In Search of a City: Downtown Circa 1958
I wish downtown looked as good as it did 50 years ago. Downtown may now have a more impressive skyline and an NHL arena, but it had a whole lot more happening on its streets in 1958.
Broad and High never closed. The Deshler Hotel had a 24-hour, street-level Rexall Drug Store. A block and a half north on High Street at Long stood a seven-story J.C. Penney and six-story Union Department Store (now the Lofts at 106 and Southeast Mental Health, respectively). Downtown had hundreds of street-level retail stores, and thousands of people filled the sidewalks daily.
The Greyhound Bus Depot site held the Central Market, an anchor for a Market District that included butchers, fish markets, and other grocers that stretched for a full block in each direction. The Columbus Transit Company carried four times as many people as its successor, COTA. Downtown had very few surface parking lots. Nearly 30,000 people lived there.
To paraphrase James Howard Kuntsler, America then had a collective stroke and traded downtown for Polaris Parkway.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
Took me a second to realize it but thats the Brunson Building in the background, and these buildings in the foreground are now the surface lots in between Gay & Long. Not architectural wonders by any means, but certainly better than asphalt.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:29 am
I agree that society sold its soul when we began the treck to “greener pastures”, which just happened to bring along with it decaying inner-cities, a loss of neighborhoods and civility, and unsustainable infrastructure and mobility costs, which we are now really paying for. I also agree with the current call to ask these suburban communities to pay their fair share for the infrastructure and services that they demand – police, fire, emergency, water, sewer, electricity, gas, telecommunications, roads…. – all of which are much more cost-effectively provided in a more dense setting. If we factored in the TRUE costs of this type of sprawling development, it may not be as attractive to those choosing it – and it would be more fair to those of us who share the burden of paying for it, even as we are being hurt by it.
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I’ve got faith that we’re headed in the right direction. Many of those downtown parking lots are getting filled back in and residents are slowly starting to return. Downtown didn’t get abandoned overnight, and it was long since empty before Polaris came along. It’s going to take decades to rebuilt, but we’re on the right path. Go Downtown, Go!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I see the bridge over S. High Street is down, leaving ugly pock marks on the old Lazarus and the front (side?) of City Center. It will take warmer weather to fix the ugliness so we must get used to it I guess. We were Downtown Sunday night and approached the former skywalk from the south–nothing to impede our view. But what’s the view? Practically nothing. The Downtown folks tried for several years to provide a fun activity at the Holidays outside the State House. Not many takers…too much bad weather. The State House doesn’t look festive at all on the outside (inside is lovely). Beyond that, you have to make a right turn on Broad Street to admire once again the age-old story told at the State Auto Insurance Bldg. Coming back Downtown, National City’s displays of old inside their large lobby are no longer there (I guess you can’t do that with bail-out money.) The old Byers building where Santa always waved at us from a beautiful convertible is being converted itself. City Hall doesn’t look as festive this year but the Franklin County Courthouse area is brightly lit and much appreciated.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Broad & High is getting a festival display for NYE.
http://firstnightcolumbus.com/