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‘1900-1940’ Category

Dallas Dupre

Friday, September 26th, 2008

Dallas Dupre, whose son still lives in Greater Columbus, was a landscape architect. He had an office located on the west side of North High Street near Weber Road (3073 North High Street), and is reputed to have been the founder of the early roadside park system throughout the U.S. The Dupre family lived in old Beechwold.

Elks Country Club

Friday, September 26th, 2008

I loved the story of Lawrence Huber (1893-1958) and his wife Eunice Louise Dougherty (1900-1986). Lawrence had applied for a job at the Elks Country Club. They told him they wanted the incumbent to be married, so he asked his girlfriend Eunice to marry him. She accepted and they married in 1922–and remained married the rest of thier lives.

Huber, under the direction of Donald Ross, helped to construct the Elks Country Club golf course, which was located north of Morse Road and east of High Street to Indianola Road. Huber eventually took over the position of groundskeeper when the course opened the following year. Lawrence and Eunice, and their three children, lived in a residence on the Elks Country Club property while Lawrence was employed there. Huber was extremely innovative, and invented equipment as needed to cultivate and care for the greens. (Photo courtesy of Betty Huber)

Bank

Friday, September 26th, 2008

The Citizen’s Trust & Savings Bank, Clintonville Branch, was located in 1926 at 3296 North High Street. Left to right are Fred Horch, manager; Earl Buchler, manager, Steelton Office; Karl Kegelmeyer, manager produce exchange office; and Hershel Hill, assistant. It later became the Ohio National Bank, then Banc Ohio National Bank.

Zinn’s Lumber Yard

Friday, September 26th, 2008

In 1892 at the age of 21, Mr. J. Harvey Zinn opened the lumber company at 19 East Hudson Street in partnership with Mr. S. M. Coe. Four years later he bought out Mr. Coe’s interest and built up the largest lumber yard in the city, both from the standpoint of size and from the amount of business done per year. This is a picture of Zinn’s Lumber Yard and workers. In November 1924 the Zinn Lumber Company caught fire and burned to a loss of $141,000. It was the largest fire in the city for that year. In 1931 Zinn was made vice-president of the Northern Savings Bank located at 2619 North High Street, and soon was promoted to President. Zinn divided his time between the two businesses.

As Bob Ohaver’s oral history explains, Zinn owned land along the Olentangy River from North Broadway to Kenworth Road, and in 1926 he built a residence at 285 Kenworth Road.

Zinn was one of the 4 people who cut the ribbon when the North Broadway bridge was dedicated in 1939.

North Broadway bridge

Friday, September 26th, 2008

These photos, from the Franklin County Engineers Office, show the construction of the North Broadway Bridge in 1939. Construction began on March 16, 1939, but was hampered by flood waters on May 23rd. Two shifts of men were used for a period of four of the 8-1/2 months the bridge was under construction, to bring the project to completion on time. The stone facing of the bridge is natural Columbus limestone in various colors.

Note the temporary bridge in the first couple photographs. (Photos courtesy of Franklin County Engineers)

Please note, this post was revised on 2021-10-17 to provide full-size photos when you click through a photo.

Another kind of bridge

Friday, September 26th, 2008

Does anyone out there have a picture of the Clintonville Bridge Club, which met in the basement of the Olentangy Village Tavern for perhaps 50 years until the 1970s/1980s?

J. F. Oelgoetz Company

Friday, September 26th, 2008

J. F. Oelgoetz Company specialized in heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and plumbing. It was established in Clintonville in 1915. In 1939, Oelgoetz Company was located at 3365 North High Street

Agricultural Laboratory Inc

Friday, September 26th, 2008

In my book and on this web page I wrote about Agricultural Laboratory Inc, located at 3415 Milton Avenue.

Here’s an ad for it showing the types of products it produced in 1939. [Advertisement from a 1939 North High Memory Book.]

All about the barn

Friday, September 26th, 2008

I love the story of the concrete block building near Brighton and Milton just south of West North Broadway. Miles Elmers owned AGI, a business that he situated in this concrete barn during the 1930s. Elmers contracted with Monsanto to test and package a low-sudsing detergent. When Monsanto decided to discontinue the product, Elmers purchased all rights to it, renamed, repackaged and remarketed it…and “All” detergent was born.

There are rumors that the building was once a candy factory, that the owners gave out candy from this location, but I was unable to confirm this. It is presently a private residence.

When the Elmers family owned All, they had to travel to the various plants around the country, and so they worked with the Flexible Bus Company to customize a bus to make their travels more comfortable. People along the way asked them where they got the bus/RV, and asked them to replicate it. The result was a new business for the Elmers family: Custom Coach.

Will you swim in pure water?

Friday, September 26th, 2008

I love this ad for Olympic Beach in 1939. “Of interest to the ‘bathers’ of Northern Columbus is the care and precaution the management of the Olympic Pool is taking so that our families may swim in perfectly safe water, free from impurities and its dangers…“ Shortly after the pool was built, the Olympic Amusement Corporation, headed by Orr Zimmerman, assumed ownership of the pool. For many years the O.S.U. swimming and diving teams practiced there and many contestants for the summer Olympics came from all over the United States to train at the pool. Several national championships have been held there. Early on, only male lifeguards worked at the pool.

Here, someone does a kamikaze dive off the tallest tower. (Photos courtesy of the Zimmerman family)