ABOUT THIS SITE
University District History is a site dedicated to exploring and sharing the rich and fascinating history of the neighborhoods that surround the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio.
The 2.8 square miles of the University District are home to nearly 40,000 people. Most of these people are transient residents. They come from some other city, state, or country, stay for their education for 4-6 eventful years, then leave.
A sense of a shared history is essential to building a community. To care about a place, people need a sense of belonging. They need to feel that their story is part of a larger narrative. They need to feel that the place they are in has meaning. They need to feel pride in the place. I believe knowing our area's history can engender these feelings and help build a community.
With so many people coming and going each year, the stories that make this shared history aren't transmitted. That's why this site is here.
This site is a way to share the stories of these neighborhoods. This site is here to tell how this neighborhood came to be, to highlight the remarkable people, institutions, and events that have shaped and been shaped by this place, to commemorate the lives that have been lived here, and to chronicle the changes that have taken place here over the decades.
Enjoy, learn, remember, be inspired, share, and be proud of our incredible community!
D.A. Kellough
THIS WEEK IN UNIVERSITY DISTRICT HISTORY
1915- Work to install chimes in Orton Hall tower begins. Bells will sound in February. January 22.
1918- Final exams at Ohio State almost cancelled due to wartime coal shortage. Three railcars arrive at last minute. January 23.
1928- Noted labor and civil rights lawyer Clarence Darrow speaks at University Hall. January 25.
1959- Varsity Club opens at 278 W. Lane Ave. January 27.
1974- Free kung fu lesson with admission to kung fu triple feature at W. 5th Ave. Drive-In, 900 W. 5th Ave. January 25.
1977- Blizzard of 1977 strikes. Ohio faces snow, -8°F temperatures, and 30-50 mph winds, Ohio State closes at noon. Aggravated by natural gas and fuel shortages. January 28.
1978- Blizzard of 1978 hits. Worst winter storm in Ohio history. 1" ice, then heavy snow, 2°F, 50-70 mph winds. Ohio State closed for days. Widespread power outages. January 26. |
RANDOM GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT-WINTER 2011-12
#16. The eerie quiet and solitude that settles over the mostly empty district during the last two weeks of December after all the students have gone home for Winter Break.
#70. All the new houses going up along N Grant at the former Columbus Coated Fabrics site.
#71. The fact that the new houses going up along N Grant actually look appropriate to the neighborhood they reside in.
#6. The day never dawns so cold that there's not some fool walking around outside in shorts.
#10. No matter how deep it snows, food, drink, groceries, movies, music, and entertainment all within easy walking distance.
#5. Northside Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Small in size but mighty in service. A wonderful asset to the community all year round. |
LATEST (Last updated: January 22, 2012)
METHODIST MISSION CENTENARY- Airplanes, dirigibles, exotic animals, fireworks, live stage shows, parades, a 100 trombone choir, and a 150' tall movie screen don't sound much like Sunday School but that was the scene when Methodists staged a month-long world's fair at The Ohio State Fairgrounds in 1919. COMING SOON!
UGLY BOXES- When Ohio State enrollment exploded in the 1960s and 70s, developers responded by throwing up apartment buildings based on the principle of as-many-students-per-square-foot-as-cheaply-as-possible. Here's a selection of these aesthetic abominations. COMING SOON!
VINTAGE VIEWS: MIRROR LAKE REVISITED- More antique postcards revealing campus' natural beauty spot as it looked a century ago. UPDATED!
JEFFREY DAHMER: FRESHMAN- For Halloween, the story of the notorious serial killer's one and only quarter at Ohio State.
THE OHIO WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL- Tucked away in a rarely seen section of Sullivant Hall is a forgotten (and soon to be dismantled) tribute to the Ohioans who fought in The Great War.
STRANGE STORIES OF THE OHIO STATE FAIR- What happened to Darth Vader at the fair? Why was E. 11th Ave. a seething pit of sin? What was an incontinental ballistic missile doing on E. 17th? Here are some interesting episodes and anecdotes from the 158 year history of The Ohio State Fair.
VINTAGE VIEWS: MIRROR LAKE- Antique postcards reveal campus' natural beauty spot as it looked a century ago.
COMING UP
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TRIAL OF THE CENTURY- This Jazz Age story of sex, drugs, scandal, and murder was the biggest thing to ever hit Columbus.
In the summer of 1929, the trial of Ohio State professor James Snook for the murder of his student lover Theora Hix was front-page news. The testimony was so shocking that the Vice Squad seized copies of it and the judge restricted the courtroom to adults only. Readers from coast-to-coast were entranced by the story of a fatal attraction that happened on these streets. |
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT?
Whose widow does this bit of art glass grace?
LAST MONTH:
So where does this cutie hang out? She and all her rockin' pals can be found in a mural on the south wall of Kobo Nightclub, 2590 N. High St.
You can see our previous contests and try your knowledge here and here. |
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| 15,000 BC: THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT IN THE LAST ICE AGE- With a population density that rivals Chicago and Boston, nature isn't the first thing you notice around here. Look a little though and it's still there. Look a little closer and you can still see traces of the epic forces that shaped this land thousands of years ago. |
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THE COLUMBUS STAR- In the mid-Twentieth Century, readers in the University District and elsewhere in Central Ohio spent Sundays enjoying the gossip, scandals, and lurid thrills of Columbus' sensational tabloid paper, The Columbus Star. RATED PG-13. |
| THE ALHAMBRA THEATER (2159 N. High St.)- Known as The Alhambra, The World, and finally The Roxy, this theater's seven decades in business saw it show everything from the silents to hardcore porn. |
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THE 11-11-11- One hundred years ago, an oddly symmetric date brought the new University District neighborhoods some of the weirdest, wildest weather ever. |
| 100 YEARS OF UNIVERSITY DISTRICT THEATERS- Summer 2010 marked the centennial of the first movies shown in the University District. These are the theaters University District audiences have enjoyed in the past century. |
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CROMWELL DIXON (221 W. 11th Ave.)- An incredible adventure story. Cromwell Dixon built an airship in his University District garage before he was 15 and went on to become a pioneer of American aviation. |
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THE 1970 RIOTS- Protestors armed with rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails battled police and National Guardsmen armed with clubs, guns, and tear gas. The streets of the University District became a war zone and the neighborhood was changed forever. |
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A SEARS CATALOG HOUSE (164 and 236 E. Maynard Ave., 202 E. Northwood Ave.)- A hundred years ago, it was possible to buy an entire house from a catalog. Many University District residents did. These North Campus homes--"The Maytown" model from Sears--are among several in the neighborhood. UPDATED October 24, 2010. |
REVOLUTION CORNER (Hunter at E. 10th Ave.)- Forty years ago, campus communists tried to inflame the student body with propaganda in concrete. UPDATED November 11, 2010.
THE PHOTOPLAY THEATER(1597 N. High St.)- Another long-forgotten campus theater from the early days of motion pictures rediscovered.
HENRY T. CHITTENDEN (Chittenden Ave.)- This 19th Century millionaire developer, streetcar tycoon, hotelier, history buff, theater impresario, and songwriter is the namesake of one of the University District's major arteries. UPDATED January 22, 2012. |
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W.H. KNAUSS (358 E. 15th Ave.)- This Civil War veteran overcame his personal animosities and risked his fortune, reputation, and life to help bind the wounds of a divided nation.
VINTAGE VIEWS: MIRROR LAKE- Antique postcards reveal campus' natural beauty spot as it looked a century ago.
THE EGG FIGHT RIOT- Cops and students battling, bricks and bottles vs. firehoses, clubs, and tear gas; and cries of "Kill the cops!" are scenes usually associated with the tumultuous 1960s and 70s--not the 1930s. Read the story of the University District's first riot. RATED PG-13. |
THE COLUMBUS ROWHOUSE- The often ignored, dismissed, and belittled Columbus Rowhouse is one of the most common housing types in the University District. Find out about this unique style and the role rowhouses have played in the neighborhood.
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DR. EDWARDS' OLIVE TABLETS (29 E. 5th Ave.)- In the early 20th century, Americans lived in fear of their colons. A University District patent medicine manufacturer rode that anxiety to a fortune. UPDATED January 22, 2012. |
THE COED MEETS THE GROOVY GHOULIE (Chittenden, maybe)- Russell the Semi-Mummified Oval Squirrel introduces a true University District ghost story for Halloween. A coed's night of partying ends in naked terror after an encounter with a thing from beyond the grave! RATED R.
JAMES A. WHITE (44 E. 12th Ave.)- Just a hundred yards from UDF's Beer Barn stands the home of the architect of Ohio Prohibition.
THE IDEAL THEATER (1145 Summit St.)- This small building was home to one of a half-dozen storefront theaters that proliferated in the University District at the dawn of motion pictures. |
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