Take a nostalgic virtual tour of the old COSI

• The basement Coal Mine, the presidents, the Street of Yesteryear, even the original Wendy's across the street — it's all here in an old-school point-and-click adventure.
• The website also has a timeline of COSI history.

The intrigue: Local resident Eric Upp created the site in 2009 as an Ohio State graduate student. He's no coding pro, he tells Axios, but the project was a fun way to preserve some fond childhood memories at a time when online photos were scarce.

• He captured many of the images on COSI's last day, Sept. 5, 1999, when he was 15.

What he's saying: "I just hoped a few people would enjoy it," Upp says.

• He quickly heard from lots of nostalgic folks who contributed their memories, too.

The bottom line: "It was a special place," he says. "When I see the pictures, it still takes me back to being there. I can still picture it. It's nice that others have had that same reaction."

💭 Our thought bubble: The retro-HTML website isn't updated much these days and looks like a time capsule itself — which somehow makes it even more endearing.

Go deeper: Take a tour, or continue the conversation in the Old COSI Facebook group.

📬 Plus: If you're feeling nostalgic, email [email protected] about your favorite COSI memories, new or old.