Before the riverfront building, before the massive exhibits, there was the original COSI inside Memorial Hall downtown.
For a lot of Columbus kids, that version of COSI still lives rent-free in their memory. Now, there’s a way to step back inside.
A delightfully old-school website called The Old COSI lets you explore the original museum through a point-and-click experience built from real photos. It feels less like a polished virtual tour and more like clicking through someone’s memories, in the best way.
A digital walk through old COSI
The site recreates the museum as it existed from 1964 to 1999, complete with some of its most iconic spots.
You can wander through the basement coal mine, revisit the presidents, explore the Street of Yesteryear, and even catch a glimpse of the original Wendy’s that once sat across the street. It’s simple, a little clunky, and surprisingly immersive.
There’s also a timeline that walks through the history of COSI, from its early days in Memorial Hall to its eventual move downtown.
Built to preserve a piece of Columbus history
The project was created by Columbus resident, Eric Upp back in 2009 while he was a student at The Ohio State University.
At the time, there weren’t many digital archives of the original COSI, so the site became a way to collect and preserve those memories. Some of the images even come from the museum’s final day in 1999.
Over time, it’s also become something of a shared memory bank, with other visitors contributing their own stories and experiences.
A time capsule in more ways than one
Part of what makes the site so charming is that it hasn’t really been updated to feel modern. The design looks like something straight out of the early internet, which somehow makes the whole experience feel even more authentic.
Clicking through it feels a little like opening an old computer file you forgot you had. The graphics are simple, the navigation is basic, and none of that really matters once you’re in it.
For anyone who grew up going to the original COSI, it’s an easy way to lose 20 minutes just clicking around and remembering what it felt like to be there. You can dive in by visiting oldcosi.com.
