The Short North is a neighborhood in
Columbus, Ohio, United States, centered on the main strip of
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
immediately north of the Arena District and extending until just south of the
University District and
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 ...
. It is an easy walk from the convention center or
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, alon ...
district to the south, Spanning the length of High Street from the north side of Goodale Street to the south side of 7th/King Avenue. It is flanked by Victorian Village to the west and Italian Village to the East. The Short North is a densely-populated commercial and residential district, with especially high pedestrian use during its monthly "Gallery Hop" and other local and downtown events.
The Short North has been described as "colorful", "offbeat", and "trendy". The district is heavily populated with art galleries, specialty shops, pubs, nightclubs, and coffee shops. Most of its tightly packed brick buildings date from at least the early 20th century, with traditional storefronts along High Street (often with brightly painted murals on their side walls), and old apartment buildings and
rowhouse
In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United Sta ...
s and newer condominium developments in the surrounding blocks. The city installed
17 lighted metal arches extending across High Street throughout the Short North, reminiscent of such arches present in the area in the early 1900s.
History
Originally known as part of the "near north side", the area along High Street began to be called the "Short North" as part of vernacular used by police and taxi drivers in the 1980s. This was a period of decline in the area, and from a suburban commuter's perspective, the area had fallen 'just short' of the central business district's north end—both physically and economically. In 1981, the Short North Tavern opened in this area, the first to use this new name.
A reputation for diversity and an artistic,
["Hello, Columbus"]
Ingrid Williams. New York Times. 14 mar 2010. Retrieved 6 sept 2010. Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
atmosphere has marked the Short North, with land prices and local rents rising steadily from the humble beginnings as a squatter’s neighborhood in the 1980s. Prior to this gentrification of the neighborhood which originated from artists,
it had suffered prolonged decay and from latent, street-level crime and gang violence as Columbus affluent residents followed the economic bubble outward—into the
suburbs—during the 1960s and 1970s.
The 1980s saw the neighborhood's rebirth enter into full gear as galleries began to open up and started to flourish. As Maria Gallowy (owner of PM gallery, formerly the oldest gallery in the Short North) once put it "It was one of those neighborhoods that artists love to move into because the possibilities are there."
In 1984 two Short North area galleries — the now defunct Art Reach and PM gallery — began opening new exhibits on the first Saturday of every month to help cross-promote their businesses and build a more unified community.
This loose coordination later evolved into the Gallery Hop which is still held every first Saturday of the month. The Gallery Hop today features most businesses keeping their doors open late into the night, jam-packed streets, and sidewalks populated with street musicians and other performers.
Since 1983, the Short North has also hosted the annual
Doo Dah Parade
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is a popular farcical and flamboyant parade held in Pasadena, California, about once a year, usually in the fall or winter, although in recent years it has moved to the nearest Saturday to May Day. The event has been co ...
, a parody of typical
Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
parades that includes politically slanted paraders and floats as well as absurdities such as the "Marching Fidels," a band of
Fidel Castro lookalikes. The parade starts in neighboring
Victorian Village
Victorian Village is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, United States, north and near west of Downtown Columbus, Ohio, downtown. It is an established neighborhood built when a streetcar line first ran along Neil Avenue around 1900 with a fair numbe ...
, at
Goodale Park
Goodale Park is a public park in the Victorian Village area of Columbus, Ohio. It was donated to the city in 1851 by Lincoln Goodale. For a few months during the Civil War, it was a staging area for Union troops known as Camp Jackson. ComFest ...
, and winds north to finish coming south down High Street.
The Short North also hosts HighBall Halloween, Masquerade on High, a fashion show and street parade that closes down High Street. In 2011, in its 4th year, HighBall Halloween gained notoriety as it accepted its first Expy award. HighBall Halloween has much to offer for those interested in fashion and the performing and visual arts or for those who want to celebrate Halloween and with food and drinks from all around the city. Each year the event is put on with a different theme and it increases in size and popularity.
Development
The City of Columbus has designated the Short North, along with portions of Italian and Victorian Villages as a "market ready" Community Reinvestment Area, with available 15-year, 100 percent tax abatements if projects include 10 percent affordable housing, with options to buy out of the requirement.
Gallery
File:Columbus, Ohio JJ 77.jpg, High Street
File:Columbus-ohio-short-north-arches.jpg, The iconic arches of the Short North
File:Union Station Mural by Gregory Ackers Columbus, Ohio 1987.jpg, The Short North is also known for its murals, including ''Trains
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...
'' and ''Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
'', now hidden from view
File:2005 Doodah Parade 01.JPG, The Short North's Doo Dah Parade
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is a popular farcical and flamboyant parade held in Pasadena, California, about once a year, usually in the fall or winter, although in recent years it has moved to the nearest Saturday to May Day. The event has been co ...
, 2005
File:Lemongrass.jpg, A restaurant in the Short North
File:Unionbar.jpg, A Short North gay bar
See also
*
Short North Historic District
The Short North Historic District is a historic district in The Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Gallery
File:The Short North-2005-07-03-IMG 4569.jpg, McKi ...
*
Fifth Avenue and North High Historic District
The Fifth Avenue and North High Historic District is a historic district in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The site consists of 24 buildings, including three th ...
*
Third Avenue and North High Historic District
The Third Avenue and North High Historic District is a historic district in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The site consists of 24 buildings, including six tha ...
References
External links
The Short North Business AssociationDoo Dah ParadeComFest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Short North
Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio
Gay villages in Ohio
Economy of Columbus, Ohio
Arts districts
Historic districts in Columbus, Ohio
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio
High Street (Columbus, Ohio)