Indianola Park was a

trolley park Trolley may refer to: Vehicles and components * Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks * Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles ** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...

that operated in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

's University District from 1905 to 1937.''Indianola Park''
/ref> The amusement park was created by Charles Miles and

Frederick Ingersoll Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – October 23, 1927) was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur who created the world's first chain of amusement parks (known collectively as "Luna Parks" regardless of their actual name) and whose manu ...

, and peaked in popularity in the 1910s, entertaining crowds of up to 10,000 with the numerous

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

s and rides, with up to 5,000 in the massive pool alone. The park was also the

home field In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

for the

Columbus Panhandles The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before foldi ...

for half of a decade.''Indianola Park'': "1910s" (page 2)
/ref>''The Coffin Corner'': "The Panhandles: Last of the Sandlotters"
In the 1920s, new owners bought and remodeled the park, and it did well until it closed at the end of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

.''Indianola Park'': "1920s"
/ref> Currently, the land, which extends from 18th Avenue to Norwich Avenue and 4th Street to Big Four Street, is occupied by Indianola Junior High School which was purchased by The Ohio State University in April, 2018, and the Indianola Shopping Center, which is owned by

Xenos Christian Fellowship Dwell Community Church, formerly Xenos Christian Fellowship, is a non-traditional, non-denominational, institutional cell church system. Unlike traditional churches, Dwell is centered on home church activities rather than traditional Sunday morn ...

, and includes Suzi-Cue Pool Hall, Soussy Market, 4th Street Studio, and King's Pizza.''Indianola Park'': "2007"
/ref>''Google Maps'': "Indianola Shopping Center"
/ref>

Location

The entrance to Indianola Park was at N 4th Street and E 19th Avenue. The park itself covered approximately and extended north from E 18th Avenue north to E Norwich Avenue, and east from N 4th Street to Big Four Street and the railroad tracks.

History

Miles' vision

Indianola Park was established by dentist-turned-developer Charles Miles, who was president of the Summit Land Company, which developed residential neighborhoods in the former farmland across High Street from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. He was inspired to go into the amusement park business, because he saw how well

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

's new

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-sc ...

was doing, and he had experience using recreations to draw buyers. The park was designed by amusement park impresario Frederick Ingersoll, who also designed the Luna Parks in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, and the gates were opened to the public on June 8, 1905. In its original configuration, the park featured a

dance pavilion Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

, a very large

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

, an Ingersoll

figure 8 roller coaster Figure 8 roller coasters are a category of roller coasters where the train runs through a figure 8 shaped course before returning to the boarding station. This design was one of the first designs to be featured in roller coaster design, along with ...

, a

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

, a scenic railroad, a

band shell In theater, a shell (also known as an acoustical shell, choral shell or bandshell) is a curved, hard surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience. Often shells are designed to be removable, either rolling away on wheels or lifting into ...

, a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

concession stand A concession stand (American English, Canadian English), snack kiosk or snack bar (British English, Irish English) is a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, amusement park, zoo, aquarium, circus, fair, stadium, beach, swim ...

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

grounds, and athletic

playing field Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

s, such as

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s, a football field, and a

baseball diamond A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

. In 1908, a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

was added, and Indianola began presented

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

for its patrons. The park entertained visitors with everything from

Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare's plays are a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare. The exact number of plays—as well as their classifications as Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy, Shakespearean ...

and

Greek dances Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region form ...

, to

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

animals and diving horses. Events like

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

ascensions,

tightrope walking Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

outdoor cinema An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable movie screen, and sound system. History Outdoor cinemas first began at around 1916 in Berlin, Germany. During the 1920s, many "rooftop theatr ...

, live presentations of distant

sporting events Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

, infant

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

s, and massive

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

extravaganzas were also part of the park's draw. A year later, the park underwent major renovations. The band shell area was expanded, and a

Shoot the Chute Shoot the Chute is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume or super flume, which generally seats up to eight passengers, a modern-day Shoot the Chute ride ge ...

ride, The Blue Streak roller coaster, and a "Human Laundry"

funhouse A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...

were added. For the next five years, the park was

for the

, an early

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team. Indianola enjoyed sustained popularity through the 1910s. Crowds as large as 10,000 flocked to the park on weekends, with up to 5,000 in the pool alone on hot summer days. And in the winter, the dance pavilion remained popular, buoyed by the national dance craze launched by Irene and Vernon Castle, and, in 1918, the park even hosted the

Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball The Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes play their home games at Value City Arena in ...

games.

Revitalization

In 1923, the park underwent a change in management. The new owners invested thousands of dollars in renovations. For weeks before opening day, advertisements trumpeted "A Greater Indianola" and "The Biggest Year of All". The dance pavilion was remodeled for The Jazz Age, repairs were made to the swimming pool, and the

locker A locker is a small, usually narrow storage compartment. They are commonly found in dedicated cabinets, very often in large numbers, in various public places such as locker rooms, workplaces, elementary schools, middle and high schools, tran ...

areas were expanded. New attractions were also added, such as a roller coaster called Thriller, a Seaplane

Swing ride The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, waver swinger, Chair-O-Planes, Dodo or swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the rot ...

, a caterpillar ride, The Joyplane, and Custer Cars, an early version of

bumper cars Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...

. Indianola also became much more aggressive in advertising and promotions, aiming to create "a clean and orderly park for clean and orderly people". The park gradually dropped vaudeville and band

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

s. The dance pavilion orchestra was replaced with local and touring

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

bands, which were favored by

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

s, with two of the most popular bands being Phil Baxter's Texas Tommies and Tom Howard’s Melody Lads. The park continued to do well into the mid-1920s. However, in 1927, the park sold its land north of E 19th Avenue to the

Columbus Board of Education Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46,6 ...

for the construction of a new school
Indianola Junior High School
which opened in 1929.
/ref> Reduced to just its core, the dance pavilion and the pool, Indianola stayed open into the 1930s. The Great Depression made a challenging situation even more difficult, because few people had money to spare for a day at the amusement park. However, the record hot summers of the early 1930s helped keep the park afloat during the lean years, with temperature at nearly 100 °F for weeks on end. When the hot summers passed after the 1937 season, Indianola Park closed.

Shopping center

In 1948, Indianola Park was converted into Indianola Park Shopping Center, and the pool was filled in and paved over for a parking lot. The former dance pavilion became an Ohio Giant Market, and a dozen or so other shops and restaurants were built around its perimeters by 1952, such as a

flower shop Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...

, a

beauty shop ''Beauty Shop'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Bille Woodruff. The film serves as a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Barbershop (film), Barbershop'' film franchise, and stars Queen Latifah as Gina, a character first introduced in t ...

, a bakery, a gift shop, an appliance store, a fashion

boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

, a

dry cleaner Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in ...

, a

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

, a

laundromat A self-service laundry, coin laundry, laundromat, or coin wash is a facility where clothes are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the Unit ...

, a finance center, a

hardware store Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing suppli ...

, a

variety store A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It u ...

, and a restaurant. With the influx of students at the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, Ohio State enrollment went up to almost 50,000 students. This changed the businesses. By 1978, the shops included three restaurants, two new pharmacies, two

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

s, a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Thrift Store, and a coffee shop, as well as new grocery,

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

, and appliance stores. In the early 1980s, Suzi-Cue Pool Hall, a local

dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. ...

and

billiards hall A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly serv ...

, moved into the complex. By 1990, Both Suzi-Cue and the Salvation Army remained, but the rest of the businesses had moved out, being replaced by Soussy Market, C&M Towing, a hair salon, and

Christian Embassy The Christian Embassy is an evangelical organization affiliated with Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Like its parent organization, Christian Embassy describes itself as non-political and interdenominational. Overview The Christ ...

. In 2006,

purchased Indianola Park Shopping Center, just before Indianola Junior High School closed in 2010. They spent $4 million massively rehabilitating the mall and converting the old dance pavilion into a worship center. They replaced plumbing, heating/cooling, and electrical systems, added new lighting, planted trees, and repaved the lot. As part of the deal, the church was required to purchase the entire shopping mall, which still includes long-term tenants Soussy Market and Suzi-Cue, and has been joined by 4th Street Studio and King's Pizza. Once a week, a clinic also provides medical care to the needy, and, every summer, there is an urban farmer's market hosts an urban farmer's market. The last remaining parts of the park are some of original trees from the original picnic area, located behind the defunct school.

Attractions

File:Panhandles at indianola park 1910s.jpg, In the 1910s, the Columbus Panhandles played at Indianola Park. File:Indianola-park-pool.jpg, This is the pool of Indianola Park, as viewed from the southwest.''Indianola Park'': "1908"
/ref> File:Indianola-park-map.jpg, In 1909, the park was its largest size. File:Indianola-park-ride1.jpg, There were multiple roller coasters.
/ref> File:Indianola-park-pavilion2.jpg, The Dance Pavilion is the only part of the park still standing today. File:Indianola-park-ride2.jpg, Scenic railroads were popular at the time. File:Indianola-park-ride3.jpg, The park had a carousel. File:Indianola-park-ride4.jpg, The Seaplane Swing was a favorite. File:Indianola-park-picnic.jpg, There was a massive picnic area, with streams and bridges. File:Indianola-park-band.jpg, The band shell had various famous acts in its day. File:Indianola-park-coaster1.jpg, The Ingersoll was the "smoothest and fastest" roller coaster in existence.
/ref> File:Indianola-park-coaster2.jpg, The Thriller was a roller coaster at the park. File:Indianola-park-horse.jpg, Circus acts and diving horses were popular. File:Indianola-park-postcard.jpg, Indianola Park had a large swimming pool and a notable dancing hall.
/ref>

References

External links

''Indianola Park''

''University District''

''Columbus Metropolitan Library'': "Columbus Amusement Parks"

''Teaching Columbus'': "Histortic Postcards - Indianola Park"

* {{Ohio League Amusement parks in Ohio Defunct amusement parks in Ohio Ohio League venues Buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio 20th century in Columbus, Ohio 1905 establishments in Ohio 1937 disestablishments in Ohio Demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio