This exquisite Italianate townhouse was built for James A. Rankin (1806-1880), a Scottish immigrant who found success as a planter by enslaving at least 30 men, women, and children. He was also the owner of the Rankin Hotel in Columbus. Construction commenced before the Civil War but wasn’t completed until after the end of the conflict. Lawrence Wimberley Wall was the architect. An 1898 newspaper article proclaimed the Rankin House the finest in Columbus and valued it at $18,500, a fortune at the time.

It is now home to a museum and the Historic Columbus Foundation. Restoration was done by local architect Edward W. Neal.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places