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>> FROM THE 1890s TO THE 1920s,
THIS WAS THE PLACE TO LIVE IN
COLUMBUS --
WHERE THE BARONS OF INDUSTRY AND
BUSINESS BUILT THEIR DREAM
HOUSES.
>> SOME OF THE MOST CLEVER AND
CREATIVE PEOPLE IN THE CITY
LIVED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND
HAVE THROUGH TIME.
>> AS THE CITY EXPANDED, THE
SUBURBS LURED MANY AWAY.
HOUSES WERE ABANDONED, THE
NEIGHBORHOOD FORGOTTEN.
>> SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE AREA
WANTED TO MOVE ON UP.
AND "MOVE ON UP" IN THAT CASE
MEANT "MOVING ON OUT."
>> PROPERTY VALUES DROPPED.
ABSENTEE LAND OWNERS BECAME THE
NORM RATHER THAN THE EXCEPTION
AND PEOPLE WEREN'T FINDING VALUE
AND FINDING PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO
LIVE BACK IN THE CITY.
>> BUT NOW, THESE OLD HOUSES
HAVE INSPIRED A NEW SENSE OF
URBAN LIVING, AND PEOPLE ARE
REDISCOVERING OLDE TOWNE EAST.
>> THEY'RE BUYING THESE DERELICT
HOUSES THAT USED TO BE SHELLS
AND BREATHING WHOLE NEW LIFE
INTO THEM.
SO WHAT USED TO BE --
JUST DEBRIS IS NOW THESE
WONDERFUL MASTERPIECES.
>> IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE
EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN
ARCHITECTURE OVER THE COURSE OF
THE LAST 100 TO 150 YEARS, YOU
CAN FIND EXAMPLES OF IT IN OLDE
TOWNE EAST --
FROM THE MOST COMMON WORKING
MAN'S HOME ON THE ONE HAND, TO
THE MOST ELABORATE MANSION FOR A
PERSON WHO HAS SOME WEALTH.
>> THE DIVERSE ARCHITECTURE MANY
PEOPLE SOUGHT WAS ALREADY HERE.
THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY MANY
RESIDENTS IMAGINED IS STILL
BEING BUILT.
>> WE REALLY WATCH OUT FOR EACH
OTHER, WE CELEBRATE EACH OTHER,
AND WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
>> IT'S NOT AN EXCLUSIVE
NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S AN INCLUSIVE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE
HAVE HAD HAVE JUST MADE US
STRONGER.
♪♪
>> SUPPORT FOR "COLUMBUS
NEIGHBORHOODS" IS PROVIDED BY --
SINCE 1921, THE STATE AUTO GROUP
HAS CALLED "COLUMBUS
NEIGHBORHOODS" HOME, OFFERING
PERSONAL AND BUSINESS INSURANCE
THROUGH INDEPENDENT INSURANCE
AGENTS.
FOR YOUR CAR, HOME, AND
BUSINESS, THE STATE AUTO GROUP.
>> AS WE'VE GROWN AND CHANGED
WITH COLUMBUS, WE'VE NEVER LOST
SIGHT OF ONE THING --
WE ARE NEIGHBORS SERVING
NEIGHBORS.
CHASE AND IT'S MORE THAN
15,000 CENTRAL OHIO ASSOCIATES
ARE PROUD TO CELEBRATE THE
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS OF
COLUMBUS.
>> AEP OHIO, CONNECTED TO YOUR
LIFE.
MORE AT AEPOHIO.COM.
>> THE LAW FIRM OF BAILEY
CAVALIERI --
A LOCAL FIRM WITH A NATIONAL
PRESENCE.
BAILEYCAVALIERI.COM.
>> AND BY THESE AND OTHER LOCAL
FOUNDATIONS AND FAMILIES --
AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU!
♪♪
>> THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT A
PLACE THAT WAS BUILT A LONG TIME
AGO --
THAT YOU'RE ONE OF A NUMBER OF
OWNERS AND YOU VIEW YOURSELF AS
A STEWARD.
YOU'RE LIVING IN A HOUSE AND
YOUR ADDING TO ITS HISTORY AND
YOU BECOME CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE
YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.
>> OUR HOUSES ARE TICKETS BACK
IN TIME AND YOU JUST GET THE
GREAT FEELING OF WARMTH KNOWING
THAT THE PEOPLE AND STORIES THAT
CAME BEFORE.
>> I THINK WHEN YOU WALK INTO
HISTORIC HOMES, YOU GET A
GLIMPSE OF WHAT THE BUILDERS
VALUED.
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR
THE POWER OF PLACE.
PEOPLE NEEDED TO HAVE A SENSE OF
NOT ONLY WHO THEY ARE BUT WHERE
THEY ARE.
AND PLACES --
ESPECIALLY OLD PLACES --
HELP US WITH THAT.
♪♪
>> THE CIVIL WAR IS OVER AND
COLUMBUS IS BOOMING.
DOWNTOWN'S GETTING CROWDED.
RAIL YARDS CLOG THE NORTH SIDE.
THE WEST SIDE FLOODS.
THE SOUTH SIDE IS CHOKED WITH
SMOKE AND SEWAGE FROM TANNERIES
AND FACTORIES.
IF YOU'VE GOT MONEY TO BUILD A
FASHIONABLE HOME, WHERE DO YOU
GO?
>> THE EAST SIDE IS THE LOGICAL
PLACE FOR THE EXTENSION OF
RELATIVELY FASHIONABLE
COMMUNITIES FROM DOWNTOWN
COLUMBUS.
>> IT WAS A TIME OF INNOVATION
AND INVENTION, BUT IT WAS A
TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION THAT
RADICALLY CHANGED COLUMBUS AND
ITS NEIGHBORHOODS.
♪♪
>> THE OLDE TOWNE EAST AREA IS
PREDOMINATELY A STREETCAR
SUBURB.
ITS GOLDEN AGE, ITS AGE OF
WEALTH AND STANDING REALLY DATES
FROM THE PERIOD OF THE 1890s
INTO THE FIRST COUPLE OF DECADES
OF THE 20th CENTURY.
>> INITIALLY, IT WAS HOW FAR YOU
COULD WALK TO GET TO WORK OR TO
DO WHATEVER YOU HAD TO DO IN
DAILY LIVING.
ONCE STREETCARS CAME ALONG, THAT
CHANGED.
>> IF YOU THINK ABOUT HAVING TO
GET ON A HORSE AND RIDE A HORSE
WHERE THE NEXT PLACE YOU HAVE TO
GO IS, THINGS MOVED A LOT SLOWER
THEN.
SO STREETCARS, ORIGINALLY PULLED
BY HORSES, EVENTUALLY WERE
POWERED BY ELECTRIC.
THAT MEANT THAT YOU COULD GET
AROUND A LOT FASTER.
>> THE STREET CAR MADE GETTING
TO THE EAST SIDE EASY, AND THE
LOCATION OF SOME OF COLUMBUS'
GRAND AND LOFTY INSTITUTIONS
ALSO MADE THIS A DESIRABLE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> CERTAINLY THE BLIND SCHOOL
WAS A MAJOR ANCHORING
INSTITUTION.
IT'S BEEN THERE SINCE THE 1830s.
IT WAS A LANDMARK ON THE EAST
SIDE OF THE CITY.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE STYLE OF
THE ARCHITECTURE, THE GRANDEUR,
IT WAS BUILT TO SHOW OFF THAT WE
CARED ABOUT THESE PEOPLE AND WE
WERE PROUD THAT WE TOOK CARE OF
THEM.
AND PEOPLE DIDN'T MIND LIVING
NEXT TO THEM.
>> THERE ARE NO REAL PARKS AS WE
THINK ABOUT THEM.
AND PARKS BECOME ASSOCIATED WITH
A LEISURE CLASS WHO ENJOYED
STROLLING IN THEM, WHO USED THE
GARDENS FOR SORT OF AN EXTENSION
OF THEIR OWN YARD.
AND IT'S THE HOUSES THAT GREW UP
AROUND THE INSTITUTIONS, NOT
NECESSARILY THE OTHER WAY
AROUND.
>> AT ONE TIME, THE CITY STOPPED
AT PARSONS FARM, NEAR WHAT WE
TODAY CALL "PARSONS AVENUE."
THE FAMILY HAD BECOME A DYNASTY
IN COLUMBUS.
DOC PARSONS WAS ONE OF THE
CITY'S FIRST PHYSICIANS.
HIS SON, GEORGE, WAS A
REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESSMAN.
>> HIS FAMILY, IN FACT, MARRIES
INTO EUROPEAN ROYALTY.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT WEDDINGS IN COLUMBUS
HISTORY WHEN THE PARSONS'
DAUGHTER IS MARRIED OFF.
>> I THINK IT WAS DEFINITELY A
LOVE MARRIAGE ALTHOUGH I'M SURE
THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF
WHISPERS BEHIND HER BACK THAT IT
WAS ABOUT MARRYING FOR TITLE OR
HE MARRIED HER FOR HER MONEY.
AND PARSONS MANSION AT THE
CORNER OF WHAT IS TODAY PARSONS
AND BRIDEN IS EVENTUALLY GONNA
BECOME THE FIRST COLUMBUS SCHOOL
FOR GIRLS.
>> THESE FOLKS, THESE FOUNDERS
OF COLUMBUS WERE INDIVIDUALISTS.
THEY WANTED TO BE DIFFERENT.
THEY WANTED TO BE SPECIAL.
>> THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WILL BE
THE BANKERS, DEPARTMENT STORE
OWNERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE VENTURE
CAPITALISTS OF THEIR DAY.
>> THEY PROBABLY WERE MERCHANTS,
PROFESSIONALS, PEOPLE WHO WERE
AFFLUENT AND HAD A LOT OF
DISPOSABLE INCOME AND THEY PUT
IT IN THEIR HOMES AND THEIR
LIFESTYLE.
>> AS THE DEVELOPING CITY PUSHED
EAST, CERTAIN STREETS STARTED
TAKING SHAPE --
LIVINGSTON AVENUE ON THE
SOUTH --
MAIN STREET, WHICH WAS PART OF
THE NATIONAL ROAD --
AND BROAD STREET, THE ROAD TO
GRANVILLE AND THE BEGINNING OF A
PREMIERE RESIDENTIAL BOULEVARD.
>> BROAD STREET, IN A SENSE, IS
THE SORT OF VICTORIAN DREAM
STREET AND PERSONS WHO ARE
REALLY WELL OFF IN THE CITY OF
COLUMBUS TEND TO BUILD THEIR
DREAM HOUSES OUT ALONG THE EAST
BROAD STREET CORRIDOR.
>> THAT WAS THE CREME DE LA
CREME FOR THOSE WHO WERE THE
WELL-TO-DO IN BUILDING HOUSES
WHICH WERE REALLY MONUMENTS TO
THEIR OWN SUCCESS BACK IN THE
TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY.
>> THEY WANTED TO MAKE BROAD
STREET COMING INTO DOWNTOWN
COLUMBUS A SHOW PLACE, SO THEY
BUILT THE FINEST HOUSES THEY
COULD DESIGN AND CONCEIVE AND
AFFORD.
THESE HOMES LATER BECAME WHAT WE
MIGHT SAY ARE "VANITY HOUSES."
>> AT THE TIME THESE BUILDINGS
WERE BUILT, IT WAS A BROAD
AVENUE.
IT HAD TREE ISLANDS IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE STREET, SO IT WAS
A VERY GRACEFUL, VERY REFINED,
VERY BEAUTIFUL BOULEVARD, AND IT
WAS ONE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCES
INTO THE CITY OF COLUMBUS, SO IT
WAS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT
STREET.
>> BROAD STREET BECAME HOME TO
SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
PEOPLE IN COLUMBUS --
PEOPLE LIKE FRIEDRICH
SCHUMACHER, FAMOUS FOR INVENTING
TESTIMONIAL ADVERTISING FOR THE
ELIXIR PERUNA.
>> MY GRANDMOTHER TOOK PERUNA
AND SHE FELT BETTER.
THE HORSE DRANK PERUNA, HE FEELS
BETTER.
THE DOG HAS IT.
YOU KNOW, MY GREAT
GRANDMOTHER --
IT CURED EVERYTHING.
>> LATER IN HIS LIFE, SCHUMACHER
DONATED HIS ART COLLECTION WHICH
IS THE BASIS FOR THE PRESENT DAY
COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART ON BROAD
STREET.
AND BROAD STREET WAS HOME NOT
ONLY TO THE WEALTHY, BUT THE
IMPORTANT.
FOR YEARS, OHIO GOVERNORS HAD A
BROAD STREET ADDRESS.
>> ORIGINALLY, OHIO GOVERNORS
DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A MANSION
THROUGH MOST OF THE 19th
CENTURY, THROUGH THE 1800s.
THEY LIVED IN ALL SORTS OF
PLACES.
BY THE 20th CENTURY, IT BECAME
APPARENT THAT IT WOULD BE NICE,
LIKE MOST OTHER STATES DO, TO
HAVE A GOVERNOR'S MANSION.
SO THE LINDBERG MANSION, HAVING
BEEN BUILT IN 1905, WAS ACQUIRED
BY THE STATE OF OHIO TO BECOME
THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION.
AND IT WILL SERVE AS THE
GOVERNOR'S MANSION THROUGH THE
1920s, WELL DOWN INTO THE 1950s
WHEN A NEW GOVERNOR'S MANSION IS
ACQUIRED IN BEXLEY.
>> WELL, LEGEND HAS IT AND
HISTORIANS SAY THEY CAN PROVE
THAT IF YOU WERE WEALTHY AND
WANTED TO BUILD A HOUSE ON BROAD
STREET, YOU HAD TO BE CERTAIN
THINGS --
YOU HAD TO BE WHITE,
ANGLO-SAXTON, AND PROTESTANT.
AND IF YOU WEREN'T ALL OF THOSE
THINGS BUT STILL WEALTHY, YOUR
ALTERNATIVE WAS BRYDEN ROAD.
>> THERE USED TO BE AN ARCH OVER
BRYDEN ROAD AND THE HOUSING
STOCK WAS JUST FABULOUS.
THE TREES WERE JUST TINY, SO YOU
COULD IMAGINE WHAT IT LOOKED
LIKE WITH THE GIANT HOUSES AND
JUST NEWLY SAPLING TREES.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS QUITE
MAGNIFICENT.
>> SO BRYDEN ROAD WAS HOME TO
SOME INCREDIBLE MANSIONS BUILT
BY THE SCHOTTENSTEIN FAMILY, THE
LAZARUS FAMILY, AND SOME NOTED
CATHOLICS LIKE THEODORE LEONARD.
>> OH, BRYDEN ROAD WAS A LUXURY
PLACE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE ALWAYS WENT THERE ON
HALLOWEEN 'CAUSE WE KNEW WE
WOULD GET SOMETHING REALLY GOOD.
SOMETIME'S THEY'D GIVE US
APPLES, SOMETIMES A PIECE OF
PUMPKIN PIE, CANDY, SO THAT WAS
THE FIRST PLACE WE EVER WENT
WHEN WE WENT HALLOWEENING.
♪♪
>> OLD TOWNE EAST IS REALLY A
COLLECTION OF PROBABLY
500 UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL STYLES.
THERE ARE MANSIONS ON BRYDEN
ROAD, EAST BROAD STREET, BUT
THERE ARE ALSO SMALLER HOUSES OF
TRADES PEOPLE AND SOME OF THE
OTHER FOLKS THAT LIVED IN THE
AREA.
>> IT WAS REALLY A PRETTY
DIVERSE POPULATION WHERE YOU
COULD BE IN A BIG HOUSE ON BROAD
STREET AND WALK TWO BLOCKS TO A
VERY, VERY MODEST HOUSE.
THOSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO
WORKED IN THE COMPANIES THAT THE
PEOPLE ON BROAD STREET OWNED.
THAT'S NOT HOW WE DEVELOP CITIES
TODAY.
WE WOULD NEVER HAVE WHAT WOULD
BE THE EQUIVALENT OF, SAY, A
MILLION DOLLAR HOME NEXT TO A
$50,000 HOME.
>> IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,
JUST LIKE TODAY, YOUR HOUSE WAS
WHERE YOU SHOWED OFF YOUR WEALTH
AND STANDING, AND THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT THEY DID.
>> I THINK IT'S A NICE,
REFLECTIVE PIECE OF HISTORY FOR
THE U.S. AT THAT TIME WHEN THE
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION --
ALL THIS NEW WEALTH WAS COMING
INTO FAVOR AND WHAT THEY WERE
DOING WITH THEIR MONEY.
>> THEY'RE SOLID ARCHITECTURE
THAT SAYS "WE MADE OUR MONEY.
WE ARE HERE."
IT'S CONSERVATIVE, RESTRAINED,
AND YET IT HAS THE
EMBELLISHMENTS OF WHAT 19th
CENTURY AND EARLY 20th CENTURY
ARCHITECTURE SHOULD HAVE.
>> I THINK IT SPEAKS TO HOW THE
CITY GREW OVER TIME, HOW PEOPLE
WANTED TO HAVE NICE PLACES TO
LIVE AND HOW THEY MADE THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS WHAT THEY WERE.
>> THEY USED THE BEST RESOURCES
AVAILABLE, SPARING NO EXPENSE TO
BE FASHIONABLE WITH THE LATEST
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES.
♪♪
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
REALIZE THESE WERE SOPHISTICATED
PEOPLE WHO KNEW WHAT WAS GOING
ON IN THE WORLD AND WERE WELL
READ, WELL EDUCATED.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE TELEVISION,
THEY DIDN'T HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA,
BUT THEY DID HAVE MAGAZINES,
NEWSPAPERS, WAYS OF REFLECTING
WHAT WAS THE HEIGHT OF FASHION
DURING THE DAY.
>> I THINK THEY WERE GETTING A
BIG INFLUENCE FROM EUROPE WHICH
IS REFLECTED IN THIS HOME,
BECAUSE BY 1900, WHEN THEY
REMODELED THE HOUSE, IT WAS MORE
COMMON TO HAVE AN ENGLISH
INTERIOR, AN ENGLISH COUNTRY
HOUSE, OR A FRENCH COUNTRY HOME,
SO THEY WERE REALLY DIRECTING
THEIR TASTE MORE TO THAT THAN
THEY WERE AMERICAN.
>> THEY VALUED CRAFTSMANSHIP AND
THEY VALUED MATERIALS --
QUALITY MATERIALS.
THEY BUILT THEIR HOMES TO LAST
NOT FOR A FEW DECADES, BUT THEY
LITERALLY BUILT THESE HOMES TO
LAST FOR CENTURIES.
♪♪
>> HENRY HALLWOOD HAS A REALLY
LONG AND INTERESTING HISTORY.
HE WAS A MINER IN WEST VIRGINIA
FOR A WHILE.
MOVING HERE --
AND BECAUSE OF THAT
MINERALOGICAL BACKGROUND, HE
BECAME AN ENTREPRENEUR IN PAVING
BRICKS.
SO TONS OF HIS PAVING BRICKS
WERE EVERYWHERE IN CITIES ALL
OVER AMERICA.
YOU WOULD SEE THESE LITTLE
BLOCKS AND THEY WOULD SAY
"HALLWOOD BLOCK."
♪♪
>> ARCHITECTS WERE HIGHLY SOUGHT
AFTER WHEN DESIGNING HOUSES.
NOT ONLY DID THEY DESIGN THE
HOUSES, BUT MANY OF THEM LIVED
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
ARCHITECTS SUCH AS JOSEPH YOST
OF YOST AND PACKARD WHO LEFT A
LEGACY OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE
SCHOOLS, BUILDINGS, AND HOMES
ALL OVER COLUMBUS.
GEORGE BELLOWS SR., WHO DESIGNED
MANY LANDMARK BUILDINGS --
INCLUDING WHAT IS NOW THE AME
ZION CHURCH --
AND IN THEIR RANKS WAS FLORENCE
KENYAN HAYDEN RECTOR, A FEMALE
ARCHITECT AHEAD OF HER TIME.
>> SHE'S REALLY THE FIRST
LICENSED WOMAN ARCHITECT IN OHIO
COMING OUT OF OHIO STATE.
HER MENTOR WAS THE UNIVERSITY
ARCHITECT WHO GAVE HER AN
IMPORTANT COMMISSION AND THAT
WAS TO DESIGN A WOMENS'
DORMITORY AT OHIO STATE WHEN
FLORENCE WAS ONLY 25 YEARS OLD.
HE ALSO GAVE HER A MALE
ASSISTANT BECAUSE HE WASN'T SO
SURE THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING A
WOMAN COULD HANDLE.
>> SHE WAS A SMART WOMAN AND A
LITTLE BELLIGERENT IT SOUNDS
LIKE, YOU KNOW?
AND SO SHE DECIDED THAT SHE WAS
GONNA LOCK THAT GUY OUT OF THE
OFFICE.
SHE FINISHED THE PROJECT ON TIME
AND UNDER BUDGET AND WE HAVE THE
OXLEY HALL AT OSU WHICH WAS THE
FIRST WOMENS' DORMITORY AT THE
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUILT BY
HER.
>> SHE DESIGNED A HOUSE THAT IS
ARCHITECTURALLY INCOMPATIBLE AND
UNLIKE ANY OTHER HOUSE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT CAUSED QUITE
A STIR FOR THE DAY.
AND IT ALWAYS HARKENS BACK WHEN
PEOPLE WANT TO BUILD NEW
CONSTRUCTION AND YOU THINK ABOUT
THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY
OF THAT STRUCTURE AND THEN YOU
THINK ABOUT THE HISTORIC BATTLE
OVER ARCHITECTURAL COMPATIBILITY
THAT MUST HAVE ALWAYS BEEN.
>> PEOPLE BUILT THEIR HOUSES THE
WAY THEY WANTED THEM, REFLECTIVE
OF THE FORMALITIES AND FUNCTIONS
OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
>> CERTAIN AREAS OF THE HOUSE
THAT WE THINK ARE ABSOLUTELY
CRITICAL TODAY MIGHT HAVE BEEN
SECONDARY.
THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN PUBLIC
SPACES LIKE PARLORS THAT WERE A
LITTLE MORE FORMAL THAN THE
LIVING SPACES THAT THE FAMILIES
HAD.
THE KITCHEN WAS PURELY
FUNCTIONAL AND YOU WOULD HAVE A
LOVELY DINING ROOM WHERE YOU
WOULD BE SERVED DINNER.
>> DESPITE THE ARCHITECTURAL
DIVERSITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD,
MOST OF THE HOUSES DID HAVE A
COMMON DISTINGUISHING FEATURE --
A LARGE FRONT PORCH.
THEY SHAPED THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND
THEY SHAPED THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED
THEIR LIVES.
>> FRONT PORCHES WERE PART OF
THE EXTENSION OF THE HOUSE.
IT WASN'T JUST TO KEEP YOU DRY
ON A WET DAY.
ESPECIALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT A LOT
OF HOUSES IN OLDE TOWNE EAST
WHERE THE FRONT PORCHES WERE
ACTUALLY LIKE OUTDOOR LIVING
ROOMS.
THESE HOUSES WERE BUILT WITHOUT
AIR CONDITIONING, SO ON HOT
DAYS, IT WAS COMFORTABLE BEING
OUTSIDE.
IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
EYES ON THE STREET AND YOU
BECOME PART OF WHAT'S GOING ON
AROUND YOU.
♪♪
>> THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS ON THE
EAST SIDE WERE INVESTING HEAVILY
IN THEIR HOMES.
THEY DID NOT WANT BROAD STREET
OVERRUN WITH BUSINESSES AND
TRAFFIC THAT WOULD COME FROM
DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL
PROPERTIES.
>> THEY WORKED VERY HARD TO KEEP
THAT TRAFFIC OFF OF BROAD
STREET, BUT THE BUSINESSMEN AND
THE BURGEONING BUSINESS
COMMUNITY OVER ON MAIN STREET
WANTED THE TRAFFIC TO COME PAST
THEM.
>> MAIN STREET WAS KIND OF THE
COMMERCIAL SPINE ALONG WITH LONG
STREET THAT REALLY FRAMED THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS IN BETWEEN AND
THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMERCIAL
ACTIVITY ALONG MAIN STREET --
THEATERS, RESTAURANTS,
PROFESSIONAL BUSINESSES,
STORES --
>> THE NEAREST AREA IS A
RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY,
PRIMARILY, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN
WITH A LOT OF MOM-POP STUFF
STUFFED ON THE CORNERS.
LIKE IN NODES, COMMERCIAL NODES.
IT FOLLOWED THE HISTORY OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
YOU KNOW, THERE'D BE A DRUG
STORE OR SOMETHING ON THE CORNER
AND YOU WALKED TO IT.
AND THEN THERE'D BE ONE ON A
CORNER A FEW BLOCKS AWAY THAT
THEY WALKED TO.
>> BUSINESSES CAME AND WENT
THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT
ONE HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE
BEGINNING.
>> E.T. PAUL WAS MY GREAT
GRANDFATHER.
HE STARTED THE BUSINESS IN 1896.
HE WAS A BLACKSMITH AND HE BUILT
THE BUSINESS FROM JUST ONE
SINGLE SMITHY UP INTO
12 SMITHIES WORKING.
THE SHOES THAT HE USED WERE
RUBBER PADS TO KEEP THE NOISE
DOWN ON THE COBBLESTONE STREETS.
ALSO, THEY USED TO RACE HORSES
UP AND DOWN RICH STREET.
>> AND AS AUTOMOBILES REPLACED
HORSE AND CARRIAGES, E.T. PAUL,
ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD, MADE THE
TRANSITION.
>> HE WASN'T SURE WHETHER HE
WANTED TO STAY IN THE SMITHING
BUSINESS OR WHETHER HE WANTED TO
ACTUALLY TRANSITION INTO THE
AUTOMOBILE TIRES.
A VERY GOOD FRIEND TO HIM WAS
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BANK AND
KIND OF ENCOURAGED HIM AND
HELPED MY GREAT GRANDFATHER GO
THROUGH THE TRANSITION.
♪♪
>> THIS NEW CLASS OF VENTURE
CAPITALISTS LIVING ON THE EAST
SIDE WERE NOT ONLY MAKING NAMES
FOR THEMSELVES IN COLUMBUS, BUT
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THE
WORLD.
JOE CARR FOUNDED THE MODERN DAY
NFL AND LIVED ON BRYDEN ROAD --
MARY CAMPBELL, THE ONLY EVER
TWO-TIME MISS AMERICA, LIVED ON
GARFIELD --
AND DR. LEWIS M. EARLY LIVED ON
20th.
>> HE WAS A GENERAL PRACTICING
PHYSICIAN IN COLUMBUS, OHIO,
INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY.
IN THE LATE 1800s, HE BOUGHT A
CAMERA, LEARNED HOW TO USE IT.
THE GERMANS HAD INVENTED X-RAY
TECHNOLOGY, AND DR. EARLY, WITH
A GROUP OF DOCTORS HERE IN
COLUMBUS, WORKED ON A PATENT TO
DEVELOP X-RAYS ONTO PHOTOGRAPHIC
PAPER AND SOLD THE PATENT TO
KODAK IN 1905.
>> THE NEIGHBORHOOD ALWAYS HAS
BEEN WONDERFUL AND CREATIVE AND
THERE'S THAT CREATIVE SPIRIT
HERE.
♪♪
>> ONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S
MOST NOTABLE RESIDENTS WAS
GEORGE BELLOWS.
CELEBRATED AS AN IMPORTANT
AMERICAN PAINTER IN THE TURN OF
THE LAST CENTURY, HIS BOLD
DEPICTIONS OF ORDINARY LIFE MADE
HIM A LEADER IN THE REALISM
MOVEMENT AND HE BECAME AN
ACCLAIMED ARTIST OF HIS
GENERATION.
>> HIS FATHER WAS AN EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL BUILDER AND
ARCHITECT.
HIS UPBRINGING WAS DISTINCTLY
CONSERVATIVE.
BELLOWS LOVED BASEBALL, LOVED
SPORTS, AND HIS FAMILY DIDN'T
PREVENT HIM FROM TAKING PART OF
THAT AND THAT WAS A BIG PART OF
HIS LIFE HERE IN COLUMBUS.
HIS FATHER WAS A BIT
DISCONCERTED BY THE FACT THAT HE
WANTED TO BECOME AN ARTIST.
HE ENCOURAGED HIM TO BECOME AN
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER AS HE HAD
DONE.
AND BASICALLY GEORGE HAS TO NOT
SHOW UP FOR ONE OF HIS FINAL
EXAMS TO CONVINCE HIM THAT HE
REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO GET A
DEGREE IN THAT AREA OF STUDY AT
OHIO STATE.
SO THAT MESSAGE GETS THROUGH TO
HIS FATHER AND HIS FATHER GIVES
HIM AN ALLOWANCE AND SENDS HIM
OFF TO ONE OF THE BEST ART
SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY IN NEW
YORK CITY BUT WITH A FAIRLY
TIGHT LEASH.
>> BELLOWS' WORK WAS PROVOCATIVE
AND EXTRAORDINARILY POPULAR.
HE LATER USED HIS INFLUENCE TO
ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
FLEDGLING COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF
ART.
>> HE ARRANGES, IN THE EARLY
PART OF THE 20th CENTURY, THAT
THERE WILL BE A SHOW IN COLUMBUS
OF HIS WORK AND OTHERS.
BUT HE WANTS TO HAVE
INCANDESCENT LIGHT USED, NOT GAS
LIGHTS.
THE PAPERS REPORT "WELL, THE
GALLERY SHOW IS GOING TO BE
DELAYED IN OPENING AND THAT WAS
TOO EXPENSIVE AND THEY COULDN'T
MEET THAT NEED."
BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, THERE'S
SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON AND THAT
IS HIS ARTWORKS HAVE ARRIVED --
THOSE THAT HE HAS AND THOSE OF
HIS FRIENDS.
THE CITY FATHERS GET WIND OF THE
FACT THAT SOME OF THEM DEPICT
MALE MOODS AND OTHERS ARE BOXING
SCENES.
AND COLUMBUS TECHNICALLY HAS A
LAW AGAINST PUGILISM AND THERE
IS A GREAT DEAL OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT SHOULD HE BE ABLE TO SHOW
THESE OR NOT.
AND EVENTUALLY, A DEAL IS STRUCK
AND THEY TAKE THOSE QUESTIONABLE
PAINTINGS AND THEY PUT THEM
ASIDE IN A ROOM.
AND IT'S REALLY THE MENS' ROOM
ONLY THAT CAN VIEW THEM.
WOMEN CAN'T SEE THEM.
>> HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN
BRINGING PEOPLE IN FOR TEACHING
HE DID A NUMBER OF PORTRAITS OF
PROFESSORS FOR OHIO STATE
UNIVERSITY AND TRAVELED BACK AND
FORTH TO VISIT HIS FAMILY ON A
REGULAR BASIS.
SO HE DIDN'T FORGET HIS HOME
TOWN.
♪♪
>> NOT FAR BEHIND GEORGE BELLOWS
WAS ANOTHER ARTIST FROM THE
NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WOULD FOLLOW
HIS SUCCESS IN ART.
>> IT'S SAID OF HER THAT SHE WAS
ONE OF THE BEST WATERCOLORISTS
OF HER DAY, REGARDLESS OF HER
SEX BECAUSE MEN WERE THE ARTISTS
OF THE DAY.
WOMEN STAYED AT HOME AND TOOK
CARE OF THE FAMILY AND ALICE
SCHILLE DID NOT DO THAT.
>> ALICE SCHILLE GREW UP IN AN
AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE
OLDE TOWNE EAST SECTION OF
COLUMBUS ON BRYDEN ROAD.
HER FATHER WAS A LEADING
MANUFACTURER OF SODA-POP.
EVERYBODY IN CENTRAL OHIO DRANK
SCHILLE POP AND WAS QUITE
SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT BUSINESS.
BUT TRAGICALLY, HE DIED WHEN HE
WAS ONLY ABOUT 40 YEARS OLD AND
HIS WIFE CARRIED ON THE
BUSINESS.
AND I THINK THAT CIRCUMSTANCE
BECAUSE OF THE WIFE'S STRENGTH
AND HER UNDERSTANDING OF HER OWN
ABILITY TO RUN A BUSINESS, SHE
WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ALICE AND
ENCOURAGED HER TO GO TO THE
GREATEST SCHOOLS.
THAT GAVE HER FREEDOM TO TRAVEL
ALL OVER THE WORLD, HELP WITH
FINANCES IN THE BEGINNING DAYS.
ALICE SCHILLE ALSO WAS CONNECTED
WITH MANY OF THE PROMINENT
FAMILIES AND PAINTED PORTRAITS
OF MOST OF THE LEADING FAMILIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO BETWEEN ABOUT
1905 AND 1940.
>> SHE BECAME A NATIONALLY
RANKED WATERCOLORIST AND DID
PAINTINGS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
♪♪
>> LIFE WAS GOOD FOR THE
PRIVILEGED PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT JUST AS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STREETCAR
MADE OLDE TOWNE EAST POSSIBLE, A
NEW FORM OF TRANSPORTATION --
THE AUTOMOBILE --
MADE IT EASIER TO MOVE TO NEWER
NEIGHBORHOODS.
>> AS COLUMBUS STARTED TO MOVE
FURTHER EAST, I THINK IT WAS A
NATURAL TRANSITION THAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT WERE RESIDENTS DOWN
IN THIS AREA MOVED OUT TO MORE
THE SUBURBAN.
>> NEW HOUSING WAS HARDER TO
FIND, SO PEOPLE HAD A CHOICE
BETWEEN OLDER HOUSES OR
OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD NEW
THINGS IN OTHER AREAS OF TOWN
AND THEY OPTED FOR THE LATTER.
♪♪
>> AS PEOPLE MOVED EAST, HOMES
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAME
AVAILABLE.
THE EXODUS OF COLUMBUS' ELITE
PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
MEMBERS OF THE RISING MIDDLE
CLASS.
OLDE TOWNE EAST BECAME MORE
DIVERSE.
>> WHEN BLACKS WERE ABLE TO
PURCHASE PROPERTY, A LOT OF THEM
WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE IN THE
EAST SIDE FIRST.
PRIOR TO THAT, THEY WERE ALMOST
ALL RENTERS.
>> BLACKS, WHITES, GREENS,
BLUES --
EVERYBODY LIVED HERE.
>> WE HAD NO RACIAL ISSUES
WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN
THOUGH THAT WE HAD CLUSTERS OF
BLACKS LIVING IN CERTAIN AREAS
AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
WE PLAYED TOGETHER, WE DID
EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
WE EVEN SOMETIMES CAMPED OUT ON
THE PORCH WITH A MIXTURE OF
BLACK AND WHITES.
>> I THINK THE BIGGEST THING
ABOUT IT IS THAT IT WAS CLEAN,
QUIET, RESIDENTIAL, VERY MUCH
BLACK MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE WHO
HAD ASPIRATIONS, WHO WANTED
THEIR CHILDREN TO BE
WELL-EDUCATED, PEOPLE WHO
WORKED, TOOK CARE OF THEIR
PROPERTY, AND CONTRIBUTED
SOMETHING IN TERMS OF THE
CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> STREETCARS MADE THE
NEIGHBORHOOD POSSIBLE.
THE AUTOMOBILE MADE IT POSSIBLE
FOR PEOPLE TO LEAVE, AND THE
HIGHWAY NEARLY DESTROYED THE
COMMUNITY.
>> IT WOULD BE HARD TO
UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTERSTATE
HIGHWAY SYSTEM ON THE CITY OF
COLUMBUS OR ANY AMERICAN CITY
FOR THAT MATTER.
THINK ABOUT THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
BUILDINGS BEING DEMOLISHED TO
MAKE WAY FOR THE FREEWAY.
>> TWO MAJOR, MAJOR
THOROUGHFARES CAME THROUGH THE
COMMUNITY AND SEPARATED THEM AND
BECAME PHYSICAL, LIKE,
BOUNDARIES FOR THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS.
>> IT CUT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD OFF
FROM THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, THE
EAST, AND THE WEST.
I THINK THAT KIND OF CHANGED
THIS WHOLE ATMOSPHERE.
PEOPLE LEFT.
LEFT HOMES THAT WERE GOOD TO
LIVE IN.
THE SUBURBS EXPLODED IN THE POST
WORLD WAR II GENERATION, AND
THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE THOUGHT LIFE
WAS BETTER.
>> FAMILIES NOW WERE BEING
PRESENTED WITH ALL THOSE CHOICES
OF THE LITTLE HOUSE, THE YARD TO
RAISE THEIR CHILDREN IN, AND THE
FACT IT WAS A TWO-CAR FAMILY.
>> HUGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE BEGIN
TO LEAVE THE OLD CITY AND DEPART
FOR THE NEW SUBURBS SOME
CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE AWAY FROM
DOWNTOWN.
AS THEY DO SO, THOSE OLDER
NEIGHBORHOODS GO THROUGH A
VARIETY OF TRANSITIONS.
SOME REVITALIZING THEMSELVES,
SOME RESTORING THEMSELVES, SOME
NOT --
SOME DETERIORATING.
>> PEOPLE START LEAVING.
EVERYBODY WANTS SOMETHING NEWER
AND BIGGER OR SMALLER OR MORE
MODERN.
AND AS THEY LEAVE, THEN THE
BUSINESSES SUFFER 'CAUSE THERE'S
NOW SHOPPING FURTHER OUT.
>> WHEN BUSINESS MOVES AWAY,
THEN THOSE BUILDINGS ARE VACANT.
AND WITHOUT RESIDENTIAL OR
ENOUGH RESIDENTIAL, IT DOESN'T
ANCHOR A COMMUNITY THROUGH THE
HARD TIMES.
>> PEOPLE MOVING INTO A
NEIGHBORHOOD CREATE DEMAND AND
THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET TO A
STORE.
THEY WANT A MARKET.
THEY WANT DIFFERENT SERVICES.
THEY WANT RESTAURANTS AND
THEY'LL PATRONIZE THEM.
YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT BECAUSE
IT DOESN'T MAKE AND DIFFERENCE
HOW MUCH STUFF YOU'VE GOT THERE.
IF NOBODY'S GOING, IT'S NOT
GONNA STAY.
>> IN THE AGE OF THE SUBURB, NO
ONE WANTED A MANSION WITH
10 FOOT CEILINGS.
SOME WERE ABANDONED.
SOME WERE TURNED INTO NURSING
HOMES, CHURCHES, OR APARTMENTS.
HOME OWNERS WERE DISAPPEARING.
>> OWNERS DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE
ANY LONGER.
THEY WANTED TO MOVE OUT TO THE
SUBURBS AND THAT'S WHAT THEY
DID.
SO THEY LEFT A LOT OF
UNINHABITED PROPERTY THAT BECAME
RENTAL PROPERTY.
AND THAT'S HOW WE ENDED UP WITH
THIS MIX OF PEOPLE THAT WE
DIDN'T KNOW.
>> WHEN YOU HAVE A HIGH RENTAL
RATE, YOU HAVE A LARGE TRANSIENT
POPULATION AND THAT TRANSIENT
POPULATION GENERALLY DO NOT HAVE
THE SAVE VALUES.
VALUES IN TERMS OF OWNERSHIP.
THEY DON'T HAVE AS MUCH INTEREST
IN PARTICIPATING IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITIES.
>> THERE WERE A LOT OF ABSENTEE
LANDLORDS THAT COULD CARE LESS
ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU
KNOW?
THEY LIVED IN THE SUBURBS AND
THEY OWNED THE PROPERTY AND ALL
THEY WERE INTERESTED IN WAS A
QUICK CASH FLOW.
AND THEY DIDN'T PUT ANY MONEY
BACK INTO THEIR PROPERTIES.
>> AND JUST SAD THAT PEOPLE
DIDN'T STAY HERE TO PROTECT
THIS.
♪♪
>> ABSENTEE LANDLORDS AND
INDIFFERENT CITY OFFICIALS COULD
HAVE BEEN A FATAL BLOW TO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
INSTEAD, THESE DARK DAYS OPENED
MIGHT OFFER HOPE.
ACROSS THE NATION, PEOPLE IN
OLDER COMMUNITIES WERE GIVEN A
TOOL TO PRESERVE WHAT HAD BEEN
BUILT.
>> THE 1960s REALLY WAS WHEN THE
AMERICAN PRESERVATION MOVEMENT
KICKED INTO HIGH GEAR.
AND THAT REALLY CAME ABOUT WITH
THE PASSAGE OF THE NATIONAL
HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT IN
1966 WHICH SET UP A NATIONAL
PRESERVATION PROGRAM.
>> SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GOING
TO HAVE HIGHLY RESTRICTIVE
PRESERVATION CONTROL PUT INTO
PLACE.
THEY'RE GONNA BECOME HISTORIC
DISTRICTS IN ONE FORM OR
ANOTHER.
OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS DON'T GO
THAT WAY.
THEY SIMPLE FORM ORGANIZATIONS
OR WORKING WITH EXISTING
NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS.
OLDE TOWNE EAST IS AN EXAMPLE OF
THAT KIND OF REVITALIZATION.
♪♪
>> THE BARONS AND BUSINESS
IMPRESARIOS OF COLUMBUS' PAST
HAD BUILT OLDE TOWNE EAST, BUT
IT WAS THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION FORMED IN THE 1970s
THAT FOUGHT TO PRESERVE IT.
AS PARTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
WERE LISTED ON THE NATIONAL
HISTORIC REGISTER, FINANCIAL
INCENTIVE PROGRAMS BECAME
AVAILABLE AND ATTRACTED A NEW
WAVE OF RESIDENTS.
>> I FIRST CAME INTO THE AREA IN
THE LATE 70s AND IT WAS A GREAT
TIME FOR THE PRICE OF THE HOUSES
FOR PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE
MEANS TO AFFORD BIG HOMES LIKE
THIS WITH ALL THE CHARACTER TO
COME DOWN HERE AND PURCHASE A
HOME.
>> I WAS LIVING ON THE
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AND WANTED TO
GET AWAY FROM THE NOISE AND THE
HUBBUB OF THE STUDENTS.
AND I KNEW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND
KNEW WHAT NOISE AND HUBBUB I
WOULD RUN INTO HERE AND IT WAS
FINE.
>> WE FELT THAT OLDE TOWNE WAS
THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE FOR US.
AND MAINLY FOR THE ARCHITECTURE
AND FOR THE SPACING THAT YOU
HAVE IN TERMS OF FOOTAGE.
AND BEING AN ARTIST AND HAVING A
LOT OF WORK OF MY OWN.
AND AT THAT TIME, TWO KIDS --
IT WAS JUST THE PERFECT FIT.
>> WE HAD JUST SIGNED THE
CONTRACT FOR THE HOUSE AND KIND
OF A LITTLE NERVOUS AND WE GOT A
PHONE CALL AND IT SAID "I
UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE A
CONTRACT ON A HOUSE ON MONROE."
AND WE SAID "YEAH."
AND HE SAID "WELL, I'M THE OWNER
OF THE HOUSE AND I HEAR Y'ALL
ARE ARTISTS AND THOUGHT YOU
MIGHT BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT
GEORGE BELLOWS LIVED IN YOUR
HOUSE.
GEORGE BELLOWS SR. BUILT THE
HOUSE."
SO WE'RE LIKE "OH MY GOD!
IT'S AN ARTIST'S HOUSE."
AND IT FELT THAT.
IT HAD A SPECIAL VIBE WHEN YOU
WALKED IN.
>> IN THE OLD DAYS, THERE USED
TO BE WHAT WAS CALLED "THE
DEMOLITION LIST."
AND THE DEMOLITION LIST WOULD GO
TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS AS
WELL AS THE COMMISSION.
WHO WOULD BOTH TAKE A LOOK AT
THE BUILDINGS AND DECIDE WHICH
ONES COULD REALLY BE SAVED AND
WHICH ONES PROBABLY --
THE CITY WAS RIGHT --
NEEDED TO COME DOWN.
LOTS OF BUILDINGS WERE SAVABLE.
THERE'S SOME PERFECT EXAMPLES
ACROSS FROM THE COLUMBUS
FOUNDATION, AND THERE'S FOUR
BEAUTIFUL MANSIONS ALONG BROAD
STREET THERE THAT WERE SLATED
FOR DEMOLITION.
AND THERE WAS A THOUGHT OF A
HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDING
THERE.
GREAT PAINS WERE TAKEN TO SAVE
THOSE BUILDINGS AND THEY NOW
STAND THERE AS BEAUTIFUL
MANSIONS.
>> I HAD WATCHED THE CASTO
BUILDINGS GO UP BECAUSE I HAD
BEEN AWARE OF THEM FOR MANY
YEARS, THAT THIS WAS BEHIND
CHAIN-LINK FENCE FOR 25 YEARS.
AND THIS HOUSE WAS ACTUALLY THE
ONE THAT WAS BEGINNING TO FALL
IN ON ITSELF.
IT WAS A SUMMER DAY ON THE TOUR
AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS
100 DEGREES AND THE HUMIDITY WAS
100 DEGREES, AND THERE WERE
20 HOUSES ON THE TOUR THAT DAY.
WE CAME IN AND I TOOK FIVE STEPS
INSIDE THAT FRONT DOOR AND THE
HOUSE SAID TO ME, "SAVE ME."
AND SO THAT WAS THE BEGINNING,
AND I HAD A CHECK READY THE NEXT
MORNING.
♪♪
>> I WAS ACTIVE IN THE PROCESS
OF WORKING WITH THE AMERICAN RED
CROSS, AND CONVINCING THEM THAT
IN THE LONG RUN IT WOULD BE MUCH
MORE SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER FOR
OUR COMMUNITY NOT TO TEAR DOWN
THE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TO BUILD
ADDITIONAL OFFICE BUILDING AND
PARKING LOT SPACE.
>> AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION OBJECTED.
AND THEY WORKED WITH THE
AMERICAN RED CROSS, WHICH IS A
TERRIFIC NEIGHBOR TODAY TO SAVE
THESE WONDERFUL HOUSES.
>> THERE WAS A BUILDING THAT HAD
BEEN TORN DOWN THAT LEFT A GIANT
FOOTPRINT AT OAK AND HOFFMAN,
AND THAT WAS TRADED FOR HOUSING
STOCK THAT THE RED CROSS HAD
PURCHASED.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE RED CROSS
PARKING LOT IS NOW.
IT'S A GOOD PIECE OF A
COLLABORATIVE WORK, AND IT WAS A
WIN-WIN FOR ALL OF US.
>> PEOPLE WHO MOVED INTO THESE
HOUSES KNEW IT WOULD BE A
CHALLENGE.
A NEW FLOOR PLAN COULD BRING
BACK A MANSION THAT HAD BEEN CUT
INTO APARTMENTS.
THEY COULD STRIP A HOUSE TO THE
STUDS, THEN GIVE IT NEW LIFE.
THROUGH THE '70s, THE MAIN
CONCERN WAS HAVING ENOUGH MONEY
TO GET THE WORK DONE.
BUT THEN CAME A NEW CHALLENGE.
ONE THAT MADE MANY PEOPLE WONDER
IF THEY COULD STAY.
>> IN THE '80s, OUR COMMUNITY
SUFFERED WITH AN EPIDEMIC OF
CRACK.
A LOT OF OTHER COMMUNITIES DID,
TOO -- RICH AND POOR.
AND PEOPLE BECAME A LITTLE MORE
FRIGHTENED WHEN HOUSES WERE
BEING BURGLED, OR YOUR CAR MIGHT
GET BROKEN INTO SO THAT YOUR CAR
STEREO COULD BE TAKEN.
>> I COULD WALK IN ONE BLOCK IN
ANY DIRECTION, AND I COULD FIND
PROSTITUTION, I COULD FIND
DRUGS, I COULD SEE CRIME.
>> I REMEMBER READING THAT THE
POLICE WERE NOT PREPARED BECAUSE
IT WAS A TYPE OF VIOLENCE AND A
LEVEL OF VIOLENCE THAT COLUMBUS
WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH.
IT WAS A HIGHER DEGREE OF
VIOLENCE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, I MEAN,
NEVER BEFORE DO I REMEMBER
PEOPLE EVER HEARING GUNFIRE OR
ANYBODY GETTING SHOT OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT.
AND THINGS LIKE THAT BEGAN TO
HAPPEN.
SO, THAT WAS A PERIOD OF TIME
WHEN I REALLY STARTED TO
QUESTION WHETHER WE SHOULD BE
HERE.
>> OLDER PEOPLE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD WERE AFRAID TO COME
OUT ON THEIR PORCHES.
EVERY STRANGER WAS MET WITH
SUSPICION.
MANY RESIDENTS DIDN'T TRUST THE
POLICE.
IF THINGS WERE TO GET BETTER, IT
WOULD HAVE TO START WITH THE
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
>> I NOTICED THAT THE LONG-TERM
RESIDENTS THAT WERE HERE BEFORE
US, THEY HAD AN ADVERSARIAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE POLICE.
>> IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY,
THERE'S NO TRUST FOR THE POLICE.
THEY'VE NEVER BEEN FOR US,
THEY'VE ALWAYS HARASSED US AND
WHAT HAVE YOU.
>> THEY WEREN'T INVESTED IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY DIDN'T
RESPECT THE RESIDENTS IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD THE WAY THEY
SHOULD.
AND I THINK THAT WE TRIED TO
SHOW PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW THE
POLICE ARE HERE TO PROTECT YOU,
AND WE'RE GONNA PUT THEM ON
NOTICE THAT THEY HAVE TO DO
THAT.
SO, WE WORKED REALLY HARD WITH
THE NEIGHBORS TO MAKE THEM FEEL
MORE COMFORTABLE.
AND WE ESTABLISHED BLOCK
WATCHES, WHICH REALLY HELPED.
>> WE WERE SUCCESSFUL, AT LEAST,
GETTING THIS PART OF FAIR AVENUE
STARTED AND THEN WE STARTED
EXPANDING THE BLOCK WATCH AND
THEN THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED
SEEING THE ADVANTAGE OF IT
BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST ONE
STREET, WE NOW HAD AN AREA.
AND IT PROBABLY TOOK ABOUT TWO
OR THREE YEARS BEFORE WE GOT TO
THE POINT THAT PEOPLE FELT SAFE
TO COME BACK OUT ON THEIR
PORCHES AGAIN.
>> I USED TO JOKE WITH PEOPLE
AND SAY, "WELL, YOU KNOW, WE
LIVE IN A DEMILITARIZED ZONE,"
BECAUSE THE HELICOPTERS WERE A
CONSTANCY.
AND NOW WE SEE VERY, VERY LITTLE
OF THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> IT HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS
CHANGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS INVOLVED
BY CLEANING UP THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> WHILE BLOCK WATCHES, AND
OTHER EFFORTS TO MAKE THE
NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE WERE
SUCCESSFUL WHEN MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY WORK TOGETHER,
REVITALIZATION BROUGHT ANOTHER
KIND OF TENSION THAT THREATENED
TO DIVIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SOME PEOPLE WHO HAD LIVED THERE
FOR YEARS BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE
THE NEWCOMERS.
>> COMMUNITIES GO THROUGH A
TRANSITION, AND PART OF THAT
TRANSITION MAY BE THE RETURN OF
FOLKS OF MIDDLE CLASS STANDING
BACK TO COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY
HAD ONCE LIVED, OR PERSONS OF
SIMILAR STANDING HAD ONCE LIVED.
THIS PROCESS IS SOMETIMES CALLED
GENTRIFICATION -- WHERE LOW TO
MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE ARE
SOMEHOW DISPLACED BY THE
NEWCOMERS WHO ARE RETURNING TO
THE CITY.
>> THE AREA WAS NOTICEABLY
CHANGING AND PEOPLE WERE COMING
IN TO RENOVATE HOMES AND TO TAKE
ON SOME OF THESE BIGGER HOUSES.
AND THEY WERE FACING SOCIAL
CHALLENGES WITH PEOPLE WHO HAD
LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO
FELT, AND RIGHTLY SO, THAT THEY
HAD PRESERVED AND KEPT THESE
HOUSES FOR SO MANY YEARS, THAT
THIS WAS THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> OLDE TOWNE WENT THROUGH SOME
STRESSFUL PERIODS AS THERE WAS
SOME CONFLICT BETWEEN BLACK AND
WHITE, BETWEEN STRAIGHT AND GAY,
BETWEEN MONEY AND NO MONEY.
>> THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE
BUYING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
THAT PERHAPS WERE COMING FOR THE
ARCHITECTURE AND NOT AS MUCH FOR
THE PEOPLE.
PRIOR TO THAT, PEOPLE CAME HERE
AND WANTED TO COME HERE BECAUSE
OF THE PEOPLE.
>> MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS BOUGHT
THEIR HOUSES BACK IN THE '80s
WITH THE DOLLAR HOUSE PROGRAM.
AND SOME OF THEM SAID THEY WERE
THE ONLY PEOPLE LIVING ON THE
BLOCK AT THAT TIME.
>> THE HOUSES AND ALL, THEY JUST
LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS JUST A
MOVEMENT TO TAKE OVER.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE DIFFERENT
PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT
MENTALITIES MOVE INTO A
DIFFERENT AREA AND HAVE A
DIFFERENT MINDSET, WHO WISH TO
CREATE SOMETHING THAT THEY FEEL
FAMILIAR WITH OR FEEL AT HOME
WITH.
AND THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, THEY
JUST WANT TO PUT THEIR MARK ON
THEIR AREA.
BUT YOU HAVE TO THINK OF WHO WAS
HERE BEFORE THEM, AND WHO'S HERE
WHEN THEY GOT HERE.
AND IF PEOPLE JUST MOVED IN
RESPECTFULLY, THINGS WOULD GO A
LOT SMOOTHER.
>> ANOTHER POINT OF FRICTION
CAME WHEN BRYDEN ROAD WAS
HISTORIC DISTRICT.
THAT MEANT HOME-OWNERS HAD TO
FOLLOW CODES AND RESTRICTIONS TO
PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER
OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> BRYDEN ROAD IS ONE OF THE
VERY FEW STREETS, IN THE NEAR
EAST SIDE WHERE THERE IS A
REVIEW DONE, AND A BOARD THAT IS
RUN BY THE CITY, THAT YOU RUN
ALL YOUR PLANS BY -- YOUR NEW
STORM WINDOWS, YOUR NEW PORCHES,
YOUR DECK COLORS, ALL THAT KIND
OF THING.
>> I CAN REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE
ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THIS STREET
HISTORIC, AND THE MAJORITY OF
THE PEOPLE WERE JUST WORRIED
ABOUT SURVIVING DAY TO DAY
LIVING.
I WAS OPPOSED TO IT BECAUSE WHEN
THEY SAY HISTORICAL, THEY'RE NOT
NECESSARILY TALKING ABOUT MY
CULTURE, MY HISTORY, THEIR
TALKING PREDOMINATELY EUROPEAN
AMERICANS.
AND IF I'M A TAXPAYER, THEN IF
I'M NOT INCLUDED, THEN I DON'T
WANNA PAY FOR YOUR STUFF.
AND THEN I DON'T WANNA GIVE UP
TO -- THE SAY AS TO WHAT I CAN
DO TO MY PROPERTY.
>> CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE
MOVED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND
THE OLDER FOLKS WHO HAD LIVED
HERE ALL THEIR LIFE, NOW ON A
FIXED INCOME WEREN'T ABLE TO
MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSES AS THEY
SHOULD BE.
AND THOSE GROUPS THAT HAVE MOVED
IN, HAVE RALLIED TOGETHER TO
FORCE THOSE PEOPLE, THROUGH CODE
ENFORCEMENT, TO BRING THEIR
HOUSES UP TO THAT STANDARD.
>> IT'S JUST TYPICAL OF ANY
LARGE CITY ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
THAT THE ARTIST, AND THE GAY
COMMUNITY, AND THE CREATIVE
CLASS SPOT THESE BARGAINS AND
SEE THE VALUE IN THINGS BEFORE
THEIR ALL DRESSED UP AND FIXED
UP.
BUT HOPEFULLY IT WASN'T WITH AN
IDEA OF ANY ONE GROUP WILL MOVE
IN AND DRIVE ANY OTHER GROUP
OUT.
>> THE FAULT LINES BETWEEN
ESTABLISHED RESIDENTS AND
NEWCOMERS WAS THE SUBJECT OF A
NATIONALLY BROADCAST DOCUMENTARY
CALLED "FLAG WARS."
SOME SAY IT EXAMINED THE
RESENTMENTS BETWEEN PEOPLE IN
THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
OTHERS SAY IT EXAGGERATED THOSE
RESENTMENTS.
>> THAT WAS PROBABLY THE TIME
WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD GOT A LOT
MORE ATTENTION THAN IT HAD
BEFORE, BECAUSE IF YOU WEREN'T
INVOLVED IN IT BEFORE THEN YOU
JUST PROBABLY NEVER DIDN'T
NOTICE IT.
BUT WHEN ALL THE PUBLICITY CAME
OUT WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS
CHANGING OVER AS THE SOURCE FOR
GAY OWNERSHIP, THAT WAS A PERIOD
THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT ROUGH.
>> IT DOESN'T HURT TO HAVE TO
STRUGGLE A LITTLE BIT TO PULL
YOUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
SO IT DIDN'T HURT IN THE '90s TO
HAVE PEOPLE WHO REALLY HAD NO
AWARENESS OF WHAT HAD GONE ON
BEFORE.
THEY BROUGHT NEW IDEAS, AND SOME
OF THEM WORKED -- AND SOME OF
THEM DIDN'T.
AND SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE
STILL HERE, AND SOME OF THEM
AREN'T.
AND THAT'S THE TRUE TEST OF A
COMMUNITY.
>> AS MORE PEOPLE MOVED IN, EVEN
WITH THE COMMUNITY STRUGGLING TO
GET BACK ON ITS FEET, OLDE TOWNE
EAST STARTED TO EVOLVE INTO A
NEW KIND OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY TALK
ABOUT THE SUBURBS HAVING BEEN AN
EMPTY PROMISE, THE FACT THAT
PEOPLE FELT MORE ISOLATED THERE.
YOU KNOW, HERE IN THE CITY
YOU'RE CONSTANTLY CROSSING PATHS
WITH PEOPLE OF ALL INCOMES, ALL
RACES, ALL ETHNICITIES.
IT'S A VERY VIBRANT, VERY LIVELY
TYPE OF FEEL.
>> WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS AN AREA
WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF REALLY
BEAUTIFUL, OLD HOUSES THAT HAD
BECOME NEGLECTED OVER TIME AND
REALLY NEEDED SOMEONE TO COME IN
AND TRY TO GET IT BACK.
♪♪
>> A FRIEND OF OURS HAD
PURCHASED A HOUSE AT 39 NORTH
OHIO, AND MOST OF HIS FRIENDS,
MOST OF US THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY,
BUT WHEN HE STARTED BRINGING
THIS GRAND OLD BEAUTIFUL HOUSE
BACK TO LIFE, WE BEGAN TO ENVY
HIM A BIT MORE THAN THINK HE WAS
CRAZY.
SO, WE STARTED LOOKING FOR OUR
OWN PIECE OF HISTORY IN THE OLDE
TOWNE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> I THINK THERE'S A PRIDE OF
OWNERSHIP OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
AND INDIVIDUAL PROPERTIES THAT
ARE COMING BACK.
IT WAS STARTED BY, YOU KNOW, A
KIND OF CORE GROUP OF REHABERS,
BUT EVEN LONG-TERM RESIDENTS NOW
REALLY ARE TAKING BACK THE PRIDE
THEY HAVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
♪♪
>> THIS HAS BEEN A GALLERY THAT
WAS BUILT BY ARTISTS AND BUILT
FOR ARTISTS.
WE'VE TRIED TO MAINTAIN AND
PROMOTE AFRICAN CULTURE, AND TO
PRESENT IT IN A POSITIVE WAY FOR
THE COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD TO
SEE.
>> I WAS DEFINITELY COMMITTED,
WHEN I GOT HERE, THAT I WANTED
TO PUT IN GARDEN, I JUST KNEW IT
WOULD TAKE QUITE A WHILE BECAUSE
OF A LIMITED BUDGET AND I DID
ALL THE WORK MYSELF.
SO, I DID IT IN INCREMENTS, AND
I STARTED WITH THE ORIGINAL PART
OF THE PROPERTY THAT CAME WITH
THE HOUSE AND THEN EVENTUALLY
BOUGHT THIS SIDE, WHICH WAS THE
EMPTY, VACANT LOT ADJACENT TO
THE HOUSE.
IT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME.
♪♪
>> I THOUGHT I WANTED AN ORGAN
IN THE HOUSE, I NEVER DREAMED IT
WOULD BE A PIPE ORGAN -- I WAS
THINKING OF AN OLDER ELECTRONIC
INSTRUMENT.
I HEARD, THROUGH A FRIEND OF
MINE, HE KNEW OF THIS INSTRUMENT
WHICH WAS IN ANDERSON, INDIANA
IN A CHURCH THAT HAD CLOSED AND
HAD JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE A
1928 WURLITZER.
NORMALLY THOSE WERE IN THEATERS.
SO A GROUP OF 10 FRIENDS OF MINE
AND I WENT TO ANDERSON,
DISMANTLED IT, AND BROUGHT IT
BACK -- NONE OF US KNEW HOW
DECONSTRUCT AND RECONSTRUCT IT.
THE COMPONENTS ARE ON THREE
DIFFERENT FLOORS.
THE BLOWER MOTOR, WHICH
GENERATES ALL THE WIND FOR IT IS
IN THE BASEMENT, BECAUSE OF ALL
THE NOISE IT MAKES.
THE CONSOLE IS ON THE FIRST
FLOOR AND IT HAS A CABLE THAT
RUNS UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR,
WHERE THE ORGAN ITSELF IS
LOCATED.
YOU USED TO SEE MORE OF THEM IN
HOMES, BUT VERY RARELY ANYMORE.
SO, IT BRINGS A LOT OF JOY.
I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE ON A
COUPLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOME
TOURS HERE, AND WE USUALLY PLAY
IT, ESPECIALLY AT CHRISTMAS TIME
OR HOLIDAY TIMES.
AND PEOPLE SEEM TO REALLY ENJOY
HEARING IT.
♪♪
>> WHEN WE OPENED, ONE OF THE
FIRST REVIEWS SAID THAT WE WERE
CRAZY, AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE
OPENED IN OLDE TOWNE EAST
BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THERE.
IT ALSO SAID, IN THAT SAME
ARTICLE, IF WE DON'T BECOME A
DESTINATION RESTAURANT, WE WILL
FAIL.
A COUPLE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD
ANOTHER MAGAZINE SAID, "THEY ARE
A DESTINATION RESTAURANT," SO,
WITH THAT IN MIND, A LOT OF
BUSINESSES SAW THAT WE'RE NOT
ONLY BEING SUCCESSFUL, BUT
THRIVING.
SO, OTHER PEOPLE WERE COMING
INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND
WILLING TO GIVE IT A TRY.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AROUND FOR A
COFFEE SHOP LOCATION AND THERE'S
JUST SOMETHING ABOUT OLDE TOWNE
THAT STUCK OUT, AND IT'S ONE
THING THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE
HERE AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO
FILL THAT VOID, FILL THAT GAP.
>> WHEN WE ALL MOVED INTO THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD, THIS ENTIRE CORNER
WAS COMPLETELY VACANT AND IT
JUST LOOKED LIKE THERE SHOULD BE
SOMETHING THERE.
IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS DESTINED
TO BE THE HANGOUT OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, WE JUST SET OUT TO CHANGE
IT, AND WITH ALL OF THE OTHER
BUSINESSES POPPING UP, IT JUST
HAS ALL COME ALONG REALLY
NICELY.
>> NOT ALL NEW BUSINESSES WERE
MET WITH ENTHUSIASM.
BROAD STREET STRUGGLED TO KEEP
ITS POSTCARD CHARM WHILE
ACCOMMODATING A NOT SO
PICTURE-PERFECT ARCHITECTURE OF
MODERN CONVENIENCES.
>> THE BIG FEAR ABOUT THE
WENDY'S WAS THAT IT WOULD BE A
PRECEDENT, AND THAT, YOU KNOW,
THERE WOULD BE THAT FAST FOOD
ESTABLISHMENT AND THERE WOULD
SOON BE ANOTHER AND ANOTHER AND
ANOTHER.
>> IT WAS VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND
SOMETHING THAT REALLY ENGAGED
THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU KNOW PRO
AND CON, AND BROUGHT OUT ALL THE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON WHAT
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD BE.
THE GOOD THING IS THAT WE HAD A
REALLY GOOD DEVELOPER, AND HE
DID A GREAT JOB WITH HIS DESIGN
WORK, HE DID A GREAT JOB
LISTENING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD --
TAKING THEIR CONCERNS INTO
CONSIDERATION AND ADJUSTING HIS
PLANS ACCORDINGLY.
>> TO ME, THEM HIRING 80 PEOPLE
FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN IT BEING A
CLASSIC VICTORIAN HOUSE.
I THINK IT FITS IN REAL WELL AND
I USE THE DRIVE-IN AND THEY'VE
KEPT IT UP VERY NEATLY.
SO, I'M A PROPONENT FOR THAT
KIND OF CARETAKING.
♪♪
>> MANY PEOPLE LIVING ALONG THE
MAIN STREET CORRIDOR WOULD HAVE
A VERY DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL
ABOUT WHAT IT'S BEEN LIKE HERE
OVER THE PAST 20 OR 30 YEARS,
BECAUSE WE'VE LOST A LOT OF
RESOURCES.
BUSINESSES COULDN'T SUCCEED FOR
A VARIETY OF REASONS, AND I
THINK THAT IMPACTED THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE HERE ARE
STRUGGLING.
WE'VE GOT LESS THAN A
50% EMPLOYMENT RATE HERE.
SO HOUSING, JOBS, EDUCATION,
PUBLIC SAFETY ARE ALL MAJOR
ISSUES FOR US.
>> WE'VE WORKED WITH EIGHT
DIFFERENT PROPERTY OWNERS TO
PLACE CAMERAS ON THEIR
FACILITIES.
FROM THERE WE CAN UPLOAD THEM TO
THE INTERNET WHERE ANYBODY WITH
AN INTERNET CONNECTION CAN SEE
WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS A
SITUATION THAT WAS REALLY OUT OF
CONTROL, SOMETHING THAT NEEDED
ATTENTION.
SO, I THINK WHAT THE CAMERAS DID
THERE IS IT PUT RESPONSIBLE EYES
ON THE STREET.
IT PUT EYES THAT CARED ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY, PUT EYES THAT SAID,
"WE'RE NOT GONNA TOLERATE THIS
LEVEL OF MISBEHAVIOR."
>> MAIN STREET'S OUR LARGEST
COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR.
IT'S GOT GOOD TRAFFIC BUT IT'S
GOT AN AWFUL LOT OF VACANT
BUILDINGS AND ABANDONED LOTS.
WE SAID, "YO, SOMEBODY HAS TO DO
SOMETHING."
AND WE CAME ACROSS GREAT
PARTNERS, LIKE
CENTRAL COMMUNITY HOUSE, WHO HAD
A PLAN FOR EXPANSION AND NEEDED
A LITTLE BIT OF GAS IN THE TANK.
SO, WE PROVIDED SOME FINANCING
ON THAT PROJECT.
>> CENTRAL COMMUNITY HOUSE IS
ONE OF THE MOST RICH, NEEDED,
VIBRANT SERVICES THROUGHOUT THIS
CITY.
EVERYBODY'S WELCOME.
THEY DEAL WITH THE NEEDS OF
INFANTS, CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY.
THERE'S ARTS.
THERE'S MUSICAL EVENTS,
CLOTHING, FOOD, I MEAN --
IT'S JUST, IT'S REAL.
>> WE HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS
HERE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE, FOR TEENS, A
PROGRAM CALLED "TEEN ARTS."
WE DO SOME LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT WITH KIDS, BUT OUR
TEEN ARTS PROGRAM HAS BEEN
REALLY GREAT.
IT'S CALLED TRANSIT ARTS.
AND IT'S A WAY FOR KIDS TO COME
AND GET ENGAGED.
>> YOU KNOW, THERE IS SO MUCH
VIOLENCE AND EVERYTHING IN THE
COMMUNITY WHERE YOU NEED TO HAVE
LIKE A SAFE HAVEN, AND FOR SURE,
CENTRAL COMMUNITY HOUSE AND
TRANS ARTS IS THAT SAVE HAVEN.
>> WHEN YOU COME DOWN MAIN
STRAIGHT, I MEAN, YOU SEE LITTLE
SPOTS THAT ARE FIXED UP.
AND YOU'RE JUST HOPING THAT
PRETTY SOON THOSE FIXED UP
PLACES WILL MEET.
YOU KNOW?
AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD
BECOME ALIVE AGAIN.
>> PEOPLE IN OLD TOWN EAST ARE
EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANGES THEY
SEE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE COMMUNITY HAS WORKED
TOGETHER TO MAKE IT A GREAT
PLACE TO LIVE.
THEY'RE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE
FUTURE.
THEY ALSO REALIZE THAT THE IMAGE
OTHERS HAVE ABOUT THE
NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN SHAPED BY
FORCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL.
>> IF YOUR ENTIRE IMPRESSION OF
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS BUILT ON
WHAT YOU SEE ON THE NEWS, IT
WOULD BE VERY FEARFUL, BECAUSE
TYPICALLY WHAT'S PRESENTED ON
THE NEWS IS VIOLENCE, GANGS,
DRUGS, SOMETHING VERY NEGATIVE.
BUT 99% OF THE FOLKS WHO LIVE IN
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ARE GOOD
PEOPLE.
THEY WANT TO WORK.
THEY'RE LAW BIDING.
THEY WANT A SAFE PLACE TO RAISE
A FAMILY, LIVE, SEND THEIR KIDS
TO SCHOOL, GROW OLD, SIT ON THE
FRONT PORCH.
>> IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THE WILD
WEST OVER HERE.
I'M A SINGLE GIRL.
I FEEL VERY SAFE.
I KNOW ALL MY NEIGHBORS.
>> IT'S NOT THE WAY IT WAS
BEFORE.
THAT'S A BIG CHANGE.
SOMEBODY WANT TO FEEL FREE TO
COME AND SHOP AT, IN OLDE TOWN
EAST, FEEL FREE TO COME TO OLDE
TOWN EAST.
FEEL FREE TO BE A PART OF --
AND WE WILL WELCOME ANYBODY.
>> WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A
BRAND, KNOWN FOR HISTORIC
NEIGHBORHOODS AND HISTORIC
HOUSES, SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE
THAT.
BUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT NOT
KNOW, IN THE CENTRAL OHIO AREA,
IS THAT WE HAVE A VIBRANT ARTS
COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW BUSINESSES
COMING IN.
OUR TOUR OF HOMES IS ONE OF OUR
BIGGEST P.R. EVENTS THAT WE DO
EVERY YEAR AND BRINGS A LOT OF
OUTSIDERS INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, YOU CAN SAY OTHER
NEIGHBORHOODS.
YOU CAN SAY "SHORT NORTH."
YOU CAN SAY "GERMAN VILLAGE."
EVERYONE KIND OF GETS A FEELING
AND KNOWS WHAT THAT MEANS.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY OLDE
TOWN EAST ANYWHERE IN THE CITY,
AND NOT HAVE SOMEONE LOOK AT ME
AND SAY, "WELL, WHERE IS THAT?"
>> OLDE TOWN EAST, IT'S A
NEIGHBORHOOD STEEPED IN HISTORY.
WITH MAGNIFICENT HOUSES, DIVERSE
ARCHITECTURE, AND RESILIENT
PEOPLE.
IT'S A COMMUNITY, WITH A LOVE
FOR THE OLD AND WILLINGNESS TO
EMBRACE THE NEW.
AND BOTH OLD-TIMERS AND
NEWCOMERS SAY THERE'S NO BETTER
PLACE TO EXPERIENCE THE SPRIT OF
OLDE TOWN EAST THAN AT THE HOT
TIMES FESTIVAL.
>> HOT TIMES STARTED OUT AS A
FLEA MARKET.
AND EVERYONE BROUGHT LITTLE
HOUSE PIECES OUT.
DOORS AND WINDOWS AND PIECES OF
WOODWORK, AND EVERYBODY TRADED
AROUND, BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL
FIXING THEIR HOUSES UP.
>> AND SO WE DECIDED TO EXPAND
THE FESTIVAL.
MY NEIGHBOR, WHO'S MY FRIEND,
AND I SAID TO ROWDY, I SAID,
"ROWDY, I NEED LIKE A JAZZ GROUP
OR A GOSPEL GROUP OR SOMETHING
THAT REFLECTS THE NEIGHBORHOOD,"
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ALL I KNEW
WERE WHITE KIDS PLAYING ROCK N'
ROLL.
HE SAYS TO ME, "HOW ABOUT MY OLD
MAN?"
AND I THOUGHT HE WAS KIDDING.
AND HIS OLD MAN TURNED OUT TO
HAVE BEEN A VERY FAMOUS COLUMBUS
MUSICIAN.
>> WE HAVE JAZZ, BLUES, SOME
LEGENDS IN THE MUSIC WORLD COME
IN EVERY YEAR.
OLD STANDARDS LIKE GENE WALKER
AND THE AMERICAN JAZZ
EXPERIENCE, THEY'RE HERE.
>> THE HISTORY OF JAZZ IN
COLUMBUS IS A HISTORY OF THE
EAST SIDE, REALLY.
>> I GO AND WORK THE STAGE FORM
8:00 TO CLOSING.
I GUARD THE STAGE AND MAKE SURE
THE WOMEN DON'T CHARGE IT, AND
ATTACK THE MUSICIANS.
>> ONE OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF IT,
IS THE FACT THAT IT WAS ALWAYS A
COMMUNITY RUN ACTIVITY.
PEOPLE ALWAYS VOLUNTEERED, AND
THEY JUST COULDN'T WAIT TO
PARTICIPATE.
SO, THEREFORE, IT BECAME AN
EXPRESSION OF THE COMMUNITY.
♪♪
>> THE EVENT ITSELF IS A PIECE
OF CULTURAL WORK UNLIKE ANYTHING
ELSE IN COLUMBUS.
>> IT'S VERY FAMILY ORIENTED,
AND IT'S A GREAT WAY TO BRING A
LOT OF DIFFERENT, DIVERSE PEOPLE
TOGETHER IN A COMMUNITY AND
CELEBRATE WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS
ALL ABOUT.
>> YOU STEP ON TO THE SITE, AND
YOU'RE FAMILY.
AND THERE ARE DIFFERENCES, BUT
THEY'RE NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE
FACT THAT EVERYONE IS FAMILY.
>> I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS
JUST GETTING PEOPLE TO THE
COMMUNITY.
TO EXPERIENCE IT, COME ON OUR
HOME TOUR, COME TO HOT TIMES
FESTIVAL, COME VISIT THE
GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS, AND
REALLY REALIZE THAT IT'S A GREAT
PLACE TO BE.
♪ SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA
THE SUN IS SHINING RIGHT NOW
FOR ALL OF US MAYBE SOMEDAY WE
MAYBE SOMEDAY BABY SOMEDAY ♪
♪ WE COULD GIVE A LITTLE
SPEAK A LITTLE LESS
BREATH A LITTLE MORE
SLEEP UNDER THE SAME STARS ♪
♪ NO MATTER WHO WE ARE
SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA
THE SUN IS SHINING RIGHT NOW
FOR ALL OF US ♪
♪ MAYBE SOMEDAY WE MAYBE
SOMEDAY MAYBE SOMEDAY WE
MAYBE SOMEDAY ♪♪
>> "COLUMBUS NEIGHBORHOODS --
OLDE TOWN EAST" IS NOW AVAILABLE
ON DVD.
LOG ONTO WOSU.ORG/SHOP FOR
DETAILS.
SUPPORT FOR "COLUMBUS
NEIGHBORHOODS" IS PROVIDED BY --
SINCE 1921, THE STATE AUTO GROUP
HAS CALLED COLUMBUS
NEIGHBORHOODS HOME.
OFFERING PERSONAL AND BUSINESS
INSURANCE THROUGH INDEPENDENT
INSURANCE AGENTS.
FOR YOUR CAR, HOME, AND
BUSINESS, THE STATE AUTO GROUP.
AS WE'VE GROWN AND CHANGED WITH
COLUMBUS, WE'VE NEVER LOST SIGHT
OF ONE THING.
WE ARE NEIGHBORS SERVING
NEIGHBORS.
CHASE, AND ITS' MORE THAN
15,000 CENTRAL OHIO ASSOCIATES
ARE PROUD TO CELEBRATE THE
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS OF
COLUMBUS.
AEP OHIO, CONNECTED TO YOUR
LIFE.
MORE AT AEPOHIO.COM.
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AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU.
♪♪