St Dominic Church Files Application to Demolish Boiler Building at 640 S. Ohio Ave.
Application materials state the boiler building is a hazard and needs to be demolished for safety.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Columbus's Old Oaks neighborhood, showing its High Gothic brick facade and twin spires.
Credit: Columbus History Archive / Flickr / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 1.0 Image source
An application for a Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness has been filed for the demolition of the old boiler building at 640 S. Ohio Ave.
Filing records list Gary Rhoades and St Dominic Church as the applicant. Application materials state that the boiler building at the rear of the property is a hazard and needs to be demolished for safety.
The application is currently listed as Incomplete by the city of Columbus. City records classify the 640 S. Ohio Ave. application as a Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness filing. In the Old Oaks neighborhood, exterior modifications require a certificate of appropriateness from the Columbus Historic Resources Commission.
An interview request has been initiated with Rhoades regarding the demolition proposal.
Bishop Earl K. Fernandes formally merged the parish into neighboring Saint Dominic Church on Jan. 17, 2024, citing dwindling attendance and deferred maintenance costs across aging facilities.
The diocese held its final Mass in the building on May 12, 2024. Fernandes subsequently issued a canonical decree that deconsecrated the church sanctuary on Jan. 21, 2026, stripping the consecrated space of its sacred status. Following the closure, advocacy group Columbus Landmarks added the complex to its Most Endangered Sites list.
Previously, Pique Media reported on Sept. 30 that Preservation Fears Mount Over Historic St. John Church Amid Columbus Diocesan Demolitions.
The High Gothic church building was designed by William P. Ginther and completed in 1899 with rock-faced vitrified brick. The property was followed in 1905 by a dedicated parish school designed by Columbus architect David Riebel.
In September 2026, the diocese filed plans seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish its five-story headquarters at 197 E. Gay Street. Simultaneously, an application was filed to demolish the historic Holy Family School at 57 S. Grubb Street in Franklinton.
The proposed demolition at 640 S. Ohio Ave. cannot proceed to permitting until the applicant completes the required filing materials and the Columbus Historic Resources Commission evaluates the application.
How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
COA2601122 · Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness — 640 S OHIO AVE
Supporting evidence (5)
An application for a Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness has been filed for the demolition of the old boiler building at 640 S. Ohio Ave.
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COA2601122 · Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness — 640 S OHIO AVE 640 S Ohio Ave Demo of old boiler building Boiler building at the rear of the property is a hazard and needs to be demolished for safety.
Filing records list Gary Rhoades and St Dominic Church as the applicant.
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Applicant=Gary Rhoades; St Dominic Church
Application materials state that the boiler building at the rear of the property is a hazard and needs to be demolished for safety.
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640 S Ohio Ave Demo of old boiler building Boiler building at the rear of the property is a hazard and needs to be demolished for safety.
The application is currently listed as Incomplete by the city of Columbus.
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Status=Incomplete
City records classify the 640 S. Ohio Ave. application as a Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness filing.
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COA2601122 · Certificate of Approval/Appropriateness — 640 S OHIO AVE
https://www.oldoakscivic.org/faq
Supporting evidence (1)
In the Old Oaks neighborhood, exterior modifications require a certificate of appropriateness from the Columbus Historic Resources Commission.
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It is true that making alterations and or additions to the exterior of your home requires a certificate of appropriateness from the Columbus Historic Resources Commission. You can find more information about that process here. Guidelines for Old Oaks.
Preservation Fears Mount Over Historic St. John Church Amid Columbus Diocesan Demolitions
Supporting evidence (9)
Bishop Earl K. Fernandes formally merged the parish into neighboring Saint Dominic Church on Jan. 17, 2024, citing dwindling attendance and deferred maintenance costs across aging facilities.
Read supporting passage
Bishop Earl K. Fernandes formally merged the parish into neighboring St. Dominic Church on January 17, 2024, citing dwindling attendance and deferred maintenance costs across aging facilities.
The diocese held its final Mass in the building on May 12, 2024.
Read supporting passage
The diocese held its final Mass in the building on May 12, 2024
Fernandes subsequently issued a canonical decree that deconsecrated the church sanctuary on Jan. 21, 2026, stripping the consecrated space of its sacred status.
Read supporting passage
Fernandes formally deconsecrated the church on January 21, 2026, stripping the consecrated space of its sacred status and leaving its future wholly undefined.
Following the closure, advocacy group Columbus Landmarks added the complex to its Most Endangered Sites list.
Read supporting passage
Advocacy group Columbus Landmarks designated the complex as one of the city's Most Endangered Sites following its closure.
Previously, Pique Media reported on Sept. 30 that Preservation Fears Mount Over Historic St.
Read supporting passage
Preservation Fears Mount Over Historic St. John Church Amid Columbus Diocesan Demolitions
The High Gothic church building was designed by William P. Ginther and completed in 1899 with rock-faced vitrified brick.
Read supporting passage
Designed by ecclesiastical architect William P. Ginther and completed in 1899, the High Gothic church building was erected with rock-faced vitrified brick.
The property was followed in 1905 by a dedicated parish school designed by Columbus architect David Riebel.
Read supporting passage
followed in 1905 by a dedicated parish school designed by Columbus architect David Riebel.
In September 2026, the diocese filed plans seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish its five-story headquarters at 197 E. Gay Street.
Read supporting passage
In September 2026, the diocese filed plans with the Columbus Planning Division seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish its five-story administrative headquarters at 197 E. Gay St., a building constructed in 1908 that it has owned since the 1960s.
Simultaneously, an application was filed to demolish the historic Holy Family School at 57 S. Grubb Street in Franklinton.