Why is there an orange sculpture in front of 1655 West Fifth Avenue? Explore beyond the sculpture and you will find the hidden magic inside the building that has housed the Ohio Craft Museum (OCM), belonging to the Ohio Designer Craftsmen, since 1993.

Built for $250,000 in 1966, the building originally was the home of the pension and other benefits programs for the local branch of the International Union of Operating Engineers. Its architect was a Vermont transplant, Arthur J. Dupré.

Illustration from 1965 Columbus Dispatch article on the planned building.

Born in Vermont, Dupré worked first for John A. Shattuck in Massachusetts as an apprentice draftsman (1926-1928), and then for the Vermont Marble Company in Vermont as a draftsman (1928-1930). In 1931, Dupré moved to Columbus and worked at the Wege Marble & Tile Company until 1932. Two years of unemployment followed (perhaps due to the Great Depression) until Dupré landed a job at Larcomb Construction Company before moving on to Todd Tibbals & Associates as an "architect in training." By 1940, Dupré and his family were living in a rented home on Oxley Road ($33 per month) in Grandview Heights.

In 1947, Dupré opened his own office as a registered architect. Dupre’s main architectural focus became medical buildings, although he also designed private homes and other commercial buildings. In addition to the OCM building, Dupre’s hand can be seen in residences in Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington (including the Berkshire Road development) and in the Mohican Youth Camp project in Ashland County. Dupré retired in 1975 and died in Columbus in 1992.

Photo of Architect Dupre' from 1947 Columbus Dispatch article announcing his new office opening.

The OCM building features Mid-Century Modern (MCM) architecture, with simple lines accented by concrete exterior tiles, tall glazed or opaque panels, and distinctive light features. Inside the entrance is an open stair with a sleek mid-century-modern railing. The large horizontal beam at the front, totally unadorned, spans the windows and creates symmetry and balance between the windows above it and the glass entryway below it.

The building provides a perfect backdrop for artist Susan Ewing’s Double Broken Window III sculpture. Eight feet wide and nine feet tall, the fabricated steel sculpture is part of the museum’s permanent collection. A member of the Miami University of Ohio faculty from 1981 to 2016, Ewing’s work can also been seen in numerous collections outside the United States, including the Victorian and Albert Museum in London.

The building next door to the museum at 1641 West Fifth Avenue was also erected and owned by the International Union of Operating Engineers (which is still one of the larger trade unions in the United States). Built in 1960, the 1-story red brick building had office facilities and meeting space for up to 500 people. Today, the building houses the furniture resale store, One More Time Etc.

Ohio Designer Craftsmen (ODC) was founded in 1963 by 60 craft artists and professors (many from The Ohio State University). The non-profit organization’s mission is to “engage and enrich the community through high-quality exhibitions, education programs, and support/promote the professional development of fine craft artists.” In addition to exhibit space and gift shop, the 9,000-square-foot OCM building houses a conference theater, members’ lounge, meeting rooms, kitchen, and offices. The space allows ODC to support/promote a wide variety of craft artists (working in glass, clay, fiber, wood, and metal). In addition, ODC engages and enriches the community through high-quality exhibitions and educational program.

The words of Hedy Landman, a juror describing the works in ODC’s 1966 Exhibition summarizes ODC’s contribution to the Columbus area:

“An exhibition such as this does not just happen. It is there because it fills a need. Our visual experiences are fragmented day by day; our impressions blurred by interfering conditions. We do not line up in our minds what we have seen, either for comparison or of or contemplation, or for enjoyment. An exhibition, by presenting a variety of objects side by side, does this for us. It fills in the range, completes the spectrum, and reveals the objects without interference from accidental circumstances. From the technically masterful and the perfectly controlled to the strongly experimental—in ceramics, in textiles and also in metal work and glass—these many objects speak with different voices, But all are related in time, in space, in intent Together they represent the creative effort of Ohio’s designer-craftsmen, an effort that deserves attention.”

From the building’s sleek, Mid-Century Modern architecture to the beautiful designer crafts inside, 1655 West Fifth Avenue is truly a treasure in our community.

Ohio Craft Museum

Crow Mural

Sells Mural