Accident at Overbrook and High Summit and Maynard, 1948
Revised post!
These two photographs were found among the papers of Kenneth Hauer, a local photographer who had a studio on North High Street. The photos were taken in 1948 at the intersections of Summit and Maynard.
The first photo is taken from the west side of the accident, looking toward the businesses on the northeast corner of the intersection of Summit and Maynard. The building’s address is 2336 Summit Street.
The second photo is taken from in front of that business building, looking west/northwest.
Now to be clear, in my original post I got it all wrong! Larry L Lower was instrumental in discovering the location of Kenneth Hauer’s accident pictures. (Previously, I’d placed the accident at 4139-4147 North High–though admittedly the buildings there today have significant differences from the old photos–because I couldn’t find any other location and Kenneth Hauer’s studio was at 4139 North High.)
I do not how many hours Larry worked on this but he deserves some sort of prize! He said,
The storefront property in your photo matches an existing building on the northeast corner of Summit and Maynard. Across the street on the northwest corner are two buildings that match the two buildings in your second photo.
The storefront photo shows First National Cleaners in the far left store front. The 1947 Polk city directory showed a business of the same name in the same position of the building at Summit and Maynard, which is 2340 Summit.
Summit and Maynard are one-way in 2012. They were two-way in 1948. That would explain the direction of all of the automobiles in your photos.
Larry undoubtedly got it right; both the building and the houses across from this building match the photos that Kenneth Hauer took exactly. Thanks, Larry! (Note: you can compare the 1948 pictures with the intersection today using Google’s Street View.)
Other readers: Charles (Coryn), Nina, Bob, Terry (Seidel), and Genie (Hoster) also contributed critiques and/or theories of how to solve the puzzle. Without doubt my original post, wrong as it was, garnered more comments than any other post on my web site.
You can click on the photos to see them in more detail. (Photos courtesy of Marge Hauer.)
Original post:
These two photographs were found among the papers of Kenneth Hauer, a local photographer who had a studio on High Street. The photos were taken in 1948 at the intersections of Westwood and Overbrook and North High Street. I have compared the photos with the same location today, and remain puzzled (Note: you can do this online using Google’s Street View.
The first photo is taken from the east side of the accident, looking toward the businesses on the southwest corner of the intersection of Westwood and North High Street.
The second photo is taken from in front of that business building, looking east/southeast. I’m amazed at the houses that are shown on the east side of High Street. Today, these houses are no longer there—and the land where the houses sat does not exist anymore, either. Today, the land falls away steeply into Overbrook Road and Ravine.
Could the land have changed this much?
Another snippet: I’m told that there used to be a “party house”—i.e. a building that could be rented for parties–just south of this location.
You can click on the photos to see them in more detail. (Photos courtesy of Marge Hauer.)
Tags: Recently-revised Post
January 12th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
I grew up in this area and it must be a mislabeled photo, that can’t be the same corner. It looks more like Indianola Ave to me, maybe down in the Arcadia area.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Are you sure that is the correct intersection? I looked at the street view on Google maps as well, and if you look at the detailing at the top of the brick shops, the four parts that stick up on the current building are equidistant, while the four parts that stick up on the building in the photo are closer together on the ends and farther apart in the center. Also, the detailing around the top of the building and the second floor windows appear different. Do you think someone would have gone through the trouble to change all of those details on an old brick building? I mean, I suppose it’s possible. But perhaps the accident actually took place at a different location (not that I would know where).
September 15th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Accident at Overbrook and High, 1948.
It looks like the road was further over the hill and there would have been plenty of room for houses along High Street at the accident site.
I will have to walk the area to be sure.
bob
January 27th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
“Accident at overbrook and high” First photo appears to be looking at the building at the northeast corner of Oakland park and high street
January 27th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Corrected email
May 7th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Accident at Overbrook and High, 1948
My guess is that the information of Kenneth Hauer’s studio at 4169 North High Street, which is at Westwood and N. High Street at Overbrook was confused with the information of the photos.
I believe that the two photos are not of the intersection of Westwood and High Street.
The windows sizes and locations don’t match the current building built 1920 at that site. The topography looks different. There are differences in the brickwork. See the top courses. The storefronts don’t match. Also, the houses could not have existing when compared to old topographical maps. Those old maps match the current topography. I assume that the grade would not have been change to accommodate houses and later changed back after the houses were removed. Judging from the shadow from the sun the camera was pointed due west early morning of due north mid afternoon. Etc.
I haven’t been able to locate the building that is in this photo, yet.
Check the 1948 city directory for First National Cleaners.
Automobile plates have dates?
The directory may have an ice cream shop two doors away.
There is a street number on the middle shop over the door, too.
Many clues…
LL Lower
November 27th, 2011 at 9:59 am
In the photo you can see High St. is a side walk width from the building. If you look at the aerial photo on Bing Maps the building is a much greater distance west from High Street. It appears High street has been moved to the east and widened placing it over the location of the houses in the photo.
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:37 am
Hi, me again. 4139-4147 North High Street is located at the south west corner of Westwood and High Street. The adress numbers on the west side of high street are odd numbers.
Look at your photo of the middle store front.
I believe you will see that the address number is not only an even number but to small of a number. (the web pic is a bit fussy)
Even numbers are on the west and north side of the street. The sun’s shadow puts it on the north side, not the west. There are very few exceptions to this rule.
Public Record;
http://www.franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?select=PHOTO&curpid=01008651500
March 26th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
The storefront property in your photo matches an existing building on the northeast corner of Summit and Maynard. Arcoss the street on the northwest corner are two buildings that match the two buildings in your second photo.
The storefront photo shows First National Cleaners in the far left store front. The 1947 Polk city direcotry showed a business of the same name in the same possition of the building at Summit and Maynard, which is 2340 Summit.
Summit and Maynard are one-way in 2012. They were two-way in 1948. That would explain the direction of all of the automobiles in your photos.
You can view these in person or online. Franklin County Recorder’s website shows the side of the building, but none of its front.
July 20th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Hi Shirley – Just ran across your website while looking for some other info…Great job of recording Clintonville’s history…We live at Overbrook and High and there’s some great, mostly 1930s homes in the first stretch of Overbrook …I agree, this picture doesn’t look familiar…do you think consulting Sanborn maps might solve the mystery of whether there were homes where the land falls away into the ravine? I have some other info to share with you for the website… “oral history” from some of the oldtimers (now mostly gone) I’ve talked with…let me know when you might be available to talk!
February 6th, 2018 at 11:05 am
I’m not sure. I know it had to be remodeled/rebuilt–there are photos of it at the Ohio History Connection before and after being remodeled.