COLUMBUS – The Ohio History Connection broke ground on May 6 for its newest historic site: the Poindexter Village African American Museum, 290 N. Champion Ave. on Columbus’ Near East Side.
The innovative new museum is expected to open in early 2028.
“The Poindexter Village African American Museum will connect the history of public housing, urban renewal and African American heritage through immersive exhibits, interactive displays and powerful storytelling,” said Megan Wood, Executive Director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection.
“This museum will be a place where all Ohioans can learn from the stories of resilience, creativity and community that have defined the Near East Side and the greater African American community for generations.”
The groundbreaking serves as the official announcement of the Ohio History Connection’s Lift Every Legacy Campaign, an ongoing fundraising effort for the museum project.
“Today has been a powerful reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together around a shared vision,” said Anthony Joseph, President and CAO of White Castle, a member of the Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees and an Honorary Chair for the Lift Every Legacy Campaign.
“Our campaign goal is $25.9 million. Thanks to the incredible generosity from the public and private sector, we’ve raised $14.5 million — that’s more than halfway to our goal. The momentum is tremendous, and this is another step toward the opening of the museum in 2028.”
The architectural firm designing the Poindexter Village African American Museum is Columbus-based Moody Nolan and the construction manager is Columbus-based Smoot Construction.
Historical background
Poindexter Village has a long and transformative history as part of Columbus’ Near East Side.
Poindexter Village was dedicated on Oct. 12, 1940, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of the nation’s first public-housing projects.
“Poindexter Village reflects a larger national story,” said Shelbi Toone, the Ohio History Connection’s Project Director for the Poindexter Village African American Museum. “As one of America’s first federally funded public-housing projects, it helps us understand how federal policy, race and urban planning intersected in the 20th century.
“Its story includes progress and promise, but also the challenges of disinvestment, segregation and urban renewal. Together, these themes will help visitors to the Poindexter Village African American Museum connect personal stories to broader social change.”
Named after the Rev. James Preston Poindexter, an influential late 19th-century Columbus community leader and activist, Baptist minister and co-founder of the nearby Union Grove Baptist Church, Poindexter Village provided community connections, opportunities and stability for generations of residents until the early 2000s.
It produced such talents as Aminah Robinson and many trailblazers, artists, doctors, lawyers and community leaders.
In 2014, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority received a federal HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Implementation Grant for $29.7 million over seven years to revitalize the Near East Side.
Thirty-three of the 35 original Poindexter Village had to be demolished, but the final two were saved via tireless advocacy by the James Preston Poindexter Foundation and a 2017 sale to the Ohio History Connection for preservation and development into a museum.
In the years following, the Ohio History Connection has secured funding and formulated plans, as well as created and strengthened ties to its partners: the James Preston Poindexter Foundation, the neighboring Union Grove Baptist Church, 266 N. Champion Ave., and various community organizations and local and state government stakeholders.
Funding for the project is derived from multiple sources, including the state of Ohio via biennial budget requests, Franklin County, the city of Columbus and foundations, corporations and individuals who believe in the museum’s vision.
When it opens in early 2028, the Poindexter Village African American Museum will connect the history of public housing, urban renewal and African American heritage through immersive exhibits, interactive displays and powerful storytelling.
The stories it presents will be shared through photographs, oral histories and interactive exhibits.
The museum also will have outdoor spaces that connect it to the surrounding neighborhood and to the historic Union Grove Baptist Church.
For more information and updates, go to ohiohistory.org/poindexter or follow the Poindexter Village African American Museum on Facebook and Instagram.