Driving Park
Encyclopedia
Driving Park is an urban residential area on the Near East Side
of Columbus, Ohio
just south of I-70
. It neighbors many notable areas including Livingston Park, Old Oaks Historic District
, Bryden Road Historic District and the King-Lincoln Bronzeville
District, all with the common thread of the notable Livingston Avenue Corridor which was part of one of Columbus' first street car suburbs. Mainly a middle class predominantly African American neighborhood
, Driving Park and its surrounding neighborhoods consists of an area of 17,730 residents. When the neighborhood is referenced, its boundaries generally consist of Mooberry Street on the north, Alum Creek Drive on the east, E. Whittier Street on the south, and Parsons Avenue to the west. The Driving Park Area Commission recognizes the neighborhood's borders as Interstate 70 on the north, N & W Railroad on the east, E. Whittier Street on the south, and Struder Avenue on the west. Further reference places the community directly in between Bexley
and German Village
.
The precursor community of Driving Park was a small community consisting of employees of the racetrack. During the 1930s the racetrack was abandoned yet the community continued to grow.
and Interstate 70
construction projects navigated through and demolished Columbus' predominantly African American neighborhoods to the east. As a result African Americans moved further south. At one point the community was thriving with a theatre and many diverse commercial outlets along Livingston and Whittier avenues.
There are also historic neighborhoods on the south side of Livingston bordered by Frebis Avenue where many middle class families reside. There is also a 19th century mansion on the corner of Livingston and Linwood, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad
. The area has many beautiful small middle class homes built during the 1940s and more than half have been kept up by the residents. Larger older houses called "foursquares" slang for American Foursquare
built during the 1900s or 1930s still remain either as a whole or partitioned as a double. Similar to other areas of Columbus such as Victorian Village
and the Short North, this area has many beautiful 19th century homes that were owned by many notable residents. In fact the style of the homes vary to include echoes of German Village to the west part of the neighborhood, Olde Towne East
to the north, and Bexley to the east.
Near East Side, Columbus, Ohio
The Near East Side is an area made up several historic neighborhoods on the east side of Columbus, Ohio. Some neighborhoods making up the area include: Mount Vernon, Nelson Park, Eastgate, Beatty Park, Bexley , Olde Towne East, Old Oaks, Driving Park, and Bryden Road...
of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
just south of I-70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
. It neighbors many notable areas including Livingston Park, Old Oaks Historic District
Old Oaks Historic District
Old Oaks is a Historic District that is located just east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. The neighborhood is bounded on the West by the homes on Ohio Avenue, on the East by the homes on Kimball Place, on the North by Mooberry Street, and on the South by Livingston Avenue...
, Bryden Road Historic District and the King-Lincoln Bronzeville
King-Lincoln Bronzeville
King-Lincoln Bronzeville is a historically African American neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, and the site of considerable revitalisation and renovation projects on behalf of the city....
District, all with the common thread of the notable Livingston Avenue Corridor which was part of one of Columbus' first street car suburbs. Mainly a middle class predominantly African American neighborhood
African American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American. Some of the earliest African American...
, Driving Park and its surrounding neighborhoods consists of an area of 17,730 residents. When the neighborhood is referenced, its boundaries generally consist of Mooberry Street on the north, Alum Creek Drive on the east, E. Whittier Street on the south, and Parsons Avenue to the west. The Driving Park Area Commission recognizes the neighborhood's borders as Interstate 70 on the north, N & W Railroad on the east, E. Whittier Street on the south, and Struder Avenue on the west. Further reference places the community directly in between Bexley
Bexley, Ohio
Bexley is an affluent suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio. Founded as a village over a hundred years ago, the City of Bexley is an old, tree-lined suburb of Columbus, the state capital of Ohio, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next to Driving Park and Wolfe Park, just east of the Franklin...
and German Village
German Village
German Village is a historic neighborhood just south of downtown Columbus. It was settled by a large number of German immigrants in the early-to-mid-19th century, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the population of the entire city...
.
History
Driving Park received its name from its historic past as a large equine racing complex for horses and eventually automobiles during 19th century and early 20th century. Columbus residents would travel to Driving Park to enjoy the exciting horse races held there. When automobiles came into fruition during the 1900s the track was converted to allow for auto racing. Its largely flat stretched oval design allowed turn of the century speedsters to set many records at the racetrack. One major event was the world's first 24-hour race in 1905.The precursor community of Driving Park was a small community consisting of employees of the racetrack. During the 1930s the racetrack was abandoned yet the community continued to grow.
Recent Decades
During the 1950s the Interstate 670Interstate 670
Interstate 670 may refer to:*Interstate 670 , a 2.81-mile connector highway within Kansas City.*Interstate 670 , a 9.37-mile spur highway that connects I-70 in western Columbus, Ohio to U.S. Highway 62 and Interstate 270 in Gahanna, Ohio...
and Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
construction projects navigated through and demolished Columbus' predominantly African American neighborhoods to the east. As a result African Americans moved further south. At one point the community was thriving with a theatre and many diverse commercial outlets along Livingston and Whittier avenues.
There are also historic neighborhoods on the south side of Livingston bordered by Frebis Avenue where many middle class families reside. There is also a 19th century mansion on the corner of Livingston and Linwood, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. The area has many beautiful small middle class homes built during the 1940s and more than half have been kept up by the residents. Larger older houses called "foursquares" slang for American Foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
built during the 1900s or 1930s still remain either as a whole or partitioned as a double. Similar to other areas of Columbus such as Victorian Village
Victorian Village
Victorian Village is a neighborhood located north and near west of downtown Columbus. It is an older area with a fair number of established trees for an urban setting...
and the Short North, this area has many beautiful 19th century homes that were owned by many notable residents. In fact the style of the homes vary to include echoes of German Village to the west part of the neighborhood, Olde Towne East
Olde Towne East
Olde Towne East is a neighborhood located in the historical Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio. It is one of Columbus' oldest neighborhoods. Nestled between Downtown, Bexley, Old Oaks Historic District and Driving Park...
to the north, and Bexley to the east.