From 1834 to 1998 the Ohio Penitentiary filled this ground; now the 2.2-acre McFerson Commons opens its lawn in Columbus's Arena District. Once known as Arena Park, this green pocket was created around 1999 after the demolition of the Ohio Penitentiary, which occupied the site and surrounding area from 1834 to 1998. The focal point here is the Union Station arch, salvaged before the demolition of Columbus’s Union Station and installed in this location in 1999.
The park was developed by Nationwide Insurance as a recreation area for residents of the surrounding Arena District and was renamed for Dimon R. McFerson in September 2000. Stroll the open lawn and you’ll find it alive with family sports and gatherings; the Commons now hosts annual events, Arena District Kickball League games on weekday evenings beginning in August, and even the Columbus Blue Jackets Winter Park, an NHL-sized ice rink. Nationwide Arena and North Bank Park sit as neighbors, framing this everyday urban commons.
You can feel how a space once occupied by a penitentiary has become a place for play, events, and quiet afternoons. Notice the salvaged Union Station arch anchoring the lawn, with Nationwide Arena and North Bank Park close by.