Ohio State Penitentiary after 1979

The "Pen" opened in 1834 and, after the last prisoners were removed from the Ohio State Penitentiary in 1984, the building and grounds were left vacant for nearly 10 years. In 1995, the city of Columbus bought the old penitentiary and decided to clear the land for new development. The grounds were demolished in 1998 and a parking garage was later built on the site for the new Nationwide Arena Complex in 2000.


In 1977, the 22-acre spread of the Old Ohio Penitentiary was in a state of deterioration. In the background, One Nationwide Plaza stands tall as the beginning of urban revitalization slowly comes to the Arena District.

Further deterioration and falling walls led to the first demolishing of the Ohio Pen in 1994 after part of the outer wall fell and crushed two parked cars. After demolition, the forsaken plot that formerly held the Ohio Pen was waiting for further development in 1997.


Reference

Nationwide Reality Investors. (2006). The Arena District: A Neighborhood 170 Years in the Making. Columbus, OH: Michelle Chippas.

"Ohio Penitentiary." Ohio History Central - An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History. Ohio Historical Society, 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.