City crews have taken down the main structure at 310 E. Innis Ave., where the South Side Settlement House stood for over 30 years. Dave Bush, Columbus assistant finance director, explains that while there is still some work to be done (the ornamental stairwell is to be saved and moved into storage, and the lot will be back-filled and seeded with grass), the main part of the demolition is now complete.
As for what the future holds for the site, Bush says there are no concrete plans, but “the City will certainly be working with neighborhoods and stakeholders of the area to best determine its future.” He notes two projects in the immediate vicinity of the settlement house site that the city hopes will bring new life to the area; the John R. Maloney Family and Wellness Center, which is currently under construction at the corner of Barthman and Parsons Avenues, and the former Reeb Avenue Elementary, which the city now owns and would like to turn into a community-services hub for the neighborhood.
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Demolition photos taken throughout February and March by Walker Evans and Anne Evans.