Built for wealthy silk importer Philip Snowden in about 1850, this house is considered to be the most beautiful example of Italianate architecture. Snowden lost his fortune soon after moving in, and by the Civil War, the house served as the governor’s mansion for David Tod and his large family.
By the late 1860s, the mansion was owned by the Grays, including Mrs. Gray who was considered to be the most beautiful woman in Columbus. While Italian Villa houses generally have a separate tower to guard the house and vineyards, Mrs. Gray used her tower for other means. When she invited guests over from neighboring streets and mansions, she observed the ladies’ fashions from the “tower” and had time to change clothes before guests arrived if they wore a gown rivaling hers. Her grandsons also used the tower for mischievous purposes. In winter, they would gather snow on the streets, run up the steps, throw open the windows, and fire snowballs at all the men wearing top hats.
In time, the mansion served as the Women’s Club of Columbus, and later a rooming house, before passing into the hands of the Kappa Kappa Gamma, a national sorority. Kappa Kappa Gamma relocated their office to Dublin in 2018.
530 E Town St, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Franklin County
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This site is produced and managed by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and supported by the Ohio Arts Council and public art collections across the state. Contributors to the databases to date include collections held by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, City of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin Arts Council, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Department, City of Kettering, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Licking County Foundation, Ohio Arts Council’s Percent for Art program, Short North Arts District and the City of Sandusky. The database was funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Research and development support is provided by Designing Local, OSA Technology Partners and Columbus artist Stephanie Rond. The Columbus Makes Art campaign is a citywide, collaborative marketing effort designed to highlight the incredible talent of central Ohio artists. The Greater Columbus Arts Council is supported by the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council.
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