Benjamin Smith House

Columbus, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

This historic house in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, was built around 1860 for Benjamin E. Smith, a wealthy financier, and designed by architect Nathan B. Kelley, who also served as one of the principal architects of the Ohio Statehouse. Exemplifying the Italianate and Second Empire styles popular in the mid-nineteenth century, the residence remained Smith's home until 1883, when he relocated to New York City. The state of Ohio subsequently rented the house as a governor's mansion, providing residence for governors George Hoadly and Joseph Foraker. In 1886, the Columbus Club, a private organization, purchased the property and has occupied it continuously since then. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.