alison
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Does anyone know the story behind the boarded up building at 1533 Mt. Vernon, at the corner with Taylor? I'm curious what the building was used for originally.
I speculated it was trolley depot, but aa friend thinks it was a 20's dance hall. With those windows, it could be a pretty cool space.
(The auditor's website doesn't show anything before 1990 and the current owner.)
roy
Downtown
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email that photo to Jamie Goodman at the city's historic preservation office jagoodman@columbus.gov
Motorist
The Trots
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I don't know what it used to be but I always thought that it was probably some sort of performance space or something along the lines of a Mason's Lodge. There are/were a lot of those types of uses on Long Street.
I saw a presentation a few years ago by the guy/group working on the revitalization of Taylor. He said that the current owner is just sitting on it and only does exactly what he has to in order to say a step ahead of code enforcement.
BCNation
Franklin Park
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Matthew wrote >>
I really like this building, always have. Now is the time to start pulling to save it. Let's not wait until it ends up like some others on Long.
ITA. 1072 (NW corner of Long & 21st) was torn down like a couple months ago, and Centenary (Long & 18th) Church, I think is next. There was a building (on the NE corner of 17th & Long) that was also torn down.
lilbit
GV
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years ago by the guy/group working on the revitalization of Taylor. He said that the current owner is just sitting on it and only does exactly what he has to in order to say a step ahead of code enforcement.
I personally know of several buildings on the Near East Side where the owners are decidedly not doing anything with the property.
Why do property owners do this? What's the benefit to them? It's a money suck. Why not rent the building, or sell it? Why spend decades paying property taxes on an empty building?
Bristol Bar
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It's usually one of two things
#1 - The owner doesn't have the money and/or credit to fix it up
#2 - The building was inherited and the multiple siblings who now own it can't agree on what to do with the asset
Mod-dude
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I am the former President of the Woodland Park Neighborhood Assoc.. This building has been discussed many times at our neighborhood meetings (although it is not technically in Woodland Park). It is thought that this building was originally built as a pharmacy. It has been owned by the same owner for many, many years. About ten years ago, the city (Urban Growth, inc.) started the Taylor Avenue redevelopment and approached this owner to sell this building. I have heard from multiple credible sources, that he is holding out for a lot of money. If my memory serves correct, he wanted over $300,000 for the building. Although high in price for a building that needs everything, the city would have paid the price but were not willing to invest in the building until they had a committed tenant/buyer once it was renovated. Otherwise, the proper maintenance/holding costs on this structure were something (Urban Growth, now defunct) was not wanting to take on.
Neighbors do keep up with him on code issues as we don't want to lose the building due to his neglect.
This is just one example of why the near east side is taking so long to make a recovery. One persons greed takes precedent over the neighborhood health as a whole. Why would anyone want to invest in the general area when there are boarded up buildings nearby? It has frustrated us for years.
If you look at the adjacent surrounding properties, Columbus had good intentions of developing that corner. They own all of the surrounding property on the particular corner, but were being responsible in not overpaying a greedy owner and taking on a cost with no means to an end.
Hopefully with this new partnership with OSU East and Columbus, Taylor will get its time to shine once again and become a gateway to the near East side that we can be really proud of.
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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So, the auditor's website goes back only until 1981. The property must have been split at some point back then.
The recorder's website has some info as well, but I'm finding it very confusing. If you can get back to at least the 30's looking up the owner in the census could give you some clues.
The Roan family (I presume) transfered it to the Edward F. Chuha Trust at 11:35AM on 1981/8/18 and then back again at 11:40A on the same day. I'm having trouble locating anything before that date though.
One may want to check the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for clues too.
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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What is confusing is that these Roans transfered it a number of times, but there isn't a clear chain of transfers that always lists the same people. There are also a lot of mispelled names too.
On 1981/1/9 Lucile P. Roan transfered it to Kay S. Roan.
On 1965/7/17 Sanford E. Roan (upon his death) owned the property.
On 1956/8/16 Arthur J. and Clark K. Guthke transfered it to Sanford E. Roan and Verdell Rhyne.
The Maggie J Jolly plat has a date of 1890/12/22, so I'm assuming that it was empty land at that time. In such case, the building is not any older than 1890.
That's all I can find at the moment. :(
Columbusite
Minneapolis
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This could be great for the neighborhood (it's just outside of WP borders) if anything ever gets done with it. In the meantime, there's a little carryout next door, but I'm not sure if they sell real groceries. Not too much else in the neighborhood for retail possibilities aside from new builds.
HeySquare
German Village
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The building was there on the 1891 map, looks like it was an early building in the area. On that map, the building is listed with two addresses, 1531 and 1533. 1533 is listed as a store.("S")
The interesting thing is the notation on the back half of the building. It is listed as "F.B." My official Sanborn map key does not identify this abbreviation; however, a google search gave me a website which interprets "F.B." as "Female Boarding" i.e. a boarding house, or possibly a bordello. The location of the boarding quarters at the back of the building suggests the latter interpretation, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, the 1921 map doesn't provide any additional information. Sometimes when they copy the color maps into black and white, brick buildings (which are represented in pink on the color maps)just end up reading as black in the black and white copies. That is what happened in this case, so you can't read any additional notes in the building sketch.
http://dmc.ohiolink.edu.proxy.oplin.org/cgi/i/image/image-idx?g=oplinic;exact=1;size=50;c=sanborn;back=back1273505284;subview=detail;view=entry;cc=sanborn;entryid=x-reel23-6656-00600.jpg;viewid=REEL23-6656-00600.JPG
In any case, the building was there by 1891. It appears to be one of the first structures in the area.
alison
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Warning -- this is probably waay more than you ever wanted to know about this building's past. I finally got a spare hour at the main library Monday, and poked around the Polk City Directories. (I love them -- and have spent a lot of time finding out the history of my variouss apartments) I didn't have as much times as I would have liked, and didn't go back all the way or check every year. But this is what I found:
The first listing I got for 1533 Mt Vernon was in 1923-1925, for the "Accurate Measure Oil Co (sta)". But when I looked that name up in the business portion of the directory to try and get more detail, it gave the company's address at 1884 East Broad, and that's where it was in 1926, when this photo was taken. So... who knows.
Between 1926 and 1932 #1533 was occupied by Ben Golden, barber, and #1537 was (Hubert) Kanmacher Drugs. By 1929 there was a Shell Petroleum gas station on the nw corner of that intersection with Taylor, that seems to have changed hands but stayed in business until at least the 80's.
In 1933, the pharmacy changed hands and became (Clifton E) Workman Drugs. And in 1938 it changed again, to (Howard E) Lemmon Drugs, then Lemmon's Pharmacy. Ben Golden, barber, persevered in 1533.
There was a big gap in the directories on the shelf Monday; the next volume I found was 1947. Lemmon's Drugstore was still there, but Ben Golden had expanded to "barber and billiards", which is how it was listed in 1951 as well. (Talk about a nice commute; he and wife jeanette lived around the corner at 332 Taylor.)
Another big gap in the books, and the next listing, for 1958, had a whole new cast, altho' similar businesses. 1533 was occupied by Geo L Jameson, barber, and 1537 was occupied by James Pharmacy. But listed without addresses in between the two were Robinson Insurance Agency, and J&R Cin. (No idea was 'Cin' means.) The following year, the building was occupied by Jameson's Barber Shop, Jameson's Cins, and James Pharmacy. And by 1960, only Jameson Cins and James Pharmacy. In 1961 1533 was vacant, but James Pharmacy was still there. In the volumes for the 50's and 60's I first started noticing regular listings for four apartments in the rear of the building. and I was kinda surprised to that the East Market was still around.
In 1537 James Pharmacy hung on thru the 1960's. 1962's Speedy's Laundramat gave way to Speedy's Janitorial Service in 1964, but was back to a laundramat in 1965 and for the rest of the decade. 1966 was the first time I saw a listing for 1535 -- the home of machine operator John Hill, who lived there for another decade or so.
After another gap in the record, the 1974 book listed 1533 as Gentry's Laundry, there were 5 individual's named at 1535, and Lucy's Restaurant occcupied 1537. Same roster in 1975.
Another gap, but all adresses were listed as vacant from 1981-1985. In 1986 and 87-88 1537 was occupied by Pheonis West Art Service "ret sls painting" -- an art gallery?
Seems like there hasn't been anything in there since. Of all the businesses there the one I like imagining best is "barber and billiards" Betcha get a cool view out of those 2-3 story windows.
alison
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Polk City directories are a great place to start. They're in the geneology/histiry section of the library, up on the third floor. They go back to the 1880's, I think, with the name, occupation and home address of everyone in the city. After 1911, they cross reference by address. So you can track can follow the hisotry of a building, as well as of an individual.
I tend to read a lot into dry lists of facts, but I like thinking my house got a little racy in the 40's when the widowed legal secretary married the bartender from Carl's Bar, then sold the house to an "entertainer" and a beautician....
(Different cities have different directories -- I think they are williams directories in Cincy. The library also has city directories for Akron, Canton -- not sure who else. It's kinda weird to find yourself in the city directory!)
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