The Rickenbacker Woods Foundation is a public history organization based in Columbus, Ohio, operating at the intersection of preservation, education, and community development.

Our work begins with a simple premise: history is not neutral, and it is not self-executing. What people come to understand as “history” is shaped by what is made visible—what is built into the landscape, what is interpreted, and what is allowed to endure.

We focus on closing the gap between archival knowledge and public memory.

While much of history exists in documents—patents, records, and institutional archives—our work is to translate that knowledge into place. Through site-based projects, programming, and design, we create spaces where history can be encountered directly and understood as part of everyday life.

This includes the Rickenbacker-Woods National Historic Landmark campus, the Granville T. Woods Interpretive Park, and the restoration of a historic Columbus streetcar as a living teaching space.

Our work also centers youth as active participants in history. Through initiatives like COITWI, young people engage in research, design, and public activation—becoming co-authors of how their community’s story is told.

A key focus is ensuring that contributions such as those of Granville T. Woods are not only acknowledged, but materially represented in the public landscape—positioned where they cannot be overlooked.

Presented in academic settings, including the Ohio Academy of History, this work bridges scholarly research with community-based implementation.

At its core, Rickenbacker Woods is not only preserving history—it is shaping how history is experienced, understood, and remembered.

Rickenbacker Woods Foundation

Org chart

Teams

Offices