These lovely pictures are of the Albrecht Floral Shop at 2703 River (or Olentangy) Road–the intersection of Dodridge and Olentangy River Road, looking north.

According to librarian Cindy at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, the flower shop went through several hands in the 1930s.

In 1941 it finally appears as Albrecht Florists.

Cindy found a parcel sheet for what she believes is the property in question. The parcel sheet shows the greenhouse listed as well as a brick building.

There is an ad for Flora Louise Hess, Florist in a 1925 Columbus Women’s Club cookbook that features an illustration of the building matching these photos.

Flora Hess sold the property to the state in 1932. She lived in a house close by at 2637 Olentangy River Road, however. In 1968 Johnny Jones wrote an article about an antique sale at the Hess homestead.

Across the street from the flower shop is a gas station. The Moosehead Filling Station and Moosehead Tavern was across the street at 2696 Olentangy Road as early as 1937. It advertised selling H-C gas; H-C was the first high-octane gasoline. In 1926, Sinclair leapt ahead of most of its competitors with H-C, the industry’s original high-octane premium gasoline for motorcars. The 72-octane auto fuel, developed at its Houston refinery, was better than anything then marketed (Lindbergh’s flight to Paris the following year was on 73-octane gasoline). H-C stood for “Houston Concentrate,” though some advertising men called it “High Compression.”

The Moosewood Tavern was apparently a trouble spot; this Columbus Dispatch newspaper article documents one incident of rowdiness.

[Photos courtesy of the Franklin County Engineers. Articles are from the Columbus Dispatch. Research on these photos and news items mostly came from Cindy at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Local History & Genealogy Desk; thank you Cindy! ]

Transportation expert and collector Alex Campbell sent along some Olentangy Park pictures. Though you may or may not have already seen these pictures, Alex’ knowledge is invaluable. From Alex:

This is the streetcar and pedestrian entrance to Olentangy Park. Olentangy Park was purchased by the Columbus Railway & Light Co. in 1897 as a way to generate business. The high Street line ended at Arcadia. The North High Streetcar house was on the northeast corner of Arcadia and High Streets and directly across the street this park entrance. The Clintonville–Worthington streetcar line terminated at Arcadia as well hence the need for the pedestrian walkway.

Glenn Echo ravine runs east-west along the north side of the ravine. Crossing under the bridge is a north-south ravine that paralleled high Street. More on the north-south ravine on Wednesday.

The single track branches into two tracks, perhaps a loop. There is a loading platform beyond the arch. The single track into the park is going to be unsatisfactory as you will see on Wednesday.

In 1907 the streetcar entrance to Olentangy Park was rebuilt. The ravine paralleling High Street was filled in eliminating the bridge. The inbound and outbound cars no longer had to share a single track. The Clintonville-Worthington visitors still had to walk in using the gravel path to the left of the entrance. (The CR&L Co was wide gauge and the Worthington line standard gauge.)

In 1899 the CR&L Co. sold the park to the Dusenbury brothers who transitioned it from a nature park to an amusement park. The brothers also built a 2248 seat theater.

When the theater let out the surge of streetcar customers must have required tens of streetcars. If they packed the cars with 60 riders each they would need 37 streetcars. That may be the reason the company made the improvements to the park streetcar loop and terminal.

At 5 cents a ride they would have collected $112, good money since they paid so little to their employees.

Alex also put together a super helpful Olentangy Park Chronology as an aid in dating all the Park photos that have shown up in the last few years. (Ohiomemory.org has a number of good Park photos.) Many of the chronology dates came from websites–so they are susceptible to error. Still it does give a sense of the life cycle of the park.

[ca1900 photo from the Christopher Trumbull Collection, by way of Alex Campbell. Postcard postmarked 1909 from the Alex Campbell Collection. Chronology courtesy of Alex Campbell]

This is a political cartoon from the Clintonville Booster. The “Broadway Extension” involved extending North Broadway from Olentangy River Road westward to Kenny Road. It was a controversial and lightning-hot issue from about 1952 until the planned start of construction in October 1963, and well beyond.

Originally, residents of Upper Arlington objected to the extension, which traversed their city; and then it was realized that the extension would create traffic flow issues on Kenny and Fishinger both of which would need to be widened as a result. And eventually planning of the “Olentangy Freeway” (Rte 315) also entered the mix. It was on again, off again, with Upper Arlington approving then rescinding its approval several times. By the time the project got final approval, the designated federal funding had been tapped for other projects and so the extension was further delayed. I’m not sure what year this cartoon was published. I found an article that construction from Kenny Road to Clearview got underway in June 1966. In December 1968, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony for the extension.

It’s hard for many of us today to imagine North Broadway terminating at Olentangy River Road. Harder even to imagine Clintonville before the North Broadway bridge was built over the river in 1939! (In a nutshell: the bridge over the river was built 1939-40; United States involvement in World War II was 1941 – 1945, bringing most domestic construction to a halt; planning on this Broadway extension project resumes ca. 1952, ending well, I’m not sure when Route 315 was actually finished.)

[Image is from The Booster, and courtesy of the Hollenback Collection at the Clintonville Historical Society. I snapped a picture of the cartoon while it was still in the frame; apologies for the glare.]

I really have no idea what this issue was all about! It’s an editorial cartoon from The Booster. Back in the late 1960s, Oakland Manor was the name of an apartment complex (with a swimming pool!) at 42-50 West Oakland Ave, 2 blocks north of Lane Ave. between North High and Neil Avenue. Currently I find an “Oakland Manor” on 1871 Oakland Park, in North Linden.

We may not know what the precise issue was, but we can guess that some scofflaw building owner tried to circumvent zoning regulations, and the community was not happy. Back in “the day”, The Booster played a very strong Clintonville advocacy role and this was undoubtedly an example.

[Image courtesy of the Hollenback Collection at the Clintonville Historical Society.]

This picture was labelled, in cursive, “Looking North at the Corner of Hudson and Cleveland.” It was obviously taken April 22, 1948 on State Route 3. The buildings in the photograph, however, don’t match the buildings that are there today–I’m especially eyeing that two story pre-WW II brick building on the left–so I’m doubtful it is that intersection. Any ideas about its location?

[Image courtesy of Galen Gonser.]

Michael Leyshon believes the photo may be looking south from Weber, where Cleveland/Westerville Roads split (see his comment below). Perhaps so! That intersection has an interesting corner curve, but I’m not convinced. I drove up and down the street today, and am not seeing that brick building (with its distinctive roof line) to the left in the photo. Travelling northbound from Hudson, between Hudson and Weber, there IS an old brick 2-story building on the west side of the street, that is now clad in white. That very old, virtually decrepit, building has the only roof line close in appearance, though it seems short compared to the building in the photo. I continue to welcome ideas. Thanks Michael!

See comments below. John Williamson reposted Galen’s photo to the Vintage Columbus–Linden Area Facebook Page, and asked those folks for their expertise and/or memories. Bob Roehrer found a 1953 aerial, shown below, that seems to confirm the wide, rounded curb cut at Hudson & Cleveland, shown in Galen’s 1948 photo.

There are many people in Clintonville who can remember riding the various forms of transportation running up and down High Street. Here’s one.

Local rail expert Alex Campbell says,

That photograph was taken in the storage yard across from the North High Car House (next to Arcadia). The destination sign reads “S. High St.”.

This particular run would be north-south High St. The end of the line in 1947 was near Merrett St. on the south side to Blenheim Road.

[Image courtesy of Galen Gonser]

242 East North Broadway used to have a horse stable; it was located behind what is now the garage at that address. The stable stood until the early 1970s, when the then-owner accidentally burned it down.

The story goes that his wife told him not to burn the rubbage so close to the stable! You’ll burn that building down! But her husband did it anyway, and she earned the sad right to say, “I told you so.”

Luckily the current owners have a photograph of that original stable.

[Image courtesy of Gary Means and Jane Hoffelt]

A lovely picture of the street at the intersection of West Orchard Lane and North High Street, looking north by northwest, on January 14, 1947. A Sinclair Station was located at the location of the current Donato’s Pizza, and Moore’s Auto Parts was where Momentum Natural Health Store is today. Gray’s Cut Rate Drug Store was next to Moore’s.

[Image courtesy of Galen Gonser]

Ron Candage and Rick Lindner kindly identified the car in the photo that I use on my banner. It’s a 1914 Ford touring car.

From Rick:

The 1912 had no front doors (but did have an option to attach removable ones), the 1913 Ford had brass trim on the side lamps, and the 1915 Ford had curved rear fenders. So this pretty much sets the year at 1914.

From Ron:

Ford made 100s of thousands of these in each of these years and they had factories in other countries which produced right hand drive cars. The car in your picture could have been produced at the Ford Motor Company – Columbus Assembly Plant which was located at 427 Cleveland Ave. This factory started in 1914 and closed in 1939. The components arrived here by train and the automobiles were assembled at the plant for delivery to local dealers.

I’d love to also identify the house in the photo, which seems to be at the address “338 [something].” And check out those beautiful columns in the next-door neighbor’s house!

(I’ve rotated the photo since putting it in the banner.)

[Image by C.C. Hollenback, courtesy of the Dawson family.]

In response to John Krygier’s photos of Indianola’s substructure, Alex Campbell sent this lovely photo along.

He says,

There were streetcar tracks on Indianola Avenue from Glen Echo to Oakland Park. The Summit-Steelton standard gauge line was extended north from Glen Echo where the CD&M turned off to head for the private right of way of its Worthington Cutoff. I have conflicting information on just when the Indianola track was built; one date says early 1927 yet it shows up on a 1925 map. It was taken out of service in 1938 when the line was converted to a trolley coach line.

Here is a N. 4th St. photo from 1909 — Fourth Street and 17th Avenue view from southeast corner looking northwest from 17th and west of 4th looking east. Fourth Street north of Chittenden Ave. was the only streetcar line with side of the street right of way in Columbus.

The construction style used to reinforce Indianola (shown in John Krygier’s photos) appear to be similar to tracks used elsewhere in Columbus.

For good measure, Alex also sent along this picture of South 4th St. He says the school building in the left background can still be found on Google maps.

[Photos courtesy of Alex Campbell]