Decorative Arts Center of Ohio

About this museum

Tucked along Lancaster's historic Main Street, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio occupies one of the region's finest surviving examples of 19th - century Greek Revival architecture - a stately house that has been reimagined as a living gallery where craft, design, and community intersect. The building itself is part of the story: its columns, proportions, and period details provide an elegant backdrop for exhibitions that span furniture, ceramics, textiles, glass, and the broader world of applied arts. Unlike many museums where objects sit behind velvet ropes at a respectful distance, the DACO invites genuine engagement. Art classes are offered for all ages, meaning a visit here can be the beginning of a creative practice rather than simply a passive afternoon.The museum has earned a remarkable 4.9 out of 5 stars from 71 reviewers - a rating that speaks to the warmth and attentiveness of the staff as much as the quality of its rotating exhibitions. Visitors consistently note that the intimate scale of the house creates a sense of discovery rather than overwhelm; you move from room to room the way you might explore an especially well - appointed home, pausing wherever something catches the eye.The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio is more than a place to view beautiful objects. It is a reminder that the line between art and everyday life has always been a permeable one, and that the objects people choose to live with - the chair, the teapot, the woven rug - carry as much meaning as any painting on a gallery wall. In an era when mass production has flattened so much of material culture, that argument feels more urgent than ever.Admission is free, which makes the DACO one of the most accessible cultural destinations in central Ohio. The museum is located at 145 East Main Street in Lancaster and is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM, with weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 PM. The museum is closed on Mondays. More information, including details on current exhibitions and upcoming classes, is available at decartsohio.org.