Olde Towne East is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio‘s historical Near East Side. It is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Because of its history, the area has over 1,000 homes, some dating back to the 1830s, and more than 50 architectural styles. Many famous Columbus residents built these homes, including industrialists, lawyers, judges, teachers, architects, mayors, governors, and legislators who helped shape the city.
Landmarks
The Columbus Public Health Building provides various health-related services, including alcohol and drug abuse clinics and tuberculosis treatment. They also collect and distribute medical data through the epidemiology department’s publications and research.
Kwanzaa Playground at English Park
The Kwanzaa Playground is located in English Park and was created in 1995 as a collaborative effort between the community and the City of Columbus, OH. Seven local sculptors and artists did the design and construction. The park is shaped like a human, representing humanity’s first ancestor. The park emphasizes positive African-American imagery, embodying the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
E.T Paul Company
It begins as a blacksmith shop in the 1890s. However, due to the car’s growing popularity, it quickly transformed itself. It began selling tires within ten years and continues to do so today, making it the oldest tire dealership in the United States. Due to the I-71 expansion, E.T. Paul closed at the end of 2014.
Other Structures
The W.H. Jones Mansion, Central Assurance Company, East Broad Street Commercial Building, and Orebaugh House represent “over half a century of distinct architectural styles.” The Jones House is built on a stone foundation with a slate roof with gables set above a circular tower flanked by tall, decorated chimneys. The Central Assurance Insurance Company is an Art Deco-style building from the 1940s. The Jong Mea Restaurant was next to the Tudor-style half-timbered 1920s mixed-use East Broad Street Commercial Building. Finally, the Orebaugh House, an 1880s Italianate home with an L-shaped porch and frieze-style windows, was located upstairs. Bed Bug Exterminator Columbus
Preservation
Historic preservation programs began nationally in the 1960s as part of the American Preservation movement, fueled further by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which established preservation legislation. The 1970s neighborhood association arose to preserve the legacy of the neighborhood’s former residents. The demolition list was released, and it was up to the neighborhood association to decide whether the building should be preserved or demolished.
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