McFerson Commons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids McFerson Commons |
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| Location | 218 West Street, Columbus, Ohio |
| Area | 2.21 acres (0.89 ha) |
| Administered by | Columbus Recreation and Parks Department |
| Parking | Meters, surface lots, garages |
| Public transit access |  Add→ 3, 8, 71, 72, 73 CoGo |
McFerson Commons is a cool park in Columbus, Ohio. It's about 2.2 acres big, which is like two football fields! The most special thing about the park is a giant arch. This arch used to be part of an old train station called Union Station. You can find McFerson Commons in Columbus's Arena District neighborhood.
Park History and Features
This park was built by Nationwide Insurance. Before it was a park, a big old prison called the Ohio Penitentiary stood here. The prison was there for many years, from 1834 to 1998.
McFerson Commons is right next to Nationwide Arena and North Bank Park. The park has a large open grassy area. People use this space for family sports and different events. The park is named after Dimon R. McGerson. He used to be a very important leader at Nationwide Insurance.
Fun Events at the Park
McFerson Commons is a busy place! Lots of fun events happen here, like:
- Kickball games for the Arena District League, usually on weekday evenings in August.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets Winter Park, which is a real ice rink. It opens for about a month each winter.
- The start of the Pelotonia annual biking event.
- A great spot to watch the Red, White & Boom! fireworks display.
- Different running races, like the PetPromise Rescue Run and the Columbus Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K.
- Flag football games.
- Even weddings!
The Famous Union Station Arch
Sometimes, people call this park "Arch Park" because of its main feature: a beautiful old arch. This arch is from Columbus's Union Station. A famous architect named Daniel Burnham designed the station in 1893.
Sadly, most of Union Station was torn down in 1979. This happened to make space for the Greater Columbus Convention Center. But luckily, this one arch was saved! It was carefully moved to McFerson Commons, and now it's the only part of the old station that remains.
The arch was originally one of two large archways. These arches were part of a long row of columns that led into the train station. The arch you see today was the northern one. The other arch was taken down in 1928. The arch has a rounded shape with four tall, fancy columns next to it. You can also see cool carvings of angels and eagles on it.
