German Village
Encyclopedia
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. On December 30, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
, becoming the largest privately-funded preservation district on the list, and in 2007 was made a Preserve America Community by the White House
. On November 28, 1980, its boundaries were increased, and today is one of the premier historic restorations in the world.
. By 1802, an American Revolution veteran named John McGowan claimed 328 acres (1.3 km²), most of what would become the German Village. As German immigrants arrived, McGowan sold tracts of land to them. By 1814, the German Village found its roots, originally called "die alte sud ende" (the old south end), and German immigrants contributed to building the first statehouse.
By 1830, massive German immigration to the city had occurred. The most influential German newspaper in 1843 was "Der Westbote". Many would serve in the American Civil War
, thus gaining the universal respect of the local citizens. By 1865, one-third of Columbus's population was German and the community was flourishing. They built up the local neighborhood, including many businesses, such as Hessenauer Jewelers and Lazarus Department Stores
, schools, and churches, such as the Ohio-historic St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1865 and adorned with a 197 feet (60 m) steeple in 1893. German-American George Karb would become mayor of the city, twice, at the end of the 19th century, and again in the early 20th century.
During the early 20th-century, the south end saw newcomers from Eastern Europe aside from German immigrants, resulting in brother neighborhoods such as the Hungarian Village
.
. The school would go on to become what is known today as Capital University
, still under the leadership of the Lutheran Church although located in nearby Bexley
now, and the 19th-best college in the Midwest.
In the 1860s and 70s the Maennerchor formed a drama division called the "Dramatischen Sektion." They would produce operas, dramas, and comedies until disbanding in the 1930s. One of their notable performances was their 1927 production of Friedrich von Schiller's Die Rauber. Another social group was the Schiller Club, founded in 1900.
The Columbus Turn Verein was a social and athletic association which dated back to 1866, and was a main organization from which the German immigrants drew mutual support. In 1890, the Ohio State Buckeyes Football
team played their first-ever home game in the south end, at a location just west of present-day Schiller Park between Jaeger, Ebner, and Whittier (then called Schiller) Streets.
, part of the greater German Village neighborhood, still partially resembles its notable past. During the 19th-century, the area was found largely along both sides of South Front Street from Livingston Avenue to Sycamore.
Notable breweries during this period included the Bavarian Brewery, started in 1849 by George Schlegel, which ultimately became the Shlegel Bavarian Brewery in 1860 when Bavarian
Nicholas Schlee immigrated and took over. Schlee was President of the company that would eventually construct the Great Southern Hotel downtown, while also owning the Lyceum Theater and serving as Vice President of the Central Bank. Conrad Born opened the Capital Brewery in 1859, who was also president of the Century Discount Company, and the industry would flourish until the early 20th century.
One of the last major brewers of the city before Prohibition
was August Wagner, who immigrated from Bavaria in the late 19th century and worked as the brewmaster at the City Brewery before becoming President and general manager of The Gambrinus Brewing Company. By 1919 he had purchased all of the stock for the company to become the sole owner, and changed the name in 1938 to August Wagner Breweries, Inc. He was known to parade around on a horse in a costume of Gambrinus
, the patron saint of beer. A statue of Gambrinus was located at 605 S. Front St. until recent years.
29 breweries have existed in and around the village throughout its history.
While English breweries were found originally in the city, as German immigrants moved in, their brewing techniques were universally embraced and became the dominant methods for producing beer. Louis Hoster, an immigrant from Rheinfalz, Germany is notably credited for this transformation when he opened the City Brewery in the 1830s. He would go on to serve on the City Council between 1846-1854 while establishing the city's first wollen mill in 1852. In 1864 he established the Louis Hoster & Sons Brewery, which became the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries in 1904. He would also serve on the Board of Education and was a Unionist Democrat.
Descendants of Louis's brewing dynasty included his son Louis Philip Hoster, president of the Columbus Structural Steel Company, and Herman Hoster, son of Louis's George, a graduate of Yale University
, treasurer of Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries, and founder of the Columbus Envelope Company. Another son of George was Carl J. Hoster, graduate of Cornell University
, President of the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries as well as the Director of the Hayden Clinton National Bank and Columbus Driving Park Association, President of the U.S. Brewer's Association, 32d degree of the Scottish Rite
, and great-great uncle of former U.S. President George W. Bush
.
Hoster Street in the German Village stretches six blocks between Lazelle and S. Front.
Dr. Herman A. Hoster, Jr. was the son of Herman Hoster, and name-bearer of the Herman A. Hoster Research Laboratory of the Department of Medicine
and the Department of Zoology at the Ohio State University
. He was a graduate of Yale University
and Johns Hopkins University
who would suffer from Hodgkin's Disease. After learning of his illness, Dr. Hoster resigned his medical position with Yale to return home to Columbus. There he focused on research of the disease at the OSU
. He became a professor of medicine and eventually an associate director of research at the College of Medicine where he performed experiments on himself related to his illness, including some at Henry Ford Hospital
in Detroit. He published several leading research papers from his time, including support of radiation therapy to treat the disease.
Dr. Hoster became a charter member of the Hodgkin's Disease Research Foundation in New York City
, serving as the original President between 1947-1951. The first headquarters of the foundation was established at St. Vincent's Hospital, and included board members such as Dr. Robert Chambers from the New York University
, Dr. Antonio Rottino, Vice President of St. Vincent's Hospital, Dr. Harry Rolnick from Philadelphia, and John Finn, Vice President of Fordham University
.
The area was in serious decline throughout the first half of the 20th century, however, due to anti-German sentiment during World War I
. This was sparked with the sinking of the Lusitania
by Germany, where innocent women and children lost their lives. The media used this to demonize Germany and German-Americans. The Germans claimed it was transporting weapons in a war zone, which the British and American governments denied. In 2008, however, millions of rounds of ammunition were found at the wreckage of the ship.
What ensued was the teaching of German in public schools being banned, and German textbooks burned. German street names were changed, such as Germania Street becoming the present-day Stewart Avenue, and Schiller Park was renamed Washington Park. The anti-German sentiment fueled by the media was so bad that in 1918 German books were burned on Broad St., and at the foot of the Schiller statue. German canine breeds were taken from their owners and slaughtered, including German Shepherds and Dachsunds. Despite the hatred, the German American
community would produce one of America's finest heroes from the war, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
, for whom Rickenbacker International Airport
in southern Columbus is named.
Further decline occurred later due to the closing of the local breweries during Prohibition
, another response to the anti-German sentiment. After the war, the south end was zoned for manufacturing, leading to the erosion of the area's residential feel. In World War II, the street car tracks and wrought iron fences were confiscated for the war effort. By the 1950s, the area had become a slum. The city then demolished one-third of the neighborhood.
Concerned citizens managed to save its historic architecture from demolition in the 1960s by successfully lobbying for a local commission, the German Village Commission
, to have power over external changes made to buildings, and by getting the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975. The German Village Society presently has over 1,000 preservationists dedicated to maintaining the historic quality of the buildings and neighborhood, and German Village is currently considered one of the most desirable areas to live in the city, if not the premiere place in Columbus to live. More than 1600 buildings have been restored since 1960, and it is credited as one of the most premiere restoration districts in the world. By the 1980s, the restoration was near complete. Today it is the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
fences along tree-lined, brick-paved streets. The average home price is $377,450. Several homes in the neighborhood price at over $1 million, including a 5200 square feet (483.1 m²) home that sold in August 2007 for $1.5 million. Another home, which was purchased for $1.4 million in 2006, boasts an underground tunnel linking the garage with the main house, which also serves as an art and wine cellar.
Inc., as well as several art galleries including the Archive Gallery, Hawk Galleries, Keny Gallery, Kight Studio 551, and Metroscap. Shops catering to European-imported retail include Caterina Ltd. and T. David Collection.
Numerous village restaurants won 2010 ThisWeek Community Papers awards, including Skillet as the Best New Restaurant in the city, and Thurman Café for Best Burgers. Barcelona, noted for its Spanish cuisine, won for Best Patio, and is a consistent Columbus Dispatch best city restaurant, while Lindey's was runner-up for the same award, voted one of Columbus's top ten restaurants for 18 years straight, also having appeared previously in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today
, and Gourmet Magazine. Max and Erma's was runner up for Best Casual Restaurant and Best Soups, Pistacia Vera runner-up for Best Desserts, and Roosters won Best Wings.
German Village is the home of the first restaurant in the Max & Erma's
chain. In 1972 the restaurant was opened by Barry Zacks. The name was adopted from the original tavern, started in 1958 by Max and Erma Visocnik, which the new owners converted into the popular theme restaurant.
, The Plain Dealer, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and positively reviewed by the Washington Post and The Tennessean
. It was rated as the "Best Columbus Hotel 2010" by City Search.
, in collaboration with the German Village Society and WBNS
, narrated a 10-minute documentary short on the neighborhood which won an Ohio Historic Preservation Office Award.
.
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...
. It was settled by a large number of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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. On December 30, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, becoming the largest privately-funded preservation district on the list, and in 2007 was made a Preserve America Community by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. On November 28, 1980, its boundaries were increased, and today is one of the premier historic restorations in the world.
Origins
In 1796, Congress appropriated the Refugee Lands for individuals who had supported the Colonial cause in the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. By 1802, an American Revolution veteran named John McGowan claimed 328 acres (1.3 km²), most of what would become the German Village. As German immigrants arrived, McGowan sold tracts of land to them. By 1814, the German Village found its roots, originally called "die alte sud ende" (the old south end), and German immigrants contributed to building the first statehouse.
Immigration
By 1830, massive German immigration to the city had occurred. The most influential German newspaper in 1843 was "Der Westbote". Many would serve in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, thus gaining the universal respect of the local citizens. By 1865, one-third of Columbus's population was German and the community was flourishing. They built up the local neighborhood, including many businesses, such as Hessenauer Jewelers and Lazarus Department Stores
Lazarus (department store)
F&R Lazarus & Company — commonly known as Lazarus — was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio...
, schools, and churches, such as the Ohio-historic St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1865 and adorned with a 197 feet (60 m) steeple in 1893. German-American George Karb would become mayor of the city, twice, at the end of the 19th century, and again in the early 20th century.
During the early 20th-century, the south end saw newcomers from Eastern Europe aside from German immigrants, resulting in brother neighborhoods such as the Hungarian Village
Hungarian Village
The Hungarian Village is a neighborhood south of downtown Columbus between the Merion Village and Reeb-Hosack/Steelton Village, encompassing the area between Woodrow and Hinman avenues between High Street and Parsons Avenue...
.
Education
The local schools the German immigrants constructed and managed were so superior that English-speaking residents of Columbus chose to attend them, such as one that once stood at Fulton St. east of S. Fourth St. In 1831, the German Evangelical Lutheran Seminary secured 14 acres (56,656 m²) in the south end, founded by William Schmidt, an immigrant from Halle, GermanyHalle, Germany
Halle, Germany may refer to:* Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, also called Halle an der Saale, or Halle * Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, also called Halle in Westfalen, or Halle * Halle, Bentheim, in the district of Bentheim, Lower Saxony...
. The school would go on to become what is known today as Capital University
Capital University
Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
, still under the leadership of the Lutheran Church although located in nearby 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...
now, and the 19th-best college in the Midwest.
The arts and athletics
The German immigrants brought with them a vibrant athletic and artistic heritage which reflected in their social establishments. The Columbus Maennerchor, a singing group, was established in 1848, and as early as 1852 won a ribbon for their talent at the North American Sangerfest. In 1866, the group won the silver prize at a festival held in Louisville. In the late 19th century, another singing group called the Columbus Liederkranz was formed by the Germans, but was forced to cease during World War One because of heavy anti-German pressure. They would merge with the Maennerchor, which survived.In the 1860s and 70s the Maennerchor formed a drama division called the "Dramatischen Sektion." They would produce operas, dramas, and comedies until disbanding in the 1930s. One of their notable performances was their 1927 production of Friedrich von Schiller's Die Rauber. Another social group was the Schiller Club, founded in 1900.
The Columbus Turn Verein was a social and athletic association which dated back to 1866, and was a main organization from which the German immigrants drew mutual support. In 1890, the Ohio State Buckeyes Football
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
team played their first-ever home game in the south end, at a location just west of present-day Schiller Park between Jaeger, Ebner, and Whittier (then called Schiller) Streets.
German Brewery District
A prosperous industry for the German immigrants was the brewing industry. Today the Brewery DistrictBrewery District
The Brewery District is a neighborhood located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Located just south of the central business district, the area has a history stretching nearly 200 years. It is bounded by Interstate 70 on the north, Pearl Street on the east, Greenlawn Avenue on the south, and the Scioto River...
, part of the greater German Village neighborhood, still partially resembles its notable past. During the 19th-century, the area was found largely along both sides of South Front Street from Livingston Avenue to Sycamore.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
Nicholas Schlee immigrated and took over. Schlee was President of the company that would eventually construct the Great Southern Hotel downtown, while also owning the Lyceum Theater and serving as Vice President of the Central Bank. Conrad Born opened the Capital Brewery in 1859, who was also president of the Century Discount Company, and the industry would flourish until the early 20th century.
One of the last major brewers of the city before Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
was August Wagner, who immigrated from Bavaria in the late 19th century and worked as the brewmaster at the City Brewery before becoming President and general manager of The Gambrinus Brewing Company. By 1919 he had purchased all of the stock for the company to become the sole owner, and changed the name in 1938 to August Wagner Breweries, Inc. He was known to parade around on a horse in a costume of Gambrinus
Gambrinus
Gambrinus is a legendary king of Flanders, and an unofficial patron saint of beer or beer brewing. Gambrinus is variously depicted as a European king, as an English knight of the Middle Ages, or as a plump old man...
, the patron saint of beer. A statue of Gambrinus was located at 605 S. Front St. until recent years.
29 breweries have existed in and around the village throughout its history.
Hoster brewing dynasty
While English breweries were found originally in the city, as German immigrants moved in, their brewing techniques were universally embraced and became the dominant methods for producing beer. Louis Hoster, an immigrant from Rheinfalz, Germany is notably credited for this transformation when he opened the City Brewery in the 1830s. He would go on to serve on the City Council between 1846-1854 while establishing the city's first wollen mill in 1852. In 1864 he established the Louis Hoster & Sons Brewery, which became the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries in 1904. He would also serve on the Board of Education and was a Unionist Democrat.
Descendants of Louis's brewing dynasty included his son Louis Philip Hoster, president of the Columbus Structural Steel Company, and Herman Hoster, son of Louis's George, a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, treasurer of Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries, and founder of the Columbus Envelope Company. Another son of George was Carl J. Hoster, graduate of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, President of the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries as well as the Director of the Hayden Clinton National Bank and Columbus Driving Park Association, President of the U.S. Brewer's Association, 32d degree of the Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
, and great-great uncle of former U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Hoster Street in the German Village stretches six blocks between Lazelle and S. Front.
Dr. Herman A. Hoster, Jr.
Dr. Herman A. Hoster, Jr. was the son of Herman Hoster, and name-bearer of the Herman A. Hoster Research Laboratory of the Department of Medicine
Ohio State University Medical Center
The Ohio State University Medical Center is a multidisciplinary academic medical center located in Columbus, Ohio, on the main campus of The Ohio State University . In 2010, the Ohio State University Hospital was ranked one of "America's Best" by U.S. News & World Report in 11 specialties...
and the Department of Zoology at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. He was a graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
who would suffer from Hodgkin's Disease. After learning of his illness, Dr. Hoster resigned his medical position with Yale to return home to Columbus. There he focused on research of the disease at the OSU
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. He became a professor of medicine and eventually an associate director of research at the College of Medicine where he performed experiments on himself related to his illness, including some at Henry Ford Hospital
Henry Ford Hospital
Henry Ford Hospital, the flagship facility for , is an 805-bed tertiary care hospital, education and research complex located in Detroit ....
in Detroit. He published several leading research papers from his time, including support of radiation therapy to treat the disease.
Dr. Hoster became a charter member of the Hodgkin's Disease Research Foundation in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, serving as the original President between 1947-1951. The first headquarters of the foundation was established at St. Vincent's Hospital, and included board members such as Dr. Robert Chambers from the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Dr. Antonio Rottino, Vice President of St. Vincent's Hospital, Dr. Harry Rolnick from Philadelphia, and John Finn, Vice President of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
.
Decline
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. This was sparked with the sinking of the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
by Germany, where innocent women and children lost their lives. The media used this to demonize Germany and German-Americans. The Germans claimed it was transporting weapons in a war zone, which the British and American governments denied. In 2008, however, millions of rounds of ammunition were found at the wreckage of the ship.
What ensued was the teaching of German in public schools being banned, and German textbooks burned. German street names were changed, such as Germania Street becoming the present-day Stewart Avenue, and Schiller Park was renamed Washington Park. The anti-German sentiment fueled by the media was so bad that in 1918 German books were burned on Broad St., and at the foot of the Schiller statue. German canine breeds were taken from their owners and slaughtered, including German Shepherds and Dachsunds. Despite the hatred, the German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
community would produce one of America's finest heroes from the war, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
, for whom Rickenbacker International Airport
Rickenbacker International Airport
Rickenbacker International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 10 miles south of the central business district of Columbus, near the village of Lockbourne in extreme southern Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The southern end of the airport extends into northern Pickaway...
in southern Columbus is named.
Further decline occurred later due to the closing of the local breweries during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, another response to the anti-German sentiment. After the war, the south end was zoned for manufacturing, leading to the erosion of the area's residential feel. In World War II, the street car tracks and wrought iron fences were confiscated for the war effort. By the 1950s, the area had become a slum. The city then demolished one-third of the neighborhood.
Renewal
Nearing complete destruction, Frank Fetch defied the common wisdom and purchased a house on Wall St., determined to rebuild the neighborhood. Fetch would create the German Village Society. In June 1960, the society hosted the first Haus und Garten Tour, which attracted visitors and the local media to eight restored homes, and two gardens. Today the tour is one of the city's most popular events. Frank Fetch Park today in the German Village bears the name of the man who it honors.Concerned citizens managed to save its historic architecture from demolition in the 1960s by successfully lobbying for a local commission, the German Village Commission
German Village Commission
The German Village Commission is a governmental organization appointed by the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio to "preserve, protect and enhance the unique architectural and historical features of the German Village Historic District." The commission has the power to approve architectural designs and...
, to have power over external changes made to buildings, and by getting the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975. The German Village Society presently has over 1,000 preservationists dedicated to maintaining the historic quality of the buildings and neighborhood, and German Village is currently considered one of the most desirable areas to live in the city, if not the premiere place in Columbus to live. More than 1600 buildings have been restored since 1960, and it is credited as one of the most premiere restoration districts in the world. By the 1980s, the restoration was near complete. Today it is the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Present
Residential real estate
The village is mostly a residential neighborhood of sturdy, red-brick homes with wrought ironWrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
fences along tree-lined, brick-paved streets. The average home price is $377,450. Several homes in the neighborhood price at over $1 million, including a 5200 square feet (483.1 m²) home that sold in August 2007 for $1.5 million. Another home, which was purchased for $1.4 million in 2006, boasts an underground tunnel linking the garage with the main house, which also serves as an art and wine cellar.
Commercial
German Village has a commercial strip mainly centered along Third Street, with mostly locally owned restaurants—such as Katzinger's Delicatessen—and the 32-room Book Loft bookstore. The neighborhood is home to one of the world's largest producers of stained glass, the Franklin Art Glass StudiosFranklin Art Glass Studios
Franklin Art Glass Studios, Inc. is a stained glass studio, stained glass supply wholesaler and retailer located in Columbus, Ohio. The stained glass studio specializes in the design, fabrication, and restoration of stained leaded glass as well as faceted glass...
Inc., as well as several art galleries including the Archive Gallery, Hawk Galleries, Keny Gallery, Kight Studio 551, and Metroscap. Shops catering to European-imported retail include Caterina Ltd. and T. David Collection.
Numerous village restaurants won 2010 ThisWeek Community Papers awards, including Skillet as the Best New Restaurant in the city, and Thurman Café for Best Burgers. Barcelona, noted for its Spanish cuisine, won for Best Patio, and is a consistent Columbus Dispatch best city restaurant, while Lindey's was runner-up for the same award, voted one of Columbus's top ten restaurants for 18 years straight, also having appeared previously in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and Gourmet Magazine. Max and Erma's was runner up for Best Casual Restaurant and Best Soups, Pistacia Vera runner-up for Best Desserts, and Roosters won Best Wings.
German Village is the home of the first restaurant in the Max & Erma's
Max & Erma's
Max & Erma's is a casual dining restaurant chain based in Columbus, Ohio. It operates throughout parts of the Eastern and Midwestern United States, and was founded in 1972 by Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks. The two businessmen purchased a local tavern in Columbus's German Village which had been...
chain. In 1972 the restaurant was opened by Barry Zacks. The name was adopted from the original tavern, started in 1958 by Max and Erma Visocnik, which the new owners converted into the popular theme restaurant.
Hospitality
The German Village Guest House has been recognized as one of the best in the Midwest by the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, The Plain Dealer, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and positively reviewed by the Washington Post and The Tennessean
The Tennessean
The Tennessean is the principal daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky....
. It was rated as the "Best Columbus Hotel 2010" by City Search.
Film
In 2006, local media personality Andrea CambernAndrea Cambern
Andrea S. Cambern is a television news anchor for WBNS-TV and WWHO in Ohio. She resides in the German Village area of Columbus, Ohio.- Biography :Andrea Cambern joined WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio in December 1991....
, in collaboration with the German Village Society and WBNS
WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV, channel 10, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The station is an affiliate of the CBS Television Network and is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Columbus Dispatch, along with WBNS radio...
, narrated a 10-minute documentary short on the neighborhood which won an Ohio Historic Preservation Office Award.
Schiller Park
At the southern end of German Village is Schiller Park, named after Friedrich von Schiller, which was once a community meeting ground for the German settlement. It is now the site of recreational facilities, gardens and an amphitheater, which hosts free live performances of Shakespearean plays during the summer months courtesy of Actors Theatre of ColumbusActors Theatre of Columbus
Actors Theatre of Columbus is a performing arts theater troupe located in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1982 by Gary and Patricia Ellson, and was initially called Actors' Summer Theatre...
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