Right Now Downtown

VETS IN MOBILE HOMES

Lots of holiday celebrations are mobile.  Thanksgiving and Easter move around the calendar like a little kid with Attention Deficit Disorder.  The big local Veterans Day parade marched last Friday, but this week hosts the date of the real Veterans Day, November 11.

If the observation of Veterans Day is mobile, it’s appropriate that downtown’s Veterans Memorial is mobile too.

Surprised?  Don’t worry; the big coliseum isn’t moving anytime soon.  It’s already moved several blocks from the original address of Columbus’s first Veterans Memorial.

The original structure made its debut in 1906 at 280 E. Broad Street.  Designed by architect Frank Packard (incidentally, the original designer of the renovated Seneca), the hall could hold up to 5,000 people for public performances.  It wasn’t until 1955 that the Memorial took up its relatively new residence at 300 W. Broad Street.

As for the “old” Vets on E. Broad: since 1956, the address has housed the Ohio Historical Society, COSI and the Franklin County Board of Health.

Veterans Day moves, the Memorial moves, and vets themselves are on the move.  For those who want to support the soldiers overseas right now, check out Pam’s Market Popcorn.  The owner, Pam Tylka, has long coordinated popcorn care packages sent with customer contributions.  Tylka says, “I know the soldiers greatly appreciate it – it’s a great shout-out from home.  As long as we are there in Iraq, we will continue to do so.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 8:59 am and is filed under Downtown Columbus, Inside 43215. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.