This has already been a fun, if sprawling and chaotic, section to tackle. Expect frequent changes as I continue to add to and revise the page. It’s probably going to take a while to get a handle on this region – so just maybe, if you can, try and avoid these orange construction cones and blinking arrows straight out of the Spring-Sandusky interchange mess. Until I figure out a better way to organize it, there are three different ways to navigate this page. Down below is another of these crude maps which you have come to know and love. You can click on any of the district/street names to jump to that section. Below that, there’s an alphabetized list by area, if you prefer. Or of course you could always just keep reading, too:
Arena District (north of Spring, west of High)
Brewery District
E. Broad Street
W. Broad Street
Downtown Proper
German Village
N. High Street
S. High Street
Uptown District (everything north of Broad that isn’t covered elsewhere)
-Arena District-
Route 33 runs east/west through the middle of here, but what’s interesting about this road is that it’s split – Spring Street if you’re driving out of downtown, Long Street if you’re heading into it. Right at the I-670 overpass they join forces and just become Riverside instead, as it bends more northbound or at least northwest from there.
As of 2006 across from the Neil Road intersection, where that dead ends into 33, two black iron trellis style railroad tracks cross the Scioto River, kind of like skis pointed inward toward one another. There’s a footbridge across the river, just west of the westernmost track, a footbridge part of path that leads back to this building they’ve erected at the light, across from where Neil dead ends: brick, with a ton of windows (small, but basically western half of the streetside face, and a little cafe with a bunch of tables outside. North Bank Park – strip of lawn between Spring and Long – grass and benches – spaced evenly apart, black metal. I think they’ve got bands playing inside sometimes. Brick crosswalks. Neil also brick in the short patch between Spring and Long.
Below is a map of this district I felt compelled to jot down for some reason in the summer of 2006. The directional orientation is not what I would do in this day and age, but, well, that was obviously 20 years ago. A project like this website wasn’t even a glimmer in my eye at that point. So when uploading here, I attempted rotating this image ninety degrees to the right, but that made it even more ghastly to behold. So that didn’t work. In the end I decided to leave this exactly as I drew it, but with a couple directional arrows typed onto the finished product. Just keep in mind this doesn’t point the same way as the other maps on this site:
343 N. Front St.
Address given to a whole slew of enterprises, including a Buca di Beppo, Whistle & Keg, CoGo, Creators’ Kitchen, and the ghastly sounding NASCAR Wings.
A happening live venue with an equally horrific moniker of Frog, Bear and Wild Boar Bar once occupied a large chunk of the front portion, i.e. facing south toward Battelle Plaza and Nationwide Blvd. Miles could never quite remember the name, would usually blurt out his closest approximation of it – but with complete seriousness – of which “Frogs, Hogs, and…Bullhorn” was probably his most famous, when attempting to describe it or tell someone to meet us there or whatever. They had some decent bands, though, and were usually packed, and I did meet one girl here, began dating her for a short while in like 2003 or thereabouts. So it wasn’t a complete loss.
As of September 2006, they had $1.50 domestic drafts and $2 martinis all day every day, as of Sep ’06. They serve pub grub too, of course, including a huge Build Your Own Burger that clocks in at half a pound. But also known for their Chick Parm Sandwich and of course the standard fish & chips.
At present it doesn’t look like anyone is carving out this specific space of the building. But it would have sat between where Whistle & Keg and CoGo now, some percentage of that square footage.
401 N. Front St.
The Jeni’s Ice Cream home office, Creole 2 Geaux (now that’s more like it, branding-wise), Fanatics Sportsbook, a Social Security office for disabilty adjudication, Cardinal Solutions Group, Impact.com, a U.S. Small Business Administration office, JLL, Insight Enterprises Inc., BYLINED, Array Architects Columbus, Richard W. Rubenstein Law, Lazear Capital Partners, Lasso Productions, Small Business Development Center, ODAR Hearing Office, Pennant, Campos EPC, and GREAT Products Inc., and Chipotle all claim suite space in this attractive brick building that you will walk up to, after parking elsewhere (or catching other modes of transportation.)
One of its flagship first tenants, though, when this Arena District initially went up, was Gordon Biersch. They lasted until at the very least April 2006. Have an outdoor patio, dedicated parking. Brew their own beer and craft their own “culinary creations,” according to ad.
The Basement
(391 Neil Avenue). Concert venue, smaller in scale than Express Live! next door. I remember ex-almost-Beatle Pete Best played here once. Mostly, though, in my experience, the upstairs bar is utilized as a pregame spot for concerts held at 405 Neil Avenue.
The Boat House Restaurant
(679 W. Spring Street) Charming comfort food spot with great view of downtown, in the shadow of Highway 315, on a little strip of land where the Scioto and Olentangy rivers diverge.
Brothers
(477 Park St.) I just found out while researching this that it’s actually a national chain. It’s been here about 25 years or so but I seriously had no clue. Anyway, though, it’s your standard sports bar in many respects, albeit with a nice patio, and a wonderfully happening location. If this isn’t prime real estate, I don’t know what is.
Chipotle
(401 N. Front St.) I believe this one opened in early 2001. Hard to imagine a time when this (and every) city wasn’t entirely overrun with these puppies.
Express Live!
(405 Neil Avenue.) Despite whatever name you give this venue (I still fight the urge to call it Promowest Pavilion) it remains a nifty spot, roughly 20 years in, whereby bands can either play indoors or outdoors depending upon the weather. The best show I’ve seen here has probably been Buddy Guy and the worst without question was Little Feat.
Gaswerks
(487 Park St.) Yeehaw! I’m happy to see this bar is still here. Still, though venturing inside virtually every watering hole that ever existed in this district, for some reason I don’t recall hitting this one ever. So let’s take a look at their paper advertisements from the early 2000s, shall we?
Their motto is “Great Drinks Lousy Service,” so I’m guessing there’s some kind of “ironic” stance in play here, maybe a la that Dick’s place or whatever it was where the waiters there would insult you all day. As of 2006, they do have S.I.N. (Service Industry Night) in mind every Wednesday, where you can either bring a check stub or formally register yourself with a S.I.N. Card. Billing itself as “simply the best S.I.N. night anywhere!” it features $1 martinis, $1 Bombs, $2 Calls (have to admit I’m clueless on this one), $1.50 domestic pints, and free pool all night. Every Thursday, they had Garage Band Thursdays, also with free pool and featuring a local musical act.
Huntington Park
(it has an address, of course, though as is often the case, I feel it’s more instructive to tell people this sits at the corner of Neil and Nationwide). This is the current, still relatively new home of the Columbus Clippers baseball team.A former gas station that existed at the corner held up construction somewhat, as the site was deemed environmentally toxic and had to be properly cleaned up first.
Kooma
(37 Vine Street.) Has been here since at least 2006. They are open for lunch onward Mon-Fri, from 4-9:30 on Saturdays, and closed Sundays. Serve upscale fare, including sushi, in a cozy modern setting.
Nationwide Arena
This arena was pushed through under some mild controversy, when the public voted no to fund it, but our mayor gave it the green light anyway. But I’m not here to get on a soapbox debiting the merits/demerits of this approach, particularly as someone who has visited here at least once (and couldn’t even be bothered to vote on it that day anyway, if being honest.) If seeking to read specifically my limited impressions of the Blue Jackets, you can go here. If you truly don’t have enough stress in your life and like to work yourself up into a lather over rich guy hookups and bungled city deals and the way enormous enterprises often pay less in taxes than the janitor sweeping its floors after a Tim McGraw concert, by all means do some detective work online.
Otherwise, we’ll stick to the scattershot details I’ve managed to track down about the operation itself. Like how Cotter’s was a bar/restaurant attached to Nationwide Arena, as of April ’06. They featured $4 martinis from a Signature Martini Menu Mon-Fri from 4-7pm. Also a $4 small plate every evening:
Mon – roasted vegetable pizza
Tue – mini steak burgers
Wed – baked brie
Thu – flash fried calamari
Fri – shrimp cocktail
They also bill themselves as being “directly across from the historic Union Station arch.”
North Market (click to view page)
Park Street Tavern
(501 Park St.) Cozy yet classy little dive, often featuring live music. I came here quite a bit when working at North Market in 2006, to kill time while waiting on the bus. It typically wasn’t too crowded, they had baseball on the TV, and I could almost always grab a table in front of the big picture window for people watching during commercials.
Ted’s Montana Grill
(191 W. Nationwide Blvd) As if you couldn’t guess, a somewhat upscale yet frontier themed, wild wild west type steakhouse establishment. Awesome food, though, it must be said. But they do have these all over the place and you might already be familiar with the chain. Erin and I are especially partial to what they call Almost Pickles here, as far as an appetizer goes.
(honorable mention/the departed)
51 Vine St.
No one’s using this address of the moment. It would have occupied the northwest corner of this larger building, facing Vine Street and the North Market, the same one Kooma is in. Gibby’s was one former tenant, though, through at least March 2006. They were a sister operation to the one in Grandview. Games on tv, wings, beer. You get the drill.
106 Vine St.
BBR Restaurant gave this space a go most recently, though they gave up the ghost at some point earlier this decade. A sports bar with a motto of “Rock It Out,” and advertising Eat, Drink, Sports as its tentpole attractions, they also displayed 106 West Vine on the building front, as their address. Although there is no East Vine.
Before this, Strada was a popular restaurant here, for many a year. As of January ‘01 they had live jazz every Friday night, open til midnight Fri & Sat. Spanish paella recipe: chorizo, mussels, chicken, calamari, shrimp, scallops and pork tenderloin tossed with peas, a traditional saffron rice. Calamari roll recipe: tenderized calamari dipped in francaisse, wrapped around crabmeat, roasted poblanos, boursin cheese, drizzled with jalapeno beurre blanc.
165 Vine St.
This plot of land is now a parking lot. Which I suppose is more useful than yet another live music venue. Still, there were at least a couple noteworthy ones located here, once upon a time.
The Lodge Bar was cool while it lasted, worth a visit roughly once a year or so. The interior was like a hunting lodge, and the stage has been moved to the back end of the bar.
Prior to this, the Brickyard called it home. The likes of Red Wanting Blue would often play here, like for example this memorable show from 2001. During this era, the stage was located up near the front entrance, along Vine Street, to the right as you walked in.
Arena Grand/Studio Movie Grill
(175 W. Nationwide Blvd.) This movie theater was kind of a big deal when it first opened, with plush seating in a fancy downtown setting and what have you. Although the only movie I personally remember catching here is when Erin and I saw Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. In later years it was taken over and rebranded the somewhat befuddling Studio Movie Grill, which is apparently a mini-franchase of sorts but also not the greatest name. This to me makes it sound like merely the cafe portion of the theater itself, or something.
At any rate, this building has sat empty for quite a while. Is it oddly reassuring sometimes when a big profile business like this doesn’t quite make it? I guess on occasion, it is. I wouldn’t exactly wish misfortune on any random business owners, but at the same time, it’s nice to know someone can’t just plonk down a bunch of money, with an idea that’s slightly innovative at that moment, then coast into the sunset forevermore. In a majorly trendy district and, most likely, with significant hookups and/or breaks from the city in some form.
Blues Station
(147 Vine Street.) This low rectangular building with the white exterior is currently a big ol’ slab of nothingness. But it was a happening live venue of some renown through at least July 2006. Live music, Southern themed food such as fried peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. They have a patio too. As of then, every Tuesday they have an open mic jam with Patrick McLaughlin, every Wednesday open acoustic night with Ryan Smith.
Mekka
Technically this would have sat just outside of the self-imposed boundaries of my little downtown map here. It was an insanely popular club here in town for a couple years in the late 90s. They would also host the odd national touring musician on occasion. According to the historical records I’m researching, its address was 382 Dublin Avenue, which doesn’t even exist anymore. If you’re talking about 382 Dublin Road, I think that’s more or less the same vicinity, but if I’m not mistaken they totally revamped the streets around here when the Arena District went in. So it’s not 100% accurate, either. But of course I could be wrong about that.
Well, anyway, whatever the particulars at that time, it was located in the old Buggy Works building. Opened by a guy named Tom Higgins. We came here just once but I remember it was difficult to find, back then. Which only served to enhance its mystique. It looks like Eve 6 and Lit played here on 4/6/99, Men At Work on 9/11/99. By February 2000 they were closed, however, possibly even earlier.
One Nation
(Nationwide Building) Its time here would have preceeded anyone actually referring to this area as the Arena District. Located on the 38th floor of the towering Nationwide headquarters, it was a restaurant open for twenty years, from 1977-97, and had a number of different regionally themed rooms. Both it and the external glass elevator used to reach the restaurant afforded awesome views of the city.
Water Works
(225 N. Front Street) Former semi-notorious restaurant whose heyday peaked in the 1980s. This address no longer exists, as the entire block and then some has been eaten up by a Nationwide parking garage. Opened on the site of a former warehouse basement, everything here was water themed – but not necessarily in a nautical sense. For example, seating fashioned out of bathtubs, manhole cover shaped menus, dishes with highly questionable names such as Salt-Water Station Scampi. The fare was apparently semi-decent to respectable, and it lasted from 1971-87. But, I don’t know, with a gimmick like this, it’s somewhat surprising they stuck around that long.
-Brewery District-
Though downtown as a whole has been plagued by this to some extent, the Brewery District is unique in that I feel like for 20 plus years now, there’s been this trend of bars blowing into here with a ton of hype, and being packed to the gills in what has always been a happening district – in other words, a theoretically sustainable business – but then the masses stop showing up overnight, a few months down the road, and the place is toast before you know it.
This has its own standalone page now. So if interested please click either the name above or else right here.
-E. Broad Street-
12 E. Broad Street
Nothing is here at the moment, though it was most recently Jack & Benny’s Downtown Diner. A fascinating cycle of upturns and downswings brought this all-day-breakfast operation downtown again. After their initial run basically right next door (6 E. Broad) ended in 1972, they relocated to the north campus location on High, which still exists to this day. Recent, more prosperous times led to adding this 2nd restaurant, however, and even a 3rd, out at the OSU airport. The downtown location had a tough go of it in the COVID era, though, and were regrettably forced to close their doors.
The original stop at 6 E. Broad, which lasted 18 years, for the majority of that lifespan was connected to another restaurant Jack Sher & Benny Klein owned, Benny Klein’s Charcoal Steak House. Located just around the corner, on High, and accessible via tunnel.
Rhodes State Office Tower
(30 E. Broad Street) A totally free observation deck might be one of the city’s best kept secrets. All that’s needed is a photo ID, and there are even guided tours available.
Columbus Dispatch
(62 E. Broad) – Home of the city’s major daily newspaper. I don’t feel like Cleveland bests Columbus in very many categories, but this is one exception – The Plain Dealer has always been a better paper. A lot of people, including some of my friends and I, were vaguely horrified when the Dispatch bought up treasured weekly independents, The Other Paper and Alive! True to form, they soon axed The Other Paper, citing overkill. In fairness, however, I will say they didn’t really seem to tinker with Alive! much, far less than expected.
The Dispatch website is highly annoying, however. Even after registering for 5 free articles per month, and logging in, I can’t seem to get the pop-up to go away, which greys out and blocks the remainder of the screen…asking you to either register, log-in, or pay for access. So you might get 5 “free reads” per month, but only in a mathematical model where 5 also equals 0. Overall, while the Disgrace nickname might be a tad excessive, I feel this is only an average or slightly below average newspaper for a city like ours.
112 E. Broad Street
The original site for Maramor restaurant, which was apparently just a house back then. Definitely hard to picture now. A Lazarus employee, Mary Love, opened it in 1920. This closed after a short while, as she moved out west, but then returned to reopen a different spot diagonally across the street (137 E. Broad), which was highly regarded and lasted deep into the 1960s.
257 E. Broad Street
Formerly the location of the first ever Wendy’s restaurant, from November 15, 1969 to March 2, 2007. If you see old pictures of this building, with rounded glass walls topped by blue and white vertical stripes, yeah, it really didn’t change that much over the years, aside from gradually becoming a Wendy’s museum of sorts, too. Declining sales led them to bulldozing the structure completely.
The only Wendy’s trace now is a historical marker in this grassy strip along the sidewalk. Just behind where the restaurant would have sat, though, is The Catholic Foundation, which also houses the totally free Museum of Catholic Art and History, an underrated gem you probably haven’t heard much about. STRS Ohio, an investment service, also calls this address home.
Prior to Wendy’s, it was part of Bill Kay’s Oldsmobile operation. Between the two, I’ve seen it listed as the site for Tommy Henrich’s restaurant, although other sources show the address as 247 E. Broad. So I’m not sure if it was one big connected space or if there’s an error of some sort there.
Motorists Mutual Insurance
(471 E. Broad) – Tall, funky looking dark brown building has a distinct 1970’s appearance to it, though I’m not actually sure how old it is. My ex-girlfriend Heather’s grandma worked here for eons and wound up retiring from the place. She used to buy Amway soap from me and I personally delivered some to her here once.
The Bluestone
(583 E. Broad) – Originally a First Baptist church which was built in 1898, and has undergone many changes since then. A short lived incarnation as Bar Of Modern Art (2006-2010) was considered by most an interesting but doomed concept, and this proved somewhat correct – although for this to last even four years is somewhat amazing. As the Bluestone it’s now an events venue which books live musical acts, too, both local and touring ones, as well as garden variety catering and banquet type happenings. My stepdaughter Maddie recently had her senior prom in this building, for example. They also host occasional national acts and events like Melted Festival. Here’s one song from Kikagaku Moyo playing the 2019 edition:
I’m not really sure where downtown is officially considered to end out this way, but the point where it crosses over I-71 seems as good as any. From here, you start getting into the Olde Towne East district.
-W. Broad Street-
LeVeque Tower
(50 W. Broad Street). Completed in 1927, this was once the tallest building in town. My ex-girlfriend Jill’s grandfather Carl did some electrical work on this massive structure back in its early days. In 1986, a sinkhole opened up on Broad Street pretty much right in front of it – if I remember correctly, it only ate one car. Some dude was driving along and the road caved in beneath him. Can you imagine? It’s hard to say whether this would make you want to buy a lottery ticket that day, or enter the witness protection program.
Technically speaking, anything west of the Scioto, from this bridge pictured above clear out to where 70 crosses Broad, is considered part of Franklinton. However in my experience, people are much more likely to refer to these following landmarks as “downtown,” and I am the same way. I’m not sure where the unspoken line exists, but this seems to be a fairly accurate decoder key:
You’ve been there = downtown
Anything west of that = Franklinton
Franklinton is actually older than Columbus. I’ve read somewhere that there were businessmen doing brisk commerce in the early 1800s, offering boat rides across the river. Is this for real? I thought those older folk were supposed to be hardier types. I feel like I’m seriously out of shape now, but could still easily swim across the Scioto. Then again, this might prove difficult if attempting to hold onto your bonnet or top hat.
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
(300 W. Broad Street) An impressive and modern looking facility. Oddly enough, one of the city’s top concert venues used to be located on this site, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Elvis played two shows here, on the same night in 1956, and as far as I can tell this is also where R.E.M. made their Ohio debut. That Arnold Schwarzenegger statue, in front of the Convention Center now, was originally here – it was moved when Vets Auditorium met the wrecking ball. This has something to do with a televised Mr. World strongman competition from 1970, which Arnold won right here, catapulting him into fame.
COSI
(333 W. Broad Street). Center of Science and Industry. It’s an okay spot, though much less exciting than one might imagine. A trip to the zoo or the Ohio Historical Society easily offers you much more bang for your buck. Only recommended if you’ve never been and are burned out on all the other similar options in town.
(honorable mention/the departed)
11 W. Broad St.
Former site of a Doersam’s restaurant, one of at least 4 around town (all within a close proximity, too – a North High, a South High, and an East Gay Street location). They were a burger joint that also served alcohol. This one closed at some point in the early 60s, and by 1970, the building itself was demolished. Cinco’s sits roughly in the same place now, though given a South High address.
-Downtown Proper-
(click on images in map to read more)
2006 notes: a brown wooden fence lines Fulton (east-west) above 70/71. Traffic pours out from westbound onto 4th Street, which is one way heading north. Backhoes work in the former basement of a recently demolished building – large, takes up about 1/4 block – at one corner of Mound and 4th. Ted Strickland’s campaign HQ is also here on 4th. A fire station with a sign in front proclaiming (white script on blue background) “busiest station in the nation.”
122 E. Main St.
Sidebar Columbus, The Cave Bar And Lounge, and the Pretty In Ink “permanent make-up clinic” are all located here now.
From 1991-95 it was a trendy restaurant called David’s On Main/David’s Down Under. Which went under in short order, indeed, due to plumbing and other maintenance issues. Although during this time, owner David Pelzman made national headlines and even Good Morning America for suing a would-be customer who failed to honor a reservation. An amusing tale and all, but there may be some karma related lessons there when your restaurant closes a year later.
From there it became the gay-friendly restaurant Out On Main (different owners) and then later Brownstone On Main (new owners as well.)
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)
Their headquarters is technically 55 E. State Street, next door to Ohio Theatre. Originally this organization was founded to save and restore that historic building, in 1969. But since that time, this non-profit group has taken over management of a number of similar operations around town (Southern Theatre, Palace Theatre, et cetera) and stages productions, hosts events at all of them. Even Franklin Park Conservatory falls under their purview.
Columbus Metropolitan Library
One of, if not the, most beautiful library interiors I’ve ever laid eyes upon. So that’s the face value take. Beyond all that, I’ve spent countless hours inside here over the decades, the nadir of which was probably the days of checking out 25 CDs at a time, in the late 90s, which I think was their limit. Then dubbing onto cassette (burning was not yet an option) the ones I ended up liking. Even back then I felt kind of bad for the clerks stuck dealing with dorks like me. Not that this ever stopped said dorks from perpetuating their antics.
In more recent times, aside from the remodeling flourishes which have made it an even more impressive sight, they’ve proven an invaluable reference resource for this website. For example I remain eternally grateful to one employee in particular, as she showed me how to look up old addresses in their database (often a surprisingly difficult task to accomplish, even with Google at your disposal) – before that, I had resorted to trying to buy old phone books from places like Craiglist.
Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace
(248 S. 4th Street) Highly rated operation has a thorough selection and serves beer as well.
C-bus institution Queen Bee once called this place home, for roughly sixty years. Christina Pritsolas was known for yelling constantly here at the restaurant. She died in 2001 and had a service at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral. She was wearing, according to Chrstine Hayes’s piece in the Short North Gazette (March ‘01), “leopard print blouse and black suit,” was surrounded by red roses. A granddaughter sang a song as tribute to her. They did serve baklava here but it wasn’t a strictly Greek restaurant. They suffered a fire in ’96, closing temporarily as a result, and mayor Greg Lashutka was disturbed enough by this he personally raised money to reopen it.
Franklin County Child Support
(80 E. Fulton Street) Good times aplenty here, let me tell you. I only visited once in person but suffered many a phone chat with them over the years. Including one especially memorable conference call with then head honcho Randy Human, our caseworker, and Jill’s lawyer. No, that one did not especially go my way, either. In a thoroughly bizarre twist, many years later, my sister Laura will wind up working here.
The Jury Room
(22 E. Mount Street) Among the older buildings in town, this one has survived more or less intact for about 200 years, pretty much for the same purpose. It was the J.F Gaiser Saloon in the late 1800s, though its longest incarnation was as a bar named The Jury Room. In recent times it underwent a couple more identity changes, including Blind Lady Tavern, before eventually reclaiming the Jury Room mantle.
Smart decision, fellas. When your bar has been around since 1831, you probably shouldn’t tinker with the formula a ton.
Mikey’s Late Night Slice
(268 S. 4th Street) Trendy and popular pizza establishment with funky offerings to die for, apparently, though I’ve not yet personally tried them. I recently attempted visiting their north campus location, but couldn’t find a parking spot anywhere nearby, though driving around the block twice. And therefore hit Hounddog’s instead. It was a brutal winter night and I didn’t feel like walking farther. But yeah, expect the same customer stampede here, and probably any of their other locations.
Milestone 229
(229 S. Civic Center Drive) Modern American type restaurant located in Bicentennial Park, overlooking the Scioto.
Ohio Statehouse
Though the address says 1 Capitol Square, this is basically situated at the corner of E. Broad and S. High. Fun fact: Abraham Lincoln was here when first learning he’d been elected president, in 1861. Fast forward to the summer of 2014, and you will find a TGIF summer concert series, held from noon to 1 every Friday, on the statehouse’s west plaza. A variety of prominent local music ranging from rock (Franklin Express) to opera (Opera Columbus) is featured here, along with a pick of the week food truck – Dos Hermanos, Red Plate Blue Plate, Angry Wiener and more.
As of at least 2001, once a year they would give a “Haunted Statehouse” tour. Thomas Bateman, Ohio Senate clerk for roughly five decades, is rumored to haunt the place – apparently he was extremely regimented and used to walk the same way to-from his office every day. Joseph Foraker (former governor and senator) reported seeing Lincoln’s ghost in here one night, dancing with some woman on the senate floor.
Ohio Theatre
(39. E. State Street) Quaint old fashioned performance art space, with a Spanish Baroque design.
Peanut Shoppe
(21 E. State St) Despite the name, this is considered more of a candy store – albeit with an iconic neon Mr. Peanut sign hanging on the corner outside.
Topiary Park
Not to be missed attraction sits just behind the downtown library. Click the link above to visit that page and learn much more about it.
(honorable mention/the departed)
Hartman Theatre
(79 E. State Street) Hartman Theatre used to sit here, at the SW corner of State and 3rd. It was closed in 1969, then demolished a couple years later. A parking lot soon replaced it, though this too eventually gave way to this snazzy newer building which houses multiple different businesses. Plaza Restaurant & Lounge (75 E. State) is probably the closest to where the Hartman would have been.
The theatre opened in 1911 with a showing of the musical The Pink Lady. Seating a little over 1700, it was originally designed for plays and other live performances, although they began screening films here as well, years later. James Thurber’s plays debuted here before they even hit Broadway, as did Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten. The likes of Laurence Olivier, Eartha Kitt, Shelley Winters and Martin Sheen graced the stage here at various points. A well-regarded restaurant, The Club, operated inside, although considering that grilled cheese was their specialty, it couldn’t have been too highbrow.
L’ Armagnac
(121 S. 6th Street) A beloved if somewhat short lived restaurant in the 1980s and 90s. A French establishment that was eventually knocked down to make room for Grant Medical Center.
Red Zone
(87 W. Main Street) Whoa. You want to talk about a block that looks completely different from what it did 20 years ago, it would be hard to pick a better example than this one. Nobody uses this address nowadays. But there used to be a sketchy looking standalone building, more or less in the middle of it, which housed a controversial yet extremely popular club called Red Zone. With an even worse looking parking lot beside it.
Chris Corso and Mike Gallicchio owned this place and a handful of other operations around town. It was eventually shut down over a flurry of shootings and a bunch of other ignorant behavior. Yet another place I felt the need to check out exactly once, just to say I did, but never again beyond that.
Currently this block (NW corner of Front and Main) is eaten up by taller, newer, much less horrific apartment buildings. Actually, I’ve seen one other place list their former address as 303 S. Front St. But any official directories I can find, as well as my personal memories, make it seem as though 87 W. Main (basically just across the street) must be more accurate. Either way, it closed in September 2000 – City Council filed an objection in December ‘99, declining to renew their liquor license.
Royal Cafe
(141 S. 4th Street) A huge restaurant with a famous mural and entrances from three different streets. This restaurant closed in 1965 and the building itself was either transformed or knocked down completely – I’m seeing conflicting reports on this.
Snaps & Taps Lounge
(44 S. Washington Ave) Is currently just a parking lot, for the building was demolished in ’04. But Columbus’s first poetry slams were held here, and it was an especially popular and seminal meeting space for the black creative community. As of Oct ‘01, every Wednesday was open mic poetry beginning at 8pm. Every 3rd Wed was a “slam” with cash prizes. Thursdays were live reggae featuring The Spectre, doors opened at 9pm. Fridays were “eclectic nights” featuring Amalgamated Funk, doors opened at 9. Every Sat night from 10pm-4am it’s “Culture Night,” with music from DJs Pacprof & Billy.
Tom Johnson’s
(110-120 S. 4th Street) Another treasured former restaurant that bit the dust, way back in 1957. But they had plenty else around town to keep them occupied. This was a family owned operation that eventually moved and morphed over time to the Johnson’s Fish Market operation that many of us remember. There’s not even a building here now, but it would have sat just south of the one currently housing Omni Title and Columbus Gift Academy.
-German Village-
This now has its own dedicated page as well. I’ll probably post a map here at some point, because much like the Brewery District, this technically isn’t “downtown,” but is adjacent enough to merit mentioning here.
-North High Street-
Though High Street north of Broad is probably the most iconic piece of road in town – it helps that this is such a lengthy, central avenue – the section between Broad and the Arena District is one of its least exciting stretches. Click on the link above for a dedicated page about North High, beginning downtown.
-South High Street-
Cinco: (1 S. High Street) Mexican restaurant with an assembly line, name-your-fillings type setup, a la Chipotle.
Huntington Center: (17 S. High Street). Some parts of this multipurpose building date back to 1905. Among the tenants now are a Potbelly Sandwich restaurant, a Huntington Bank, of course, and an office for the Ohio Board of Nursing.
77. S. High Street
A ton going on at this address. Capitol Theatre, Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Riffe Gallery, Engineers & Surveyors Board, Division Of Unclaimed Funds, the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, Office Of Tourism, Elections Commission, and other assorted offshoots of the above consume various suites/wings of this complex. The building in part even extends over and above Wall Street, to a parking garage.
In a previous life, one location of the popular Mills restaurant mini-chain occupied at least part of these grounds. It was here an impressive sixty years, from 1916-1976, and was the site of a popular historic mural.
Lazarus Building
(141 S. High St.) From 1851 (you read that right) clear up until 2004, this was the home of the original Lazarus department store. Founded by Simon Lazarus, this was a highly influential chain in retail history. While never entering this building, not that I can recall, I drove/rode/walked/biked past it countless times – it was kind of hard to miss that trademark retro-retro murky blue exterior (meaning it already looked retro even when theoretically still in style), here and at all of their locations. When City Center went up in 1989, they built a walkway across High Street over to this store. Lazarus eventually merged with Macy’s, in the early 2000’s, before soon retiring the original name, and closing down this flagship location. And though it’s fascinating to look back at old photos of a place like this, to think about and get nostalgic over one major hub like this eating up an entire city block, it’s hard to imagine visiting more than a handful of times even were it still around. It’s sad, but that’s why these retail monoliths bit the dust.
Right now, it’s just known as the Lazarus Building, with a wide variety of operations renting out office space here. Not nearly as cool, but probably more useful in our modern downtown. Pat and Gracie’s, one of three locations around town, is located in one High-Street-facing slot of this building (121 S. High St.) They bill themselves as a “kitchen and tavern,” specializing in, among other offerings, fries made fresh with every order.
Spaghetti Warehouse:
Treasured destination over the years, mostly because my daughter Emma is somewhat of a spaghetti maniac. Our most notable visit here was probably her 4th birthday party, which featured a memorably random cast of family members. Up above are some photos of her attacking chocolate birthday cake at that party. Maddie appears to be enjoying herself considerably just watching her sister in action.
They were originally located nearby, at 397 W. Broad Street, but have since relocated to a newer, trendier spot at 150 S. High. As the name would imply, the original building was a great old building with a warehouse vibe, the highlight being this train car with highly in-demand seating. Near the end of their run at spot #1, I had heard from some people that the quality of their food had seriously gone downhill. So let’s hope they’ve righted that ship in the process of this transplant.
160 S. High Street
Currently, a park named Columbus Commons (technically John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons, although of course no one would ever blurt all this out in everyday speech) occupies this terrain. It was planted over the concrete carcass of what was formerly known as City Center, an indoor mall. Almost nothing in the city’s past century or so symbolizes how swiftly things can change, as the plight of this mall does. Opened in 1989, it was the city’s finest shopping destination for about a solid decade. Tuttle Mall’s opening on the northwest fringe in ’97 gave them a run for their money, but even so, this city is certainly large enough to support two modern malls of this type (the 1980’s after all had four of them, in the form of Eastland/Westland/Northland/Southland, against an even smaller population) and it’s debatable whether Tuttle actually improves upon the experience any.
I could basically spend all day coming up with maps and listing tenants for indoor shopping malls of yore. This would not bother me in the slightest. So such an entry is coming for City Center someday, oh yes, it shall. For the time being, let’s just run with some meager facts I have at my disposal. They had a Sbarro pizza franchise, of course, on I think the lowest floor, which was pretty much a required visit every time. There was a Max & Erma’s here, one of but approximately 1,000 restaurants around town where my buddy Bruce once worked. Thomas Kinkade Signature Galleries as of Oct 2001. Wentworth Gallery, featuring limited editions and originals by international artists, was also here as of Oct 2001. And I remember they used to bring semi-famous bands in here to play, though it’s difficult to remember who, exactly. It seems like Hanson and maybe The Spin Doctors were a couple of the culprits, however.
Anyway, there are some sweet videos on Youtube if you care to take that particular stroll down memory lane. It was always a popular date option, or for that matter a solid destination for just screwing off with a bunch of people. Like for example this notorious weekend where Alan’s ex-girlfriend eventually kicked us out of her apartment, before any of us guys had moved to Columbus ourselves (the City Center excursion came before the booting, in case that isn’t clear).
Yeah, well, by 2009, City Center is toast. It’s bulldozed into oblivion, and this park sprouts up a couple of summers later. That first year, we attend a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark against the backside of whatever building that is to the north, and they’ve continued featuring some interesting events here up to and including the Columbus Symphony performing Pink Floyd classics in the summer of 2019. It’s a cool space, don’t get me wrong, all the more so in that it exists downtown. Call me an eco-monster, though, or at the very least untrendy and uncool, but I kind of wish we could have both, because I’m not exactly convinced that the indoor shopping malls of my youth were really all that horrible. And actually, considering the project underway just a smidgen to the east of here, it seems that a lot of people agree with me.
201 S. High Street
Currently Downtown Tavern (AKA Hydeout Kitchen & Bar.) Before that, The Flamingo Room was here. And for over 100 YEARS, from 1887-1995, it was a restaurant named Foerster’s. Although open from breakfast through dinner, though, it’s possible the place was better known for its candy offerings and soda fountain, at least up to a certain point. And an even earlier incarnation, opened in 1875, briefly existed at 301 South High, which is basically just some empty space now beside the Common Pleas Court.
Dempsey’s
(346 S. High St) A brick walled but cheerful pub known for draft beer and live folk performers. Irish fare with a little patio out back, too.
honorable mention/the departed
7 S. High Street
Nonexistent coordinates roughly in between Cinco and the Huntington Center. From 1918-1964, though, a restaurant named QCB sat here. Actually, according to Lost Restaurants Of Columbus, Ohio (an indispensible guide for yours truly while working on this site, and highly recommended), QCB was knocked down to build the Huntington Center. Owner William Petrakis apparently kept one marble section of counter as a souvenir – is this still in existence, and if so, where might it be? Talk about a momento I’d truly love to get my hands on! For the eventual LLTC museum of my daydreams, if nothing else. That book also says a place called Pizza Rustica was more or less located where QCB had been, within the Huntington Bank Building (as it was once known), though they are long since closed.
-Uptown District-
Capitol Square Printing Inc
(59 E. Gay Street) I’m sure this is a compelling operation in its own right.
However, from 1919-40 it was the second location of the world famous Marzetti’s empire. Though more well known as a salad dressing company these days, they were originally a family owned restaurant, with the first opening on the OSU campus in 1896. Their story is a thoroughly fascinating one, and continues onward to this day – they recently even sent me a personal invite to an event they were hosting, which I was unfortunately unable to attend.
Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD)
(60 Cleveland Avenue) Established in 1879, this private art school typically counts about 1000 enrolled students at any given time. It was originally known as the not nearly as cool sounding Columbus Art School and is one of the longest running such institutions in the country. That big ART sculpture went up in either 2000 or 2001. In spring of 2001 they had free, open to the public artist lectures, every Monday from noon to :130 in the Canzani Center’s auditorium. Brian Novatny and Craig Carlisle are some artists who went here. This college also owns the CCAD Design Studios at nearby 390 E. Broad St.
Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse
(89 E. Nationwide Blvd.) Jeff Ruby has many such highly regarded restaurants sprinkled throughout the land, though I think this is his only Columbus operation. It’s an upscale steakhouse, in case you couldn’t gather that, and is going to set you back some significant coin. Style-wise it’s Art Deco themed, albeit with significant warmth, its amber lighting, dark wood flourishes, and bright red seating like something straight out of a F. Scott Fitzgerald era movie set.
I don’t know exactly how long this has been here. But local history buffs might also like to hear it was a Damon’s up through at least 2006. At that time they were going by Damon’s Grill, one of 7 locations remaining around town. For the record I think this was a stupid name change (from Damon’s, The Place For Ribs) and yet another factor hastening their decline. Nobody was coming here for, like, a grilled chicken breast or whatever they’re attempting to evoke with that name.
At the moment Philip J. Fulton Law Office, The Baker Law Group, Karr & Sherman Co LPA, Stanley R. Stein Attorney At Law, Nationwide Bank, Bike Down, Lori Burns Painter, and Michael P. Dusseau also claim suites in other parts of this building.
Mitchell’s Steakhouse
Tiger + Lily Bistro
(19 E. Gay Street) An Asian themed operation I haven’t had a chance to check out yet. Was formerly one of many G.D. Ritzy’s locations around town, a local operation that nearly died out following a bit of an expansion overreach.
ZerOz
(17 E. Gay Street) Some kind of…futuristic wallet store? I’m not sure visiting their website has even really clarified for me what is happening here. Anyway, it used to be a Big Bite restaurant, which closed in 1984. Stay tuned for gripping updates about what happened in between.
honorable mention/the departed
40 E. Long Street
Currently an ATM machine! As it has been since 2012. Prior to this, however, Club Ice called the place home (2007-11) and Long Street Entertainment (2001-06). Before that, a gay bar (I think it was, anyway, based upon their ads) named The Garage was here for 22 years before closing in 2000.
This is the lineup advertised for their final weekend:
3/10 – DJ Steven Oliveri
3/11 – DJ Julian Marsh
3/12 – Oliveri again (some kind of retrospective counting down their 22 years)
3/13 – Oliveri again, plus “15 dancing boys.” Okay, so yeah, definitely a gay bar I would say. It says it’s open late this night, which must be the finale
It’s difficult making sense of these historical records, sometimes, though. Meaning this is as much an art as it a science, you might say. A lot of times they contradict what is listed in newspaper articles and the like, for example, such as when I’m reading that Fabric is the bar that will immediately replace The Garage. Yet I can find no record of this. Did it never happen? Or are the historical business addresses incorrect? Or was Fabric opened here under a shell corporation name or something? Just many of the countless mysteries remaining to be solved, here and all over the place throughout this great town.
55 E. Nationwide Blvd
If you’re wondering where the local restaurant group known as “Fifty-Five,” it all started right here. The original restaurant opened here in 1984 as Fifty-Five on the Boulevard. This concept went belly-up in 2000, and all company owned locations were closed, although they spun off this original spot to some different owners who kept it afloat for awhile.
187 E. Gay Street
Not in use now, but was once home to a Union Restaurant, in the 1920s. It would have been basically on the backside of where The Athenaeum Theatre currently resides. Then Union Restaurant closed when the same owners shifted to a South 3rd Street location instead (52-54, which is also essentially nonexistent these days) and renamed it Paoletti’s.
