Columbus' German Village is an important neighborhood for Dayton, as the preservation work there was the inspiration & model for the first moves to preserve the Oregon District in the 1960s...the Oregon may never have happened as a preservation "save" if not for the example of the German Village.

 

Oddly enough having been to Columbus a number of times I never explored the German Villiage, except for a visit to Schiller Park for a gay pride day event, stopping by the Book Loft and Max and Ermas.   

 

And the "German" part got me interested too, especially the discussion here about some surviving German buisnesses there.

 

So I went to explore the place earlier this year.

 

It was different, and interesting as an example of how Columbus grew in somewhat different way than Dayton. 

 

First off there is the original plat of Columbus with the first plats in German Village:

 

 

...which is an interesting pattern of development, in that Columbus has this system of wide primary streets, but then a subsidiary grid of narrow secondary streets or alleys.  Though these would be alleys (usually) in Dayton they seem to have become residential streets in Columbus.  Though lost downtown this is really visible in German Village.

 

 

Another early map of Columbus showing the extensions of German Village

 

 

And Columbus in 1875, showing the fine mesh of the street grid, and an expanded German Village

 

 

East-west cross street in German Village

 

 

One of the secondary streets, showing the intense level of devleopment of zero-lot-line houses.  Is this an alley or a street..its between the two.  Imagine this level of density continuing right into downtown Columbus before the construction of the freeways and urban renewal. 

 

 

 

 

Columbus version of a double

 

 

Very dense single family and doubles residential development...zero lot line development and very little open space between houses.

 

 

 

...next step, the rowhouse.  I guess in Cincinnait the next step would have been to "go up" via those tenements we see in OTR.

 

 

Further out in German Village, there still is residential development in these narrow brick alleys or backstreets. I really like the paving in these alleys, where the brickwork is laid to form a mid-street drain.

 

 

 

On the "primary streets", the development is not quite as dense.  I noticed that Columbus houses in this area seem to use those hip roofs a lot.

 

 

 

Looking down a cross-street again.  Check out the brick house on the corner..it is sort of repeated down the block.  Also sort of a half-hip roof on it.

 

 

And a surviving German buisness...this is a sausage factory and restaurant.   Sort of suprising to see Columbus having something like this, survining into our own day, when Cincy is supposed to be the big German center.  It turns out Columbus was one of the few cities to have a local brewery until the 1970s...Gambrinus beer.   

 

 

This place had some good sausages and also potato pancakes and saurkraut as well as their own house beer.  They have a very good cream puff type of pastry which is quite good and apparently no skimping on the ingredients.

 

There is also a German pastry/bakery shop called Juergens in this neighborhood, but I havn't stopped there yet.

 

A final note is that one of the great things about German Village for visitors is that the neighborhood association has a little vistors center and display area, and a video you can watch orienting you to the neighborhood.  Its staffed by locals who can tell you about the history of the place and so forth.  Something they should do here in Dayton, maybe.  Or maybe something Cincinnati can do for Over The Rhine, perhaps in the Findlay Market area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting thread, Jeff. I visited German Village for the first time at the forum meet in early summer, and your info adds to how I understand it.

Very informative!

Oooh...he travels through Clark and Madison!

There is also a German pastry/bakery shop called Juergens in this neighborhood, but I havn't stopped there yet.

 

I've only been to Juergens once before, but it was pretty good.  It's actually a restaurant with a Konditerei attached.  The woman who was working the pastry shop when I went (not sure if she was the owner) was very friendly... und auch Deutsche!

Schmidts is awesome. I love that place. You have to get one of their cream puffs. It took me two days to eat mine.

Nice post of a neat area!

 

"Schmidts is awesome. I love that place. You have to get one of their cream puffs. It took me two days to eat mine."

 

Amateur.

There is also a German pastry/bakery shop called Juergens in this neighborhood, but I havn't stopped there yet.

 

I've only been to Juergens once before, but it was pretty good.  It's actually a restaurant with a Konditerei attached.  The woman who was working the pastry shop when I went (not sure if she was the owner) was very friendly... und auch Deutsche!

 

I thought she was Hungarian.  Then again, I haven't been to Juergens in 5 or 6 years.

There's a small lunchtime restaurant here in Wooster that serves Schmidt's sausages.

There is also a German pastry/bakery shop called Juergens in this neighborhood, but I havn't stopped there yet.

 

I've only been to Juergens once before, but it was pretty good.  It's actually a restaurant with a Konditerei attached.  The woman who was working the pastry shop when I went (not sure if she was the owner) was very friendly... und auch Deutsche!

 

You probably spoke with Rosemary (the owner).  She's almost too nice.  I bought a box of treats for a family gathering from there and their credit card machine was broken (I didn't have cash), so she gave it to me on an IOU basis.  I went back the next day and paid of course.

 

Try the "bee stings"!  Delicious!

Other places to check out in GV...

 

Katzinger's or Brown Bag Deli - Both delis are really solid.  Katzinger's uses top quality ingredients and thier prices show it.  Brown bag has some great sandwiches and is next door to Schiller Park.

 

Banana Bean Cafe - A really small new restaurant from a pupil of Emeril.  I think he worked at Emeril's in New Orleans before Katrina.  It serves some nice "Floribbean" cuisine.  The Banana's Foster French Toast served at sunday brunch is phenomenal!

 

Metroscap - A nice new art shop that opened near Katzinger's.  They've got some great black and white shots of Columbus, although they're a bit pricey. http://www.metroscap.com/

There is also a German pastry/bakery shop called Juergens in this neighborhood, but I havn't stopped there yet.

 

I've only been to Juergens once before, but it was pretty good.  It's actually a restaurant with a Konditerei attached.  The woman who was working the pastry shop when I went (not sure if she was the owner) was very friendly... und auch Deutsche!

 

I thought she was Hungarian.  Then again, I haven't been to Juergens in 5 or 6 years.

 

It's been a looong time--like, uumm, 25 years--since I've been to Juergens, but it's gratifying to know it's still there. It sounds like the same owners are still around. I remember a young German couple (obviously not so young anymore--like moi) by way of Montreal, and yes, I believe her name was Rosemary--very thin with dark hair and very outgoing; and her husband was the baker, kind of taciturn and relegated to the basement or wherever the baking was done. I recall a particularly good Black Forest Cake--as one should expect from a German bakery (!). I also remember their two young daughters--obviously well into adulthood by now--hanging out there doing homework after school. In addition, there was an elderly waitress--a short, kind of gruff Danish woman, but very motherly at the same time. I seriously doubt she's still there...oh, and half the time I went in there was a table full of young political aides from the Statehouse drinking kaffee and generally "strategizing." Little wonder our legislatures seem to get so little done. I do miss Juergens.

If you guys are ever in German Village check out the Book Loft. It's 32 little rooms full of books. They have pretty much everything, too. The building is like a damn maze . I have a hard time understanding how it functioned as a house at one time.

If you guys are ever in German Village check out the Book Loft. It's 32 little rooms full of books. They have pretty much everything, too. The building is like a damn maze . I have a hard time understanding how it functioned as a house at one time.

 

the walls were changed

das boot.

 

 

One of my favorite neighborhoods.

I went downtown last night and ended up at the Loft in German Village.  It was my first time really just wandering around the neighborhood.  It was really cool.  Oh and the Loft is amazing too!  I've never seen anything like it.  The guy that worked there though was rather amazed that I said it was a labarynth and not a maze.  He said he it was refreshing to hear it be called something else for a change.  :o)  I'll post my pictures as soon as I can get my Mac access to the internet.  :o)