Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium
former building of the Ohio State University
The Armory and Gymnasium was a campus building of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The building was designed by prominent Ohio architects Yost & Packard and built in 1898. The multipurpose facility had a gymnasium, canvas running track, seats for 750, two swimming pools, and a cannon room. The building was home to Ohio State's men's basketball team. In 1918, the U.S. Army took over the building and used it for troop housing during World War I. The building stood through a fire in 1935. Another fire devastated the building in 1958, damaging it beyond repair. The building was demolished in 1959. The Wexner Center for the Arts opened on the site in 1989, with architecture inspired by the 1898 building.
“Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium” enters the record as former building of the Ohio State University. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Ohio, State and University can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Ohio, State and University provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q107400481. Authority coordinates are 40.000, -83.009. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1898, 1918, 1935 and 1958.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium primary sources, Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium archive and Ohio research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ohio State University Armory and Gymnasium” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.