History of The Good Haus Building

We don’t know who built or originally owned The Good Haus building, but we do know that it was built in 1888 and first used as a rectory by the Independent Protestant Church, which was established in 1843 by Swiss immigrants. It was a progressive church for its time, promoting women’s rights by giving them an equal voice in the church’s administration.

Then, in 1921, the Columbus Maennerchor bought and moved into the building. The Maennerchor (which is German for “men’s chorus”) is a German singing society founded in 1848. After nearly a century of use, the Maennerchor sold the building to Columbus City Schools in 2010, which put the future of the building into question.

In 2018, there was interest in demolishing the building and turning the lot into a condominium project. However, thanks to the campaigning of The German Village Society and The Columbus Landmarks Foundation to preserve the historic building, and the collective wisdom of the Brewery District Commission, the plans were halted. Nevertheless, the building was in a severe state of disrepair, thanks to weather damage and neglect for nearly a decade.

Thankfully, at the beginning of 2019, two anonymous philanthropists stepped forward to purchase the building, fund the renovations, and donate the property to the Jefferson Avenue Center to be used as a space for nonprofits. The Jefferson Avenue Center has been connecting nonprofits and historic buildings since 1975, working towards the joint goals of providing space to nonprofits at submarket rates while also preserving historic landmarks. To learn more about the Jefferson Avenue Center, visit jeffersonavenuecenter.org.