Indianola Middle School

Due to population growth and changing legislation, which made high school attendance mandatory, Columbus’ school system greatly expanded during the 1920s. Indianola Junior High was one of 16 new schools, including five high schools, built during that decade. It is listed in both the Columbus Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places.

Designed by architect Howard Dwight Smith, the building is architecturally significant as representative of his modernistic work. Smith designed Indianola Junior High in a combination of the Jacobethan style, which was popular for school buildings in the late 1920s and 1930s, and the Art Deco style. The building’s Art Deco influences include stylized animal ornamentation, metal windows, polychromatic details, and rectilinear massing. Indianola Junior High maintains most of its historic architectural features and significant spaces, including wood trim, built-in shelves and cabinetry.

Results of March 2012 Design Charette:
Columbus Landmarks Foundation was asked to call together a team of architects and consultants experienced in preservation to explore alternatives on the heels of a failed contract to renovate the building. The following renovation designs were proposed to Columbus City Schools.

>>First Floor Plan
>>Second Floor Plan
>>Third Floor Plan

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