10 hours ago, Pablo said:

Roughly the same view in the 1950s vs. last year. In the earlier photo, Dennison Ave runs south to Spring by the pen. This was reconfigured when the Goodale Expressway was constructed. There’s a pond in Goodale Park along Dennison and Flytown is intact. Most of the railroad infrastructure has been replaced by 670. The Arena District was basically the prison and industry back in the 50s. In my mind, some of the change is definitely good. It seems car infrastructure today takes up about as much space as the railroad did (at least in this view). 
 

 

 

Definitely one of the better before-and-afters you could come up with for downtown... most of the others would be rather disheartening 

 

It'd really be nice to get some development on that big remaining CSX parcel. Also the triangle, but the huge area bounded by Neil, Vine, 670, and the tracks is much more readily accessible and developable. If we could slow down traffic earlier coming off 315-S you could even shrink up the Vine St footprint some and make it less hostile to pedestrians and bikes

 

Also the AEP substation, I wonder if we will ever see an effort to relocate that. I'm not an expert on the feasibility but if possible it would really help the area 

 

Edited November 22, 20231 yr by NW24HX

12 hours ago, NW24HX said:

 

Definitely one of the better before-and-afters you could come up with for downtown... most of the others would be rather disheartening 

 

It'd really be nice to get some development on that big remaining CSX parcel. Also the triangle, but the huge area bounded by Neil, Vine, 670, and the tracks is much more readily accessible and developable. If we could slow down traffic earlier coming off 315-S you could even shrink up the Vine St footprint some and make it less hostile to pedestrians and bikes

 

Also the AEP substation, I wonder if we will ever see an effort to relocate that. I'm not an expert on the feasibility but if possible it would really help the area 

 

I don't see the substation moving. It could be screened better, or enclosed like the one on Gay St. at Lazelle. Plenty of parking lots to infill in the current view. The old railroad site along Vine is not really accessible without a major concession by ODOT. The ramp coming off of 315 to Vine needs to be reconfigured and a signal added west of Neil to create a full service intersection into that site. There really needs to be forward thinking from ODOT to make that happen so I'm not really holding my breath...

8 hours ago, Pablo said:

The old railroad site along Vine is not really accessible without a major concession by ODOT. The ramp coming off of 315 to Vine needs to be reconfigured and a signal added west of Neil to create a full service intersection into that site. There really needs to be forward thinking from ODOT to make that happen so I'm not really holding my breath...

 

Not that it ultimately affects the likelihood much either way, but isn't the city responsible for 315 within its limits, not ODOT? After all, the recent North Broadway reconfiguration (including removal of the so-called 'pinball' ramp) was a city of Columbus project

 

I'm sure ODOT would have opinions, especially as this area is much more entangled with 670, but I'd think the city could still be the change driver here if they really wanted to

 

Like anything, it probably comes down to whether or not someone with money gets involved to push for it to happen. So far, the likely players (namely Nationwide) haven't found it worthwhile as there's still lower-hanging fruit nearby. But as the AD and Astor Park get built out I have to think it makes the CSX parcel more favorable for development

 

The issues with the Savco triangle, with railroads on every side, are comparatively much more difficult to address

I don't think ODOT loses control of funding within city limits. Probably 15 years ago ODOT came along and took all of Ashville's traffic lights away except one because the traffic volume was too low to justify the lights. All of them were on state routes. They also made them raise the speed limits on the state routes except for in the CBD (a two block section in each direction. In town they went from 25 to 35 outside the CBD and from 35 to 55 in the non-built-up areas. So ODOT maintains a lot of control inside city limits but does take into account city feedback. People in Ashville are still mad at ODOT after all these years but standards are standards and in this case at least Ashville was a real slog to get through and accidents/injuries didn't go up because the volume is so incredibly low. When volume is low you really can get away with a lot less traffic control.

1948 rendering of the proposed Spring Sandusky interchange. There used to be a golf course where 10TV and the post office are today. You can see the Crew smoke stack in operation spewing black smoke…
 

From the same batch I imagine: 1948 rendering of the Sandusky freeway (315) looking north. The 2nd bridge from the bottom is Mound St. The bridge in the bottom of the image, if built, would have taken a freeway further south of downtown maybe aligned with Whittier? Instead, 70/71 took the Mound St. bridge route. 
 

1926 photo by Dayton photographer William Preston Mayfield of the nearly completed Leveque tower. It’s amazing how dense Columbus used to be. In this photo it looks like City Hall construction is underway. Also, the lovely art deco building at the SW corner of Gay and Third is under construction. 
 

Mid 1980s showing the Huntington tower under construction. The Riffe building eventually blocked this view of the Huntington. Note that High St is six lanes wide!! It was narrowed to 5 lanes in the late 80s. 
 

Mid 80’s view of foundation excavation of the Huntington Center tower. The original Huntington building now being sold is on the right. 
 

And that next door dirt lot would be the Vern Riffe State Office Tower 3 years later.  Not to mention the Doubletree soon-to-be constructed on the west dirt lot.  Busy time period...that I miss.

Was looking through some older pictures and found this one that I remember my dad had on the wall in his office growing up. I was always fascinated with it when I got a chance to be in his office.

 

 

It may seem like we are crawling along sometimes but 30 years really makes a difference. 

^Here’s a similar photo without the glare. It’s a Dispatch photo from the summer of 1986. 
 

4 hours ago, Pablo said:

^Here’s a similar photo without the glare. It’s a Dispatch photo from the summer of 1986. 
 

Do you know what the building is on the triangle lot where the symphony building will hopefully be built?

Crap, I used to know. Some manufacturer. It really wasn't that long ago that the building came down. Late '90s?

On 2/10/2024 at 4:23 PM, cbussoccer said:

Do you know what the building is on the triangle lot where the symphony building will hopefully be built?

It was the Columbus Department of Health. When the Dept. moved to Parsons and Main the building was demolished. 

Hmmm, I wonder if I ever went inside as a kid then. Too long ago I guess. We moved out of Franklin County in 1991.

1938 - West Broad looking west from the Scioto River. The building with the billboard is the lawn of the veterans museum today. You can just make out the railroad station building at Starling and Broad. 
 

Broad and High, 1984. The NW corner was still a parking lot, High St was 6 lanes and Broad 8 lanes! Do we even have that level of pedestrian traffic today?

 

Marlboro in your face!

5 hours ago, GCrites said:

Marlboro in your face!

This is from 1949, on W Broad looking east towards High St. The Camel billboard is blowing smoke rings. 
 

1979 Hyatt construction. The bright white, small building beneath the I-670 bridge is the sad Amtrak station. 

 

Sad Sack Amshack

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EthtTzGy63sZCwWu/?mibextid=WC7FNe

 

I can't figure out how to post pictures from a Facebook page

Edited April 10, 20241 yr by CbusG

Who had the money to buy up the entirety of Market-Mohawk to bulldoze it for parking anyway?

16 hours ago, CbusG said:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EthtTzGy63sZCwWu/?mibextid=WC7FNe

 

I can't figure out how to post pictures from a Facebook page

Thanks

1982, back side of the Ohio Theater. That’s E Town St along the left before City Center Mall cut it off. The Centrum ice rink is on the far left. The Capital Square office and hotel construction is underway at the bottom right. 
 

I don't remember going to Halle's even though we went to Lazarus often.

15 hours ago, GCrites said:

I don't remember going to Halle's even though we went to Lazarus often.

Neither do I - I guess we were a Lazarus family. 

Looking south in 1980 - the Centrum ice rink is circled. It’s amazing how much of our downtown was lost to create parking. A lot has been rebuilt but huge scars still remain. 

 

And yet THAT is more architecturally impressive than Highpoint.

I remember thinking it was cool to have that when I was a kid. Never used it though. 

17 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

And yet THAT is more architecturally impressive than Highpoint.

How dare you question our benevolent overlord Les Wexner! CDDC, guided by Wexner and his favorite starchitect Robert Stern determined the best look for a rust belt city was a romanticized early industrial revolution New England woolen mill. Never mind that none of the previous sentence applies to Columbus - plebs like us cannot comprehend the genius behind Highpoint. I fear for the day when Wexner can no longer guide us and we are left to wander the wilderness alone.

Ohio History Center under construction in 1969.

 

^Before the cantilevers had to hold the weight of the third floor...

Parsons Ave in the mid 1950s. This is looking south towards the intersection of Marion at the traffic light. Looks like a bustling commercial corridor serving the community. 
 

^There are building remnants...but still a big change to today.

Central Market in the early 1950s judging by the cars. The view is looking north on S. 4th St. at Rich. The bus station replaced this. If you look above the Central Market sign on Rich you can see the spire of the Central Presbyterian church that is being renovated into an event space. 
 

 

this was an electric sign opposite the third union station on high street —

 

 

 

a busy scene —

 

On 5/25/2024 at 10:17 AM, Pablo said:

Central Market in the early 1950s judging by the cars. The view is looking north on S. 4th St. at Rich. The bus station replaced this. If you look above the Central Market sign on Rich you can see the spire of the Central Presbyterian church that is being renovated into an event space. 
 

Another view taken about the same time. Looking north on 4th St., Central Market is on the left. 

 

Here’s my dad in 1961 posing with a load of watermelons at Central Market. He was a customer, not a vendor. 
 

Taylor Terrace on Summit between 1st and 2nd. The first photo from 1982 is a view from High St looking east along 1st. I’m not sure of the location of the second photo, maybe looking north from 1st? It was demolished in 1999 or 2000. 
 

 

1976 looking north on N High from North St. This KFC eventually became Patrick J’s and is now an empty lot looking for a buyer. Note that southbound High is 3 lanes with a dedicated right turn lane. 
 

1958 Central High. The next building south along the river is the Columbus Department of Health. The bridge at the top of the photo is W. Mound St which was replaced by 70/71 in the 1960s. 
 

High and 18th in 1980 and 2024. The shops in 1980 were patronized by folks from all over the city. There was a dip in pedestrian traffic in the summer but it was never dead. Discount Records (where Qdoba is now) had one of the best classical music selections. Now, when OSU is on break, High St. is dead. Probably because there's nothing unique about the stores (with the exception of Buckeye Donuts which is always busy!).

 

 

And half of those new businesses are bleeding their franchisees dry because their drive-thru dependent businesse models can't handle only walkup traffic and all that downtime. No huge groups of senior citizens showing up at 6am to sit there and drink coffee.

2 hours ago, GCrites said:

And half of those new businesses are bleeding their franchisees dry because their drive-thru dependent businesse models can't handle only walkup traffic and all that downtime. No huge groups of senior citizens showing up at 6am to sit there and drink coffee.

And that's unfortunate. University districts have so much to offer with shows, lectures, exhibitions that are often free to the public. Evanston IL is a great example. Yes, it's a college town but it's not the exclusive domain of college students. High St. used to be like that - maybe it can come back sometime. Why would anyone go there when it's just as easy to drive to Polaris or Stringtown Rd.

 

Maybe it has to do with the size of OSU. The neighborhood is overwhelmingly home to students but there are pockets of owner/occupants. 

Couple of views of Southview Park. It was named Berliner Park in 1984 after Dispatch sports reporter Lou Berliner who was instrumental in local sports. 

 

Looking southwest along Greenlawn Ave. Thats the Greenlawn Dam at the bottom. This mid 1940s pic shows temporary housing built by the city to house returning WWII vets and their families. 

 

 

This mid 1960s pic with a similar viewpoint shows construction of I71 splitting Southview Park in half. The veterans community was eventually demolished to create more park space. 

 

I'm 20 years old and these old pictures make me cry. We had such a beautiful city now ruined by parking lots, parking garages, and ugly 60-90s skyscrapers and office buildings. And worse overall density than before.

On 12/19/2024 at 11:58 PM, columbus17 said:

I'm 20 years old and these old pictures make me cry. We had such a beautiful city now ruined by parking lots, parking garages, and ugly 60-90s skyscrapers and office buildings. And worse overall density than before.

 

its all about your own perspective. its so much better than when i lived there in the early 1990s. more than a third more population (!) and way, way denser today.

 

plus as you know much more to come, stay tuned! 👍