User:Ɱ/Portal:Columbus, Ohio

Portal maintenance status: (October 2021)

This portal is manually maintained by Ɱ. Please contact these user(s) when you plan to make significant changes.
This portal has a single page layout. It is possible that any subpages may no longer be needed.

Please take care when editing, especially if using automated editing software, and seek consensus before making major changes. Learn how to update the maintenance information here.

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Introduction

Downtown Columbus and the Scioto Mile

Columbus (/kəˈlʌmbəs/, kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest (after Chicago), and the third-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas). Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2.139 million in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metro area in the U.S.

Columbus originated as numerous Native American settlements on the banks of the Scioto River. Franklinton, now a city neighborhood, was the first European settlement, laid out in 1797. The city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and laid out to become the state capital. The city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The city assumed the function of state capital in 1816 and county seat in 1824. Amid steady years of growth and industrialization, the city has experienced numerous floods and recessions. Beginning in the 1950s, Columbus began to experience significant growth; it became the largest city in Ohio in land and population by the early 1990s. Growth has continued in the 21st century, with redevelopment occurring in numerous city neighborhoods, including Downtown. (Full article...)

Selected general articles

Image 1
The community of Forest Park consists of almost 2900 private residential properties (single-family homes and duplexes), plus apartments, condominiums, commercial properties, city-owned parks and schools, in approximately 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of the Northland area of northeast Columbus, Ohio. These properties adjoin a total of 132 distinct streets and courts maintained by the City of Columbus. The community's approximate center is near the intersection of Karl Road and Sandalwood Place in Columbus. (Full article...)
Image 2

Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB or OSB) is a school located in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for blind and visually impaired students across Ohio. It was established in 1837, making it the nation's first public school for the visually impaired.
The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind building was constructed in 1874 in downtown Columbus on Parsons Ave. Later it became the headquarters for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and is now home to the Columbus Public Health offices. In the early 1900s, the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind became known as the Ohio State School for the Blind. In the mid-1950s the school moved to its current location at 5220 N. High St on the ground of a defaulted golf course. Over its history, the school has seen a vast change in its population and demographics, originally housing a majority of single disability student to now educating students with a variety of abilities.

In the basement of the school sits a vast collection of models that were constructed and purchased over time, of various monuments around the United States that blind students may not be able to see with their eyes but instead could examine with their hands. While the majority of the models were constructed of quality material, there are some that have been neglected and damaged over the years. And have such been repaired and sit in the lobby of the newly built building. (Full article...)
Image 3

Huntington Park is a baseball stadium located in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Columbus Clippers of the International League, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians since 2009.

Groundbreaking for the ballpark took place on August 2, 2007, with construction being completed in April 2009. Designed by 360 Architecture and developed by Nationwide Realty Investors, the 10,100-seat stadium is part of a $70 million project. The stadium is at the corner of Neil Avenue and Nationwide Boulevard in the Arena District of Columbus and replaced the Clippers' former home, Cooper Stadium.

In February 2006, the naming rights for the park were purchased by Huntington Bancshares Inc. for $12 million over 23 years. On April 18, 2009, the park opened to the public, with the Columbus Clippers playing the Toledo Mud Hens in the stadium's first game. (Full article...)
Image 4

Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connection provides services to both preserve and share Ohio's history, including its prehistory, and manages over 50 museums and sites across the state. An early iteration of the organization was founded by Brigadier General Roeliff Brinkerhoff in 1875. Over its history, the organization changed its name twice, with the first occurring in 1954 when the name was shortened to Ohio Historical Society. In 2014, it was changed again to Ohio History Connection, in what members believed was a more modern and welcoming representation of the organization's image. (Full article...)
Image 5
Zoombezi Bay (/zuːmˌbiːzi ˈbeɪ/) is a 22.7-acre (9.2 ha) water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium near Powell, Ohio just north of Columbus. The park sits on the site of the former Wyandot Lake Adventure Park, which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 2006. Zoombezi Bay opened to the public on May 26, 2008, and currently ranks as one of the Midwest's most popular water parks, attracting more than 400,000 visitors annually. (Full article...)
Image 6

Downtown Columbus from the southwest in 2015

Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inner Belt. Downtown is home to most of the tallest buildings in Columbus.

The state capitol, the Ohio Statehouse, is located in the center of downtown on Capitol Square. Downtown is also home to Columbus State Community College, Franklin University, Columbus College of Art and Design, Grant Medical Center, Capital University Law School, as well as the Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, the pioneering Main Street Bridge, and many parks.

Downtown has many neighborhoods or districts, but it can be separated into three main areas: the Discovery District, the High Street Corridor, and the Riverfront. Downtown also includes the Arena District, Capitol Square, and the Columbus Civic Center. The Short North, Italian Village, and Victorian Village are directly north of downtown. The Warehouse District, Olde Towne East and King-Lincoln Bronzeville are directly east, while the Brewery District and German Village are directly south of Downtown. Franklinton is to the west of downtown. (Full article...)
Image 7

Outdoor amphitheater during a Goo Goo Dolls concert

KEMBA Live! (originally the PromoWest Pavilion) is a multi-purpose concert venue located in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio. Opening in 2001, the venues operates year-round with indoor and outdoor facilities: the Indoor Music Hall and Outdoor Amphitheater. The venue was modeled after the House of Blues and described as the "Newport Music Hall on steroids". It features state-of-the-art lighting, acoustical systems and a reversible stage. In 2001, the venue was nominated for a Pollstar Awards for "Best New Major Concert Venue".

A sister venue, Stage AE is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and opened in December 2010. In 2018, Promowest Productions and its venues were acquired by American entertainment presenter AEG. In August 2021, PromoWest Productions and AEG opened another sister venue, MegaCorp Pavilion, in Newport, Kentucky (near Cincinnati, Ohio). (Full article...)
Image 8
The Columbus Division of Fire (CFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to Columbus, Ohio.

The department operates 35 stations; the newest station opened March 2020. The stations are divided into seven battalions. The Columbus Division of Fire oversees 35 engine companies, 16 ladder companies, 5 rescue companies, and 40 EMS transport vehicles as well as several special units and reserve apparatus. It is staffed by a minimum of 292 personnel during daytime hours (first 12 hours) and 331 during nighttime hours (second 12 hours). The department also oversees 39 medic companies. There are 1,592 uniformed and 70 civilian professionals serving the citizens of Columbus, Ohio.

The department is accredited by the Committee on Fire Accreditation International, granted in 2007. At the time, it was the second-largest fire department with the accreditation. (Full article...)
Image 9
The Columbus Civic Center features government buildings lining the Scioto Mile and River

The Columbus Civic Center is a civic center, a collection of government buildings, museums, and open park space in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The site is located along the Scioto Mile recreation area and historically was directly on the banks of the Scioto River.

The civic center includes Columbus City Hall, the Ohio Judicial Center, Central High School (now the COSI science museum), the Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse, and the former Central Police Station. It also included the Scioto River Bridge Group. Also sometimes included in the civic center are the LeVeque Tower and newer government office additions to the area, including the Front Street office buildings, the since-demolished Franklin County Veterans Memorial and Columbus Public Health office in Franklinton, as well as the newer Michael B. Coleman Government Center and current Columbus Division of Police Headquarters.

Following a local version of the City Beautiful movement, the Columbus Plan first envisioned a riverfront civic center in 1908. The Great Flood of 1913 destroyed many riverfront structures, allowing the opportunity to redevelop according to the 1908 plan. Columbus's most prominent architect, Frank Packard, spearheaded the project until his unexpected death in 1923. The Neoclassical, Renaissance Revival, and Art Deco buildings, bridges, and retaining wall were built from 1917 to 1934. In 1988, the area was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as the Columbus Civic Center Historic District. (Full article...)
Image 10

Homes along Franklin Park South

Franklin Park is a neighborhood located on the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. Both the historic neighborhood and landmark, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, are named after the 88-acre park. (Full article...)
Image 11

The park's central design, replicating A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Topiary Park is a 9.2-acre (3.7 ha) public park and garden in Columbus, Ohio's Discovery District. The park's topiary garden, officially the Topiary Garden at Old Deaf School Park, is designed to depict figures from Georges Seurat's 1884 painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. It is the only park based entirely on a painting.

The park is officially named Old Deaf School Park, as it was part of the campus of the Ohio Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, known today as the Ohio School for the Deaf. It is owned by the city of Columbus and maintained by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. (Full article...)
Image 12

The Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) is a convention center located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States, along the east side of North High Street.

The convention center was predominantly designed by Peter Eisenman, constructed in 1993, and expanded in 1999 and again in 2016. Venue management company ASM Global oversees day-to-day operations of the 1.8-million-square-foot (170,000 m²) facility, including 447,000 square feet (41,500 m²) of exhibit space, three ballrooms, and 75 meeting rooms. (Full article...)
Image 13
Georgian Heights is a neighborhood in West Columbus, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It neighbors Holly Hill. The two are bounded together by Sullivant Avenue on the north, Clime Road on the south, Georgesville Road on the west, and Demorest Road on the east. There is a 10.7 acre public park, Georgian Heights Park, in the center of the area. Georgian Heights has a youth travel football team called the Georgian Heights Packers. The neighborhood is generally lower-middle class. (Full article...)
Image 14

S. 3rd Street in German Village

German Village is a historic neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, just south of the city's downtown. It was settled in the early-to-mid-19th century by a large number of German immigrants, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the city's entire population. It became a city historic district in 1960 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, becoming the list's largest privately funded preservation district, and in 2007, was made a Preserve America Community by the federal government. In 1980, its boundaries increased, and today it is one of the world's premier historic restorations. (Full article...)
Image 15

Contributing property in the neighborhood and district

The Oakland & Northwood Avenue Area (sometimes referred to as Northwood Park) is located in the northern University District in Columbus, Ohio and is bounded by Patterson Avenue to the north and Northwood Avenue to the south & Pearl Alley to the west and Indianola Avenue to the east . It is sometimes considered to go as far north as Blake Ave.

The Northwood & Oakland Avenue Area was settled between the early 1900s and the 1940s, making it one of the first subdivisions to be built on the then "outskirts" of the City of Columbus. The homes are traditionally American Four Square with some Classical, Prairie, Colonial, and Craftsman mixed in to create a unique tree lined neighborhood.

The neighborhood is known for its strong sense of community, large homes, beautiful gardens and brick alleys. It also has a very high percentage of owner-occupancy. (Full article...)
Image 16
Front sign from when the park used to be called Jungle Jack's Landing.
Rides at Adventure Cove is a small amusement park area that is part of and owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio. The park was originally part of Wyandot Lake before the zoo purchased the property in 2006, splitting it into two separate sections after the 2006 season. The water park became known as Zoombezi Bay while the dry ride area became Jungle Jack's Landing. The amusement park was named after zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna and opened on May 26, 2008. It debuted with 14 rides and attractions, several of which were retained from the former Wyandot Lake. In 2020, the Jungle Jack's Landing name was dropped with the amusement park area being renamed to tie into the neighboring Adventure Cove area of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium which opened for the first time on the same year. (Full article...)
Image 17

West facade plaza and Peter Pan fountain

The Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) system is located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The public library is the largest in the library system and holds approximately 300,000 volumes. It includes numerous rooms, including separate spaces for children, teens, an adult reading room, newspaper room, auditorium, gallery, gift shop, and a cafe. The third floor includes a computer lab and houses the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.

The library building was proposed as early as 1901 when the public used a reading room in Columbus's city hall. In 1903, Andrew Carnegie largely funded its construction, making it a Carnegie library. The library was designed by Albert Randolph Ross in the Beaux-Arts style, using white Vermont marble. The building opened in 1907. It was first expanded in 1953 and 1961, followed by a 1991 addition and the demolition of the two prior structures; the process tripled the building's size. In 2015 and 2016, another renovation took place to increase reader space, add to its west lawn, join the building to Topiary Park at its east, and clad most of the 1991 building in glass. (Full article...)
Image 18
Patriot Preparatory Academy is a charter school in Columbus, Ohio. The building was utilized by Liberty Christian Academy/Liberty Preparatory Academy until they moved to a new facility in Pataskala, Ohio in 2010. (Full article...)
Image 19
The culture of Columbus, Ohio, is particularly known for museums, performing arts, sporting events, seasonal fairs and festivals, and architecture of various styles from Greek Revival to modern architecture. (Full article...)
Image 20

Interactive map highlighting the building's location

The Great Southern Hotel & Theatre is an historic hotel and theater building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building currently operates as the Westin Great Southern Columbus and the Southern Theatre.

It opened on September 21, 1896 and is the oldest surviving theater in Central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state of Ohio. The Southern Theatre is currently owned and operated as a home for live concerts, plays and opera by CAPA (the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts). CAPA also manages several other venues in Columbus including the Ohio, the Palace, and the Lincoln Theatres.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1982. It was also included in the South High Commercial Historic District, added to those registers in 1983 and 1987, respectively. (Full article...)
Image 21

Foundation office

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation, known as Columbus Landmarks, is a nonprofit historic preservation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The foundation is best-known for its list of endangered sites in the city and its annual design award, given to buildings, landscapes, and other sites created or renovated in Columbus. It was established in 1977 as a project of the Junior League of Columbus, Ohio, following the demolition of the city's historic Union Station. It is headquartered at 57 Jefferson Avenue, a contributing structure in the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in Downtown Columbus. (Full article...)
Image 22

Contributing bridge

The Old Beechwold Historic District is a neighborhood and historic district in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio. The site was listed on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1985 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The district is significant for its architecture, landscape architecture, and community planning. The houses are of the early 20th century, using stone, brick, and stucco.

The land was originally part of a large tract owned by a single family, but in 1902, 75 of those acres were sold to the Columbus Zoological Company. The company established one of the first zoos in Columbus, known as "The Zoo", that failed after only five months, opening in May and closing in November of 1905. In 1906, Joseph A. Jeffrey acquired the land, and created a suburban estate named "Beechwalde". He built the two oldest houses in the district. The former monkey house can still be seen on the property of 150 West Beechwold Boulevard where it is used as a barn. The zoo's original brick entrance can also be seen on North High Street at Beechwold Road. (Full article...)
Image 23

Exterior view in 2014

Value City Arena is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is currently the largest by seating capacity in the Big Ten Conference, with 19,049 seats, which is reduced to 18,809 for Ohio State men's and women’s basketball games.

It is home to Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball, women's basketball and men's ice hockey teams. Previously, the basketball teams played at St. John Arena, while the ice hockey team played at the OSU Ice Arena. The facility is named the Jerome Schottenstein Center in honor of Jerome Schottenstein, of Columbus, late founder of Schottenstein Stores Corp. and lead benefactor of the project, while the seating bowl is named for Schottenstein's store Value City Furniture. (Full article...)
Image 24

Ohio Village is a living history museum in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It is operated by the non-profit Ohio History Connection.

The village, intended to provide a firsthand view of life in Ohio during the American Civil War, opened July 27, 1974, on 15 acres (61,000 m²) adjacent to the Ohio History Center in north Columbus. Currently, the Ohio Village is themed toward life in the 1890s. The buildings that make up the village are all reproductions and currently include: John Hauck Foundation Welcome Center, Ohio Village Schoolhouse, Town Hall, The Telegraphic Advertiser, P. Wylie's Emporium, Mason Lodge, Muffin Meadow, American House Hotel and Tavern, Schmidt House, Church, Pavilion, H&P Women's Study Club, Ohio Bank, McKeen's Ready Made Clothing, J Holbrook Photographer, Pharmacy, Blacksmith, Barn, Taylor House, Barrymore Funeral Parlor, Spinner & Co Toy Shop, Barber Shop, Barrington Bicycles, Murphy's Lodging House, and the Burton House.

The Ohio Village is open to visitors Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend starting in 2012. Visitors enter through the Ohio History Center museum and can enjoy the Village as part of their visit. (Full article...)
Image 25
The Scioto Mile Promenade

Columbus, Ohio has numerous municipal parks, several regional parks (part of the Metro Parks system), and privately-owned parks. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department operates 370 parks, with a combined 13,500 acres (5,500 ha). (Full article...)