after the first few decades of the 20th century, industry had begun to decline in the Arena District. By the 1990s, the area was almost completely abandoned, and the Ohio Penitentiary had closed. Many of the former industrial buildings were demolished, but a select few still exist, particularly on the edges of the district. The Municipal Light Plant is one of them.

Two historic photos of the plant. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The purpose of the Municipal Light Plant was to test the feasibility of city-generated electric power for streetlights in Columbus. The city had electrified features such as streetcars, which were furnished by private companies such as Columbus Street Railway Co. and Columbus Edison. As features such as streetlights and the Short North arches were electrified, it was decided to attempt generating municipal electricity to see if it would be less expensive than relying on outside corporations. The city council granted $68,000 in 1897 to construct the plant.

In 1899, generators were installed inside the existing Columbus Water Works plant (now demolished), which was located east of the Municipal Light Plant’s site. The earliest operations powered 325 streetlights in a block bordered by 2nd Avenue to the north, Gay Street to the south, Washington Avenue to the east, and the Scioto River to the west. The lights would operate from dusk until dawn, except on “moonlight nights.” This first plant operated until July 1900, when it was closed due to lack of funds. It would be reopened in October 1901, which is when the city discovered it would be more cost-effective to generate its own electricity. City Council approved another $110,000 that year to construct a purpose-built plant.

The construction of the Municipal Light Plant was marked by delays and blunders. Political squabbles resulted in the newly elected Board of Public Service firing the plant’s superintendent, Perry Okey, who completed the architectural drawings and specifications. However, the drawings’ incomplete nature forced the city to allow him to supervise construction, as he was the only one qualified to do so. This bungling eventually resulted in a major construction error--the plant was built on the wrong site. The original plans called for railroad access via a spur from the Water Works’ track, which would allow cars to directly unload coal on the south side of the building. However, the foundation had been completed under Okey’s purview in a location that made railroad access impossible, and work had been going on for months before the mistake was discovered. The plant had to be modified to include a coal conveyor, which increased operating expenses.

A view of the plant as it was built, looking northwest from the southeast end of the plant. The building at left has been demolished and may be the “City Garage” listed on the 1921 Sanborn map. Note the original roof of the boiler house. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The earliest portion of the Municipal Light Plant was completed in 1904, which consists of the two brick buildings on the west side of the site, which are the generation plant and boiler house. Aside from the Romanesque Revival exterior, which I’ll discuss later, the interior was largely open and had a visible steel frame. The boiler house formerly had a gabled roof with a roof monitor, which was removed in 1941 and replaced by a flat roof. The plant’s turbines were first activated in December, which immediately began vibrating and making unusual noises, indicating errors in its installation. When it was completed, the plant had cost a total of nearly $550,000, or about $20 million today, a staggering investment for such a small operation, which led to allegations of corruption. This resulted in investigations by the mayor and City Council.

Despite the early setbacks, the Municipal Light Plant was successful. It powered 1,940 streetlights by the end of 1905 and 2,400 in 1907, while the light arches in neighborhoods such as the Short North were lit by the city beginning in 1909. In 1910, the plant operated 24 hours a day and powered City Hall, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Ohio State Penitentiary, and the city patrol barn.

(MLP Events)

In 1913, the plant was flooded during the devastating Scioto River flood in March. The above photo shows how high the water got, which submerged a decent portion of the plant. However, it was repaired and continued to operate after.

By 1933, the Municipal Light Plant was posting a profit, meaning that its power did not cost the city money to generate. At that point, 61% of the power it generated was sold for private use, while the remainder went to 12,212 streetlights and various city buildings.

A view of the addition in 1946. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

An Art Moderne addition to the east was built between 1937 and 1954. The earliest part is connected to the boiler house and dates to 1937. It was used for more boilers, a coal hopper, and catwalks. The addition’s eastern entrance and three-story section date to 1950. The northernmost portion along Nationwide Boulevard was the last completed area in 1954. These were meant to augment the plant for increased production, which became necessary due to Columbus’s annexation of cities nearby. The original brick smokestack would be replaced by a metal one around this time.

However, despite the recently completed additions, a 1962 study by a Dayton engineering firm discovered that the Municipal Light Plant could not expand its capacity much more, and it would soon become obsolete unless the city of Columbus restricted its growth. Another addition was considered, which was ultimately ruled infeasible. The city attempted to repair the existing equipment in the following years, but an electric substation nearby would be built to replace the plant. A last-ditch effort to find a use for the newly obsolete Municipal Light Plant was a proposed conversion to a garbage incinerator, which was not undertaken due to pollution concerns and deferred maintenance on the 70-year-old building.

1978 photo of the plant immediately after closure. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The Municipal Light Plant would function until 1977, when the city of Columbus decided to purchase electric power instead of generating its own. It would be left abandoned and vacant afterwards, a state it would remain in for decades. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, at the tail end of this period of vacancy. The plant would be restored by Sandvick Architects beginning in 2017, and this work was completed in 2021. The 1903 building hosts The Stack, a wedding venue, and the additions are used as offices. The iconic Columbus Crew paint on the tower dates to 2021.

Photos

Upon visiting, I was struck by the plant’s similarity to the Worly Building in the Brewery District, whose article I had just written at the time I visited. The entrance gable and its details are identical. Though neither building has its architect known, the Worly Building’s might be either George H. Maetzel or Emile Glaser. Maetzel died in 1891, so he certainly was not the architect of the Municipal Light Plant, but Glaser, who I could not find information about, could be.

I approached from the east, which meant I saw the Art Moderne addition first:

Each section is a different height, has different fenestration, and was completed at a different time. It makes an odd sort of stepping effect, and the portions don’t really relate to each other besides the materials and style.

A little closer (dang glare):

Straight-on view of the two taller additions:

This square stone entrance is pretty mid-century modern, though, unlike the snazzier Art Moderne of the remainder:

Detail of the metal sign:

This section of the facade is an alteration and dates to the recent renovation. It replaced a windowless section of corrugated metal:

Okay, finally to what I care about the most now, the north facade of the 1903 building:

Unlike the two-story, more picturesque nature of the Worly Building, the Municipal Light Plant is only one story and more utilitarian. The only decorated areas are the main entrance, as well as subtle hood molds and corbelling in the other bays.

I agree with the NRHP listing and would designate this one Romanesque Revival, versus the Queen Anne Worly Building, as it has larger arched openings and emphasizes them more.

The piers seem to also express the building’s structure on the exterior, a classic trope that Modernism would later adopt from earlier buildings that did this.

The gable above the entrance, with its pinnacles and brickwork, is almost a direct recreation of the ones on the Worly Building:

Left: Worly Building (c. 1893). Right: Municipal Light Plant.

Yes, upon first glance they have differences, but I noticed several similarities. Prominent arches, broad gables with pinnacles and brick corbels. It could also just be a showing of how Columbus’s vernacular Romanesque Revival architecture was co-opted by various designers.

Detail of the stone relief above the doors:

I like the contrasting red brick shafts of the pinnacles versus the orange-y brick that the rest of the building uses:

The brickwork’s stepping effect is cool, as is the stone pinnacle on top of the gable:

An oblique view of the plant from the northwest corner:

The square section at right was probably offices at one time. You can also see the roof monitor of the plant better from this angle.

Nicely lit view of the plant and boiler house facing east:

Closer look at the office(?) wing:

Recall that the boiler house had a tall roof with a decorated gable too, which was removed in the 1940s.

Loving the various window shapes here, though:

Detail of the stone sign:

Oblique view:

Again, very utilitarian and repetitive form, though it is spiced up by the vaulted windows.

This section of the site (southwest corner, right by the river) has some odd junk laying around. A lonely wall sits alone after its surrounding building was demolished:

Now, I think I can surmise the function of that demolished building with this handy piece of machinery here…

…a Jeffrey car puller. I’m guessing this was for the coal cars that refueled the plant, since Jeffrey Mfg. made mining equipment. The company was based in Columbus, and their factory still stands in Italian Village.