Surrounded by blocks of matching, modern apartments, two historic brick buildings on Champion Avenue stand as anchors to another era.

Why it matters: They're the last remnants of Poindexter Village, one of the country's first public housing projects and a cornerstone of the local Black community.

• They'll soon house the Poindexter Village African American Museum, preserving the structures and an important story of community and hope in King-Lincoln Bronzeville.

The latest: Progress remains on schedule for a May 6 museum groundbreaking, Ohio History Connection spokesperson Neil Thompson tells Axios.

Catch up quick: President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to town to dedicate the once-sprawling Poindexter Village federal housing project in 1940.

• It was named for the Rev. James Preston Poindexter, a prominent local abolitionist and longtime pastor of Second Baptist Church in King-Lincoln Bronzeville.
• The site once housed 35 buildings, but the area suffered from disinvestment.
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority demolished most beginning in 2013 and replaced them with contemporary housing.

Friction point: Preservationists wanted more buildings saved, but to manage costs, the authority ultimately settled on two connected by a courtyard.

Follow the money: The Ohio History Connection acquired the buildings in 2017 and began planning the $25.9 million museum with the James Preston Poindexter Foundation.

• Last year, they hired local architect Moody Nolan, the country's largest Black-owned firm, to design it.

Zoom in: Specifics will be revealed in May, but plans include a recreated 1940s apartment, interactive exhibits and community gathering spaces.

• The museum is also expected to connect to the adjacent Union Grove Baptist Church, which Poindexter helped organize in 1888.
• Ultimately, the goal is to "link the national history of public housing and Black heritage to Ohio," per a history connection statement.

What they're saying: "It really helped shape the city, and especially those neighborhoods on the Near East Side, after the 1940s," Thompson says.

• "It provided stability, it provided community — for the residents of that time and then for generations of residents thereafter."

What's next: The museum is expected to open in early 2028 as the Ohio History Connection's 59th historic site statewide.

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The namesake of Columbus' newest museum was an "exceptional leader" who built "a progressive legacy in Columbus," per a sign outside the building.

Catch up quick: The Rev. James Preston Poindexter was born in Richmond in 1819 and moved to Columbus in 1838.

• He's known for being a longtime Baptist pastor and Underground Railroad conductor, but his impressive resume doesn't stop there.

Zoom in: Poindexter was elected our city's first Black city council member in 1880 and first Black school board member in 1884.

• He advocated for integrated classrooms and equal opportunities for Black students and teachers many decades before systemic desegregation.

The intrigue: Also an entrepreneur who owned a barbershop across from the Statehouse, Poindexter was "a barber to all, from presidents to Pullman porters."

Later, he became a trustee for the state School for the Blind and for Wilberforce University, a historically Black university near Dayton.

• He was also a delegate to the 1876 Republican National Convention and a respected writer for the Ohio State Journal.

Poindexter lived to be 87. He died in 1907 and is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

• His last words, reportedly: "I have served God, my country and mankind to the best of my ability."

With the Supreme Court striking down many of President Trump's tariffs, the question in Ohio and around the country is who — if anyone — gets that money back.

Why it matters: Those tariffs likely made goods of all kinds more expensive as businesses passed higher costs onto everyday Americans.

• Trade Partnership Worldwide estimates $126 billion is at stake.

State of play: Friday's SCOTUS ruling could lead to a chaotic refund process — and it's unclear who gets to pocket that cash.

• In its ruling, the Supreme Court left that question to the Trump administration.

Zoom in: Ohio businesses paid an estimated $4.2 billion in tariffs from February to December 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

• The high court rejected tariffs imposed under IEEPA.
• Trump said Saturday he would hike global tariffs to 15% — the highest limit allowed under a separate trade law.

What they're saying: The ruling created a split along party lines.

• U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) posted on social media that the "outrageous ruling handcuffs our fight against unfair trade that has devastated American workers for decades."
• Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost to Moreno in 2024 and is running again this year, called for a "$1,336 refund for every Ohio household."

Reality check: Economists at TD Securities view the refund process as "highly unclear" and estimate it could take up to 18 months as cases make their way through the federal court system.

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❌ Columbus City Council passed a set of laws aimed at restricting ICE activity, including banning local detention centers and preventing city employees from moonlighting with immigration enforcement. (WOSU)

🏗️ Nationwide Arena's proposed $400 million renovation is further detailed in an application for state grant money via unclaimed funds. (Dispatch)

🔍 A Columbus deputy chief is being investigated for an alleged rules of conduct violation. Police did not provide further details. (WBNS-TV)

🤳 A Bexley man is a viral sensation after TikTok users dubbed him the "official dad" of the Olympics. (WCMH-TV)

Local boys Twenty One Pilots make their big screen debut today.

Driving the news: The band's "More Than We Ever Imagined" concert film premieres today.

• The first Central Ohio showing is at 6:21pm — get it?
• Catch it at a variety of theaters, with special 4K showings at the Gateway Film Center.

Context: The Columbus duo spent most of 2025 on tour and filmed their massive Mexico City performance for the movie.