Harrison West
Encyclopedia
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...
. The neighborhood character is similar to the better-known 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...
just to the east. The area is bounded by Harrison Avenue on the east (which runs parallel to Neil Avenue), Goodale on the South, 5th Avenue on the North, and Olentangy River Road to the west (including "Gowdy Field"). In January of 2008, the neighborhood expanded to include all of "Thurber Village" to the south east.
Developed from the Neil Farm in the early 20th century, Harrison West is characterized by Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Edwardian
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
-style homes, although the housing stock is generally more modest than the grand homes found in Victorian Village proper. Frame houses are more common than brick.
The Harrison West neighborhood area experienced urban decline throughout much of the late 20th century. Just south of Harrison West, the similar "Flytown" was destroyed during "slum clearance" in the 1960s and replaced by Interstate 670
Interstate 670 (Ohio)
Interstate 670 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Ohio that passes through downtown Columbus, connecting I-70 west of downtown with I-270 and US 62 near the eastern suburb of Gahanna. I-670 provides access to Port Columbus International Airport, and intersects SR 315 and I-71 downtown...
and the "James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
Village" apartment and business area. Redevelopment and gentrification spreading from Victorian Village closer to downtown has transformed the area in the last two decades, accelerating with the demolition of industrial sites along the Olentangy River
Olentangy River
The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio.It was originally called keenhongsheconsepung, a Delaware word literally translated as "stone for your knife stream", based on the shale found along its shores. Early settlers to the region translated this into "Whetstone River"...
.
Today some of the homes have been split into rented apartments, while others remain as historical landmarks. Still others have since been purchased and restored to their original style. Numerous original houses of poor quality have been demolished and replaced with new construction in the same urban style. The Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
, a major employer, at one time owned numerous rental properties and, concerned about urban blight on its doorstep, became actively involved in area redevelopment in the 1980s.
Conversion of a 16 acres (6.5 ha) former factory site into a complex of single-family homes, flats and lofts is completing the improvement of the neighborhood into a desirable location. Life in the neighborhood centers on commercial properties along 3rd Avenue, which roughly bisects the neighborhood. Included in the development is a clubhouse that serves as the new home for the Carpe Diem String Quartet
Carpe Diem String Quartet
The Carpe Diem String Quartet was founded in 2005 and is a classical string quartet based in Columbus, Ohio, in residence at Ohio Wesleyan University. The quartet's repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary chamber music...
's performances.
The neighborhood was not originally intended as a separate district, but was constituted from the urban area excluded from the "Victorian Village Architectural Review" in 1974. A neighborhood association founded in 1976, like others in Columbus, advocates for city services and community projects. Current projects include water quality issues in the Olentangy River and maintenance of the Olentangy bike trail and the neighborhood parks, including a new river Park.