the space, it fell vacant for a long period. In 1952, it became the Arts and Crafts Center of the Columbus Recreation Department. On September 29 of that year, it held its first classes for the community arts and crafts programs. The arts center moved to the new Cultural Arts Center in Downtown Columbus in 1978. In 1980, an architect and restaurateurs attempted to purchase the building and renovate it to house "Fat Tuesday", a New Orleans or Bourbon Street-style French bistro. In 1985, developer John Ogden purchased the building. Ogden initially planned to convert the building to house a restaurant and other businesses. He received opposition from the Olde Towne East Association and Near East Area Commission, which viewed a lack of parking to support a restaurant on-site. Ogden's plans were then turned down by the Columbus Development Commission. In 1986, Ogden reached a compromise with the community groups, with an agreement not to create a restaurant, and instead have office or retail space on the first floor and apartments on the second. Ogden eventually decided on making the building an event venue, cultural workshop space, and concert space. In 1987, John and Becky Ogden renovated the building into the Columbus Music Hall, which hosted jazz musicians for two decades. Livingston Taylor hosted the opening performance on October 9, 1988. Visitors to the music hall over its history included Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Tom Russell, Jefferson Airplane guitarist-turned-bluesman Jorma Kaukonen, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and the group Dry Branch Fire Squad. It closed in 2008, with a "Farewell to the Firehouse" concert taking place on April 30 that year and a final performance on May 2, 2008. The owner had ran out of funds, and cited a lack of substantial income from performances, the building's lack of a full-size kitchen, and its lack of ADA-compliant features barring it from receiving grants. The building then became vacant again until its purchase by developers in 2017. The development company performed another renovation, including modernizing the space and making repairs to the building's original wooden firehouse doors. A restaurant, Gemüt Biergarten, opened in the building on August 23, 2019. Gemüt Biergarten was positively reviewed by the Columbus Dispatch that year. It praised the food as "impressive", its house-brewed beers, and the "1890s-vintage, refurbished firehouse" with a "convivial beer garden". Though the reviewer had qualms with the counter ordering style and simple food trays,