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North Broadway bridge
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
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
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
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
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?
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)
