In the early 1900’s, Driving Park was on of the chief recreational attractions in Columbus. It was an amusement center that housed an old grandstand and racing track. The park featured rides, buggy, bicycle and auto races, as well as airplanes that demonstrated dives, flips and turns. A “driving range” for golfing was also a favorite activity in this area. Celebrities performed and people came from all around to visit the amusement center at Driving Park.
During the 1920’s, single-family homes began to replace the racetrack and summer cottages in Driving Park. By 1922 the Driving Park community was divided into 522 city lots for housing.
Before becoming a World War I flying ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, who grew up on in this area, thrilled crowds with his skillful flying and auto racing.
Today Driving Park, with a population of approximately 6500 residents, is predominately a modest single-family residential neighborhood, with a mixture of duplexes and some pockets of high-density residential housing. Livingston Avenue, a major commercial corridor, serves this community through numerous types of businesses.
The Driving Park Area Commission, a major force in the community, played a major role in developing neighborhood codes and the city’s first Citizens on Patrol safety program. This commission has partnered with the Driving Park Civic Association and the Livingston Avenue Collaborative for Community Development in addressing key issues in the community.
“Community leadership and resident participation are key ingredients in making the Driving Park neighborhood a safe and thriving community.”
Livingston Park, located on the near Southside of Columbus, is a predominately residential neighborhood with some neighborhood commercial uses. This neighborhood is divided by Livingston Avenue, a major commercial corridor that serves Livingston Park residents through its numerous businesses. Anchoring the northwest part of this neighborhood is Children’s Hospital that employs over 3,000 people.
The Livingston Park Neighborhood Improvement Association (LPIA) is aggressively campaigning to improve the quality of life of neighborhood residents. LPIA’s goal is to increase housing and small business opportunities. It promotes building upon neighborhood assets, resources, skills, and abilities. This organization has been integral in developing block watches, summer youth employment, providing down payment and mortgage assistance to families residing in the neighborhood, and conducted annual clean-up and beautification programs.
One of the newest ventures of LPIA and several other area organizations is the restoration of The Rickenbacker House, home of WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. This project will combine a museum, other educational and recreational facilities.
“Since 1980, Livingston Park has worked in a concerted effort to improve the standard of living for its residents. We have worked to address the issues of safety and removal of blight in our neighborhood.”
The Old Oaks neighborhood, located on the near Southside of Columbus, is one of the city’s historic neighborhood districts and has held that status for over 15 years. Old Oaks has a significant collection of residential architecture from the 1890’s to 1920’s with examples of the Queen Anne, Prairie, and Colonial styles. This neighborhood has two historic homes that were part of the Underground Railroad.
Where trolley cars used to run, Old Oaks is served by COTA bus service and various business along the Livingston Avenue commercial corridor.
This area brilliantly reflects a rehabilitative comeback due to the steady influx of professional homebuyers taking advantage of properties that are readily available at reasonable purchase prices.
Children’s Hospital, a major employer of over 3,000 people is in close proximity of the Old Oaks neighborhood.
The Old Oaks Civic Association sponsors a computer lab, and works diligently in preserving the historic nature of this neighborhood.
“I enjoy living in the Old Oaks neighborhood because of its diversity of people and because of the historic character of the neighborhood. The people are a mixture of economic levels and races. The houses are a mixture of four main architectural styles from the turn of the century. The Old Oaks Civic Association continually works on improving the neighborhood through clean-up days, the block watch and other safety programs, education through our computer lab, and working cooperatively with other agencies, both public and private.
East Columbus, located in the northeast section of the city, was incorporated as a village in 1916 and was annexed to the City of Columbus in 1936. This neighborhood was once known as the Village of Rarig and is also known as Krumm Park named after the first mayor of this village: Clarence W. Krumm.
This community is comprised of a group of small post-World War II mixed working class and industrial warehouse housing. East Columbus features a population of approximately 4500 residents of diverse cultural backgrounds.
East Columbus was primarily a company town around the time of World War II. The hub of East Columbus was the Ralston Steel Car Manufacturing Co. that manufactured bomb casings for the war. This company was one of the largest and important industries in Central Ohio. The company spanned over 40 acres, four times larger than Statehouse Square in downtown Columbus.
In 1929, the opening of the Port Columbus Airport cemented this area’s close ties to transportation. The construction of the Defense Construction Supply Center, also in this neighborhood was the largest supply depot in the world.
The East Columbus Civic Association was formed over 50 years ago to address issues and empower residents within the community. The creation of a centralized community center was identified as a major component in empowering stakeholders to effectively implement activities in the neighborhood. In 1998, the East Columbus Community Center opened its doors to serve the community.
The center has impacted the neighborhood by strengthening existing groups, improving overall communication and providing an opportunity to implement numerous programs, projects and activities in the community.
“The commitment to reduce crime, support families and build a thriving neighborhood, the civic’ association’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the East Columbus/Krumm Park community for all who live work and worship in the neighborhood.”
This near north side neighborhood actually started out as two different communities during the first part of the century. A single street separated the two neighborhoods with separate mayors, post offices, and schools. In 1907, this area’s annexation to Columbus merged these two communities together to form the Milo-Grogan area of today.
The first people to settle the Linden area were Revolutionary War veterans. These soldiers were granted over 4,000 acres of land from President John Adams, enabling them to incorporate the area into a township. Over the next century, the area slowly grew and by 1901 had become Linden Heights Village. When the city of Columbus annexed it in 1921, Linden Heights, with a population of 30,000 was one of the finest suburbs in Central Ohio. It had very little industry and one of the few paved roads in the city of Columbus, Cleveland Avenue.
Major developments are taking place within the Linden community. Numerous projects located at the Four Corners of Cleveland and Eleventh Avenues are bring substantial economic growth to the neighborhood. An outstanding model for urban revitalization, the Four Corners area encompasses a number of projects. In October of 1999, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) just completed a flagship transit center in the Linden area. The Columbus Police Division will be relocating the Fifth (5th) Precinct to the Four Corners Area. With an expected groundbreaking in the fall, the Fifth Precinct, will compliment much of the other development in the area
One block north of the police station is the site where the central headquarters of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority will be constructed. This 42,000 square feet building will occupy a complete city block. In addition to the commercial, retail and residential development in the Linden community, the Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew constructed the first soccer specific stadium in the United States
Franklinton, one of the first villages in the Northwest Territory and the oldest community in Central Ohio, was founded at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers in 1797. This Westside community was originally laid out as a settlement consisting of nine streets.
During the War of 1812, Franklinton served as a rendezvous point for Federal Troops of the Northwest Territory.
During the last half of the 19th century, four railroads came into Franklinton and brought with them commercial and industrial growth. Franklinton became an industrial center specializing in railroad cars, and then later, horse drawn buggies.
Although Franklinton continued to grow as an industrial center, periodic flooding hampered it. Franklinton experienced its worst flood in 1913, covering the neighborhood with six to ten feet of water.
Franklinton, a non-contiguous section of the Columbus Empowerment Zone, was added to the Zone due to the Scioto Floodwall project, which will virtually ensure the neighborhood will never flood again.
Heavy investments have recently been made in the Franklinton community. The Center of Science of Industry (COSI) was recently completed in the old Central High School building and the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium and Mt. Carmel Hospital, a major employer, are also located in Franklinton. “We are extremely proud of the heritage of the Franklinton area. We have a great history that has laid the foundation for progress.” Our business and community leaders are working to bring economic prosperity to all of our residents. And now with the opening of the new COSI, the community is also excited about the new development that will be taking place in the future.
The University district is a unique part of Columbus by virtue of the diversity, density, and mobility of its population. It is both a major employment and activity center; second in size and importance only to the downtown area.
Approximately 100,100 people of varied educational, ethnic, and economic backgrounds live, work and study in this community. It is the home of the Ohio State University, three major research institutions and some of Central Ohio’s most important industries.
This area did not experience much growth until the opening of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1870, later to become Ohio State University. In the 1890’s when the University’s population began to grow, extensive residential development took place east of High Street. Churches, shops and schools were built. Much of the population was in some way associated with the University faculty and staff. The owners of University area businesses also lived in the area. After World War II, larger homes were converted into multiple family dwellings to accommodate the many students at the university.
This neighborhood sits along High Street, one of the major commercial corridors in the City. The University area is in close proximity to downtown and the various shops, restaurants, and other social activities Columbus has to offer.
Many revitalization projects are underway in this area. The University Gateway Project will bring substantial economic growth to the university as well as the surrounding neighborhood.
“The partnership between Ohio State University and the City of Columbus is very promising because it ensures that substantial revitalization will take place in this neighborhood.”
The original town of Columbus was laid out in 1812 and occupied the area west of Parsons Avenue to the Scioto River. The Near East area is approximately 2.5 square miles in size and is located directly east of the original city.
At the end of the Civil War, large numbers of people came to the city. The major modes of transportation were foot, and horse and buggy. Carriage houses and stables built during this time still exist in areas of the Near East Side. The single most important innovation of the late 19th century was the public transit streetcar system. Powered by horses and later by electricity, the streetcar permitted people to live considerably farther from their workplaces in the central city.
Much of this area was farmland until the change to subdivision began in the 1870’s. By the end of WWI, the community housed a diverse group of residents. During the 1920’s this area saw the rise of a commercial, social, and political base within the community. The area near Hamilton Park and Long Street developed in to a wealthy African-American neighborhood complete with shops, theaters, offices, restaurants, along with jazz clubs and lounges.
The Near East area also boasts some of the most beautiful historic houses in Columbus. The neighborhoods surrounding Franklin Park showcase extravagant homes dating back to the 19th century. These residential structures were expressions of a diverse architectural style.
The Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center, The Columbus Urban League, Franklin Park, and Mt. Vernon Plaza are all located in the Near East Area.
Past and present economic revitalization projects such as Elijah Pierce Estates, and the Lincoln Theater are beneficial to the development of the Near East Area.
“We are concerned with economic and housing development within the Near East Area. We place a high priority on providing local jobs, local investment opportunities with a concentration on solid in-fill housing and rehabilitation programs. Near East Area residents are committed drawing new residents to this community and keeping them here.”
Italian Village is an historic district located south of the University area. Italian Village was one of Columbus’ first suburbs annexed to the city of Columbus in 1862. It is a diverse community with a demographic make-up that is inclusive of residents from varied ethnic and cultural influences. This near north side neighborhood is a densely populated, with approximately 480 households. There are many examples of nineteenth century Italian architecture, which is why the area has been a Historic District since the early 1970’s.
The Italian Village is one of eighteen historical districts in Columbus that is overseen by an architectural review commission. Designated as one of Columbus’ first suburbs, Italian Village is rich in venecular and high style design.
At one time this area went through a decline, then in the 1980’s a period of revitalization began. This was associated with the availability of low-interest city housing loans, federal income tax credits to historical districts, renewed public interest in historic neighborhoods, its proximity to downtown Columbus and Ohio State University, and the growth of unique and artistic commercial establishments.
The Italian Village Society was created by a small group of property owners as a non-profit organization in 1973. The Society has sponsored numerous festivals, and public functions. The Italian Village Society’s mission is to guide development, and support activities that encourage reinvestment.
Recently, the neighborhood organized the Italian Village Community Garden Project. The purpose of this project was to transform an empty lot into an aesthetically pleasing flower and vegetable garden that can be used by the residents of Italian Village.
“I have lived in this community for 12 years, and the community garden is a very positive addition to this neighborhood. The influence this garden has on our neighbors is tremendous. People are coming together and utilizing this area to make Italian Village a nice place to live”.
A century ago, this north central section of the city was comprised of large parcels of undeveloped land owned by families and individuals. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the presence of industry along the rail lines was prominent, and perhaps contributed to the patterns of development that followed over the next sixty years. This community developed seemingly in close proximity with the presence of the railroad.
During the last two decades of the 19th century, the industry and commercial domination of this area impacted the residential development as well. From the mid-1880’s to the mid-1890’s, housing was developed in relative close proximity to either the rail lines or the industry. From 1886 to 1984, seventeen subdivisions emerged in the North Central Area.
The North Central Area contains an important and rich piece of Columbus’ history. It is the home of Ohio Dominican College, the third oldest institution of higher learning in the city.
The area also had a part of the route used by runaway slaves seeking freedom. Structures along Sunbury and Mock roads were used as a part of the Underground Railroad.
“The development of progressive businesses is key to developing a tax base plus more economic growth in the North Central Area.”
- Donald Winbush, Resident, North Central Area