University District (Columbus, Ohio)
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The University District (or University Area), is a area located north of
Downtown Columbus, Ohio Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio), Broad and High Street (Columbus, Ohio), High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inn ...
that is home to the main campus of
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, the Battelle Institute, and
Wexner Medical Center The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) is a multidisciplinary academic medical center located in Columbus, Ohio, United States, on the main campus of Ohio State University. History The Ohio State Health System includes Univ ...
.''The University District'': "District Histories"
/ref> It is generally accepted as the area bounded to the north by Clintonville at Glen Echo Ravine; to the south by the
Short North The Short North is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, United States, centered on the main strip of High Street (Columbus, Ohio), High Street immediately north of the Arena District and extending until just south of the University District (Columb ...
at 5th Avenue; to the west by the Olentangy River and to east by the
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...
railroad tracks. Points of interest include, but are not limited to, the
Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencemen ...
and
Old North Columbus Old North Columbus is a neighborhood located just north of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1847 where, at the time, it was a stand-alone city out of the confines of Columbus until it was incorporated into the City ...
. The district is Columbus' most densely populated area and contains more than 650 businesses, human service agencies, churches, and schools. University District businesses include boutiques, mixed retail, several tattoo studios, the Gateway Film Center, and a diverse range of restaurants and bars.


Neighborhoods

The University District comprises many diverse neighborhoods, each with its own unique housing stock and cultural identity. There are a variety of pleasant residential neighborhoods, several historic districts as well as the off-campus core student neighborhood. The residential neighborhood with higher concentrated rental property and student housing is located east of High Street south of 17th Avenue and north of 11th Avenue. This is often referred to as the off-campus neighborhood, and, in the past ten years, it has gone through considerable redevelopment and revitalization as a result of the work of Campus Partners. The center of it is the University District Central, which ranges from 13th to 18th Avenues, west of N. Fourth Street.
Old North Columbus Old North Columbus is a neighborhood located just north of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1847 where, at the time, it was a stand-alone city out of the confines of Columbus until it was incorporated into the City ...
, commonly referenced as the general area north of Woodruff, east to Silver Drive, west to the Olentangy River Road, and north to Slate Run, was once the village of North Columbus that was platted in 1842. Old North Columbus includes several smaller neighborhoods within these general boundaries, including the Iuka Ravine and Indianola Forest (Lane Avenue to Woodruff Avenue, between High Street and N. Fourth Street), Oakland & Northwood Avenue Area (Patterson Avenue to Northwood Avenue, between Pearl Alley and Indianola Avenue), Tuttle Park, and Glen Echo (north of Hudson Street and east of Indianola). Old North Columbus was home several historic Columbus Public Schools, such as Northwood Elementary (closed in 1980s?), Medary Elementary (closed in 2006), North High (closed 1970s), and the Special Education Center. Old North has several parks, such as Tuttle, Glen Echo, Maynard & Summit, Iuka Ravine, and Indianola Middle School, as well as multiple churches, restaurants, and other small businesses. The southern area of the University District also has a higher density of homeownership and includes land west of High Street, ranging from Fifth Avenue to 11th Avenue (The Circles, Dennison Place, and NECKO),''OSU Off-Campus Student Services'': "Housing Search"
/ref>* as well as land on the east side of High Street, ranging from Fifth Avenue to 12th Avenue (
Weinland Park Weinland Park is a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus, Ohio and encompassed by the boundaries of the University District, Columbus, Ohio, University District. A development boom in the 1930s and 1940s resulting from new streetcar lines and th ...
).


History


Inception

The University District (or University Area) was not originally part of the city of
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, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
. Platted in 1812 as a new city to be the State capital, Columbus was a small town until late in the nineteenth century. One of the major events in the evolution of the area was the decision to locate the State Agricultural College Grounds (
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
) on the site of the Neil farm in 1870, south of the community of North Columbus. The university grew slowly at first, but began to expand significantly under the presidency of
William Oxley Thompson William Oxley Thompson, D.D. (November 5, 1855 – December 9, 1933) was the fifth president of Ohio State University. During his term as president, he was known for his practice of segregationist policies against black students on campus ...
from 1900 to 1925. As the area grew, fashionable residential suburbs grew up around the campus in places like the Dennison Addition and the Indianola subdivision with its curved roads and ravine. In the 1890s the streetcar transformed the area allowing middle-class people to more easily live in the University Area and make the thirty-minute
journey to work Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
in downtown Columbus.


Indianola Park

Indianola Park was an
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
that operated in the University District from 1905 to 1937.''Indianola Park''
/ref> It was the biggest draw of the region, and streets carts took people to and from the location. The park peaked in popularity in the 1910s, entertaining crowds of up to 10 thousand with the numerous
roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
s and rides, with up to 5 thousand in the massive pool alone. The park was also the home field 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> In the 1920s, new owners bought and remodeled the park, and it did well until it closed its doors at the end of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.''Indianola Park'': "1920s"
/ref>


Population explosion

Up until the end of World War II, the University Area was occupied by more homeowners than renters. That fact changed with the return of thousands of veterans from the war. The population in the University Area quadrupled. To house the growing population, high rise dormitories were built at both ends of the main campus and hundreds of owner occupied houses were either converted to rooming houses, rental units, or were torn down to make way for apartment buildings. The increased density gave rise to problems around vehicular congestion, crime, and litter. To cope with these problems, a number of organizations came into being: the University Community Association, an umbrella for the neighborhood organizations in the area; the University District Organization, a neighborhood planning and development organization; the University Community Business Association, the voice of economic enterprise in the area; and the University Area Commission, an advisory commission to Columbus City Council.


University Area Commission

The University Area Commission (UAC) as an
administrative unit Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
was created in 1972 by an act of the
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, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
. The University Area Commission is a voluntary, elected, citizens advisory board. In creating the city's first area commission, Columbus City Council delegated certain development oversight and planning responsibilities to stakeholders living in the communities affected by council decisions. Accordingly, new development plans are generally submitted first to an area commission and then to the city council for approval. The UAC oversees development in what the city refers to as "the university area", bounded in the west by the
Olentangy River The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States. History It was originally called ''keenhongsheconsepung'', a Delaware word literally translated as "sharp tool river", based on the shale found along its shores ...
, in the north by Glen Echo Ravine, in the east by the
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...
line, and in the south by 5th avenue. The
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
itself expands north and west over the
Olentangy River The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States. History It was originally called ''keenhongsheconsepung'', a Delaware word literally translated as "sharp tool river", based on the shale found along its shores ...
for several miles and into Upper Arlington.


Development

The City of Columbus has designated portions of the University District as a Community Reinvestment Area that is "ready for revitalization", with available 15-year, 100 percent tax abatements for all projects that include 10 percent affordable housing, with options to buy out of the requirement.


Gallery

File:Newport Music Hall, University District.jpg, The
Newport Music Hall Newport Music Hall is a music venue located in the University District of Columbus, Ohio, across the street from the Ohio Union of the Ohio State University. It is "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club". History The venue opened i ...
File:CampusGateway.JPG, South Campus Gateway File:Glenechohome.jpg, Glen Echo Neighborhood home File:Columbus-olentangy-river-bridge-night.jpg,
Cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...
over the Olentangy River at Lane Avenue File:BattelleEntrance.JPG, The main entrance to Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus File:Ohio State CABS Bus on 12th Avenue.jpg, An Ohio State CABS Bus File:Indianola-park-pool.jpg, Defunct
Indianola Park Indianola Park was a trolley park that operated in Columbus, Ohio's University District from 1905 to 1937. The amusement park was created by Charles Miles and Frederick Ingersoll, and peaked in popularity in the 1910s, entertaining crowds of up to ...
pavilion and pool


Notable residents


Writers and artists

*
George Bellows George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realism, American realist painting, painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. He became, according to the Columbus Museum of Art ...
, artist *
Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a re ...
, cartoonist *
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
, writer *
Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein ( ; October27, 1923September29, 1997) was an American pop artist. He rose to prominence in the 1960s through pieces which were inspired by popular advertising and the comic book style. Much of his work explores the relations ...
, artist *
R.L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943) is an American novelist. He is the writer of '' Goosebumps,'' a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second- best-selling book ...
, writer *
James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist, and playwright. He was best known for his gag cartoon, cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' an ...
, humorist/cartoonist *
Jay DeMarcus Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr.; on April 26, 1971) is an American musician, vocalist, record producer and songwriter. He is a member of the country music band Rascal Flatts. Early life DeMarcus was born in Columbus, Ohio. He grad ...
, musician


Astronauts

*
Charles Bassett Charles Arthur "Charlie" Bassett II (December 30, 1931 – February 28, 1966) (Major, USAF) was an American electrical engineer and United States Air Force test pilot. He went to Ohio State University for two years and later graduated from Tex ...
, astronaut *
Nancy Currie Nancy Jane Currie-Gregg (née Decker; former married names Sherlock and Currie; born December 29, 1958) is an American engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. Currie-Gregg has served in the United States Army for over 22 year ...
, astronaut * Richard Linnehan, astronaut * Ronald Sega, astronaut


Inventors

*
Cromwell Dixon Cromwell Dixon (July 9, 1892 – October 2, 1911) was a teenage dirigible pilot and Aircraft pilot, aviator. He became the first person to fly an airplane across the Continental Divide of the Americas, Continental Divide in September 1911 when he ...
, inventor and aviator *
Charles Kettering Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...
, inventor *
Roy Plunkett Roy Joseph Plunkett (June 26, 1910 – May 12, 1994) was an American chemist. He discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), better known as Teflon, in 1938. Personal life and education Plunkett was born in New Carlisle, Ohio and attended Newton ...
, inventor


Viral Celebrities

*
Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...
, former homeless man, radio personality


References


External links


University Area CommissionUniversity District Organization
{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio Ohio State University Student quarters