About The Vault

History

The Vault sits at 35 E Gay St. which housed Columbia Building & Loans, a bank, in 1912. The tellers were positioned on the west wall and the actual vault was used as the safe. The vault walls and floors are all made of steel and if you look behind the door you will see the original lock used for the vault door. Ohio Bell took over the entire 5 story building around 1940. During this time, a 10 foot drop ceiling was added to the room hiding the chandelier and arching windows for almost 60 years. The State Auditor was the last to leave in 2002. After this, the ceiling was taken down to uncover the 100 year old chandelier. The tile floor was removed to find 4000 square feet of 100 year old marble flooring. The staircase was added to create the balcony space. Above the actual vault you will find original marble and the archway sitting at the entrance of the venue is 100 year old granite. The Vault is truly one of Columbus’ best kept secrets. Your guest will depart knowing they have experienced something very special.

About the Owner

Bentley Austin has been in the event and sound business for over 30 years. He first started with his own entertainment agency booking bands and other live acts. He has owned many venues including The Inner Circle and The Hartman on Main over the years and has been at The Vault for 16 years. He has now opened a new venue in Downtown Newark, Ohio. The Skylight was the original post office in Newark in the 1900’s and can hold up to 600 guests.