University District, Columbus, Ohio

The University Area (or University District), is a convert|2.8|sqmi|km2|sing=on area located two miles (3 km) north of Downtown Columbus, Ohio that is home to the main campus of The Ohio State University, the Battelle Institute, and the James Cancer Center. [http://www.universitydistrict.org/districthistory.php The University District: L + E + A + R + N :District Histories ] ] It is generally accepted as the area bounded to the north by Clintonville at Arcadia Ave; to the south by the Short North at 5th Avenue; to the west by the Olentangy River and to east by the ConRail railroad tracks. Points of interest include, but are not limited to, the Ohio Stadium and the Schottenstein Center; The district is Columbus' most densely populated area and contains more than 650 businesses, human service agencies, churches, and schools. University District businesses include boutiques, mixed retail, several tattoo studios, the Landmark Gateway theater, and a diverse range of restaurants and bars.

Neighborhoods

The University Area comprises many diverse neighborhoods, each with its own unique housing stock and cultural identity. There are a variety of pleasant residential neighborhoods, several historic districts as well as the off-campus core student neighborhood.

Old North Columbus or "The Old North" is commonly referenced as the general area north of Woodruff and both east to the Conrail Railroad tracks and west to the Olentangy River Road. The present day Old North Columbus was once the town of "North Columbus" that was platted in 1842. Old North Columbus includes several smaller neighborhoods within these general boundaries including; the Iuka Ravine , Indianola Forest, Oakland & Northwood Avenue, Tuttle Park, and the Glen Echo Neighborhoods. Olde North Columbus also is home to Medary Elementary, North High and Special Education Center, all historic Columbus Public Schools. Olde North Columbus has several parks: Tuttle on the west, Glen Echo on the north, Maynard & Summit in the center, Iuka Ravine on the south/center and Indianola Middle School at the south/east corner. The neighborhood also has several churches, restaurants and other small businesses.

- The southern area of the University District also has a higher density of homeownership and includes The Circles, Dennison Place, NECKO and Weinland Park neighborhoods.

The residential neighborhood with higher concentrated rental property and student housing is located east of High Street south of 17th Avenue and north of 11th Avenue. This is often referred to as the off-campus neighborhood and has in the past ten years gone through considerable redevelopment and revitalization as a result of the work of Campus Partners. [ [http://www.universitydistrict.org/learn.php The University District: L + E + A + R + N ] ]

Specifically the residential neighborhoods with higher concentrated homeownership include:

*University District Central, 13th to 18th Avenue (east of N. 4th Street)
*Indianola Forest and Iuka Ravine, Lane to Woodruff (east of High Street to N. 4th St.)
*Olde North Columbus, Lane Avenue to Slate Run/Parkview Drive (Olentangy River east to the Conrail Railroad tracks)
*Weinland Park, 5th to 12th Avenue (east of High Street)
*Dennison Place (The Circles) and NECKO, 5th to 11th Avenue (west of High Street) [http://offcampus.osu.edu/housingsearch_both.asp OSU Off-Campus Student Services : Off-Campus Housing : Housing Search - Basic ] ]

History

The University Area or University District was not originally part of the city of Columbus. Platted in 1812 as a new city to be the State capital, Columbus was a small town until late in the nineteenth century. One of the major events in the evolution of the area was the decision to locate the State Agricultural College Grounds (Ohio State University) on the site of the Neil farm in 1870, just south of the town of "North Columbus". The university grew slowly at first, but began to expand significantly under the presidency of William Oxley Thompson from 1900 to 1925.

As the area grew, fashionable residential suburbs grew up around the campus in places like the Dennison Addition and the Indianola subdivision with its curved roads and remarkable ravines. In the 1890s the streetcar transformed the area allowing working class people to live in the University Area and make a thirty minute journey to work in downtown Columbus.

At the end of World War II, the University Area was occupied by more homeowners than renters. But that changed with the return of thousands of veterans from the war. The population in the University Area quadrupled and by the 1960s the main OSU campus was the largest in the United States.

To house the growing population, high rise dormitories were build at both ends of the main campus and hundreds of owner occupied houses were either converted to rooming houses, rental units, or were town down to make way for apartment buildings. The increased density gave rise to problems around vehicular congestion, crime and litter.

To cope with these problems, a number of organizations came into being. Among these were the University Community Association which was founded to be an umbrella for the neighborhood organizations in the area; the University District Organization, created to be a neighborhood planning and development organization; the University Community Business Association, established to be the voice of economic enterprise in the area; and the University Area Commission, created as an advisory commission to Columbus City Council. [ [http://www.universitydistrict.org/districthistory.php The University District: L + E + A + R + N :District Histories ] ]

Administrative unit

The University Area Commission (UAC) as an administrative unit was created in 1972 by an act of the Columbus City Council. The University Area Commission is a voluntary, elected, citizens advisory board. In creating the city's first area commission, Columbus City Council delegated certain development oversight and planning responsibilities to stakeholders living in the communities affected by council decisions. Accordingly, new development plans are generally submitted first to an area commission and then to the city council for approval.

The UAC oversees development in what the city refers to as "the university area", bounded in the west by the Olentangy River, in the north by Glen Echo Ravine, in the east by the Conrail line, and in the south by 5th avenue. The Ohio State University itself expands north and west over the Olentangy River for several miles and into Upper Arlington.

Notable residents

;Writers and artists
*George Bellows, artist
*Harlan Ellison, writer
*Roy Lichtenstein, artist
*R.L. Stine, writer
*James Thurber, humorist/cartoonist

;Astronauts
*Charles Bassett, astronaut
*Nancy Currie, astronaut
*Richard Linnehan, astronaut
*Ronald Sega, astronaut

;Inventors
*Charles Kettering, inventor
*Roy Plunkett, inventor [ [http://www.universitydistrict.org/peopleplaces.php The University District: L + E + A + R + N :Best & Brightest ] ]

References

Notes

Resources

* [http://www.universityareacommission.org/ University Area Commission, Columbus, Ohio]
* [http://www.universitydistrict.org/ University District Organization, Columbus, Ohio]
* [http://www.columbusinfobase.org/ Columbus InfoBase, City of Columbus Planning Division]