Category Archives: Columbus Environment

Before and After: How Columbus Changed in 10 Years

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How Columbus changed in 10 years

Part 2 is now available for more great before and after comparisons.

How Columbus has changed in 10 years is not always easily quantifiable. Columbus added more people in the past decade than during any previous similar period in its history. I’ve posted a lot about the 2020 Census data and updated many pages worth of information to the site. However, examining only population change through numbers is just one part of the story. How has that population growth manifested in terms of how the city appears in its built environment? This before and after look shows how the city has been transformed on a visual scale, and shows how some of the hottest neighborhoods have been radically altered in a short time.

Downtown
High Street, looking north from Rich Street
Before: 2011

After: 2021

High Street, looking north from Gay Street
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Long Street, looking east from 6th Street
Before: 2011

After: 2020

Neil Avenue, looking east at Broadbelt Lane
Before: 2011

After: 2021

The Short North
High Street, looking north from Milay Alley
Before: 2011

After: 2020

High Street, looking south from Buttles Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Fourth Street, looking east at Auden Avenue
Before: 2011

Before: 2021

Summit Street, looking west at 5th Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Perry Street, looking south at Quality Place
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Weinland Park
Grant Avenue, looking north from 7th Avenue
Before: 2012

After: 2021

Eighth Avenue, looking west from Section Alley
Before: 2011

After: 2020

Franklinton
Rich Street, looking east from McDowell Street
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Broad Street, looking west from the railroad tracks.
Before: 2011

After: 2021

South Side
Livingston Avenue, looking east at Parsons Avenue
Before: 2009

After: 2020

Washington Avenue, looking southeast from Innis Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2020

Front Street, looking south at Whittier Street
Before: 2011

After: 2021



Campus
High Street, looking south from Lane Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2020

10th Avenue near Dodd Drive, looking northwest.
Before: 2011

After: 2021

High Street, looking south from 8th Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2021

West Side
Parsons Avenue, looking northeast from Chapel Street
Before: 2011

After: 2020

Champion Avenue, looking northwest at Phale D. Hale Drive
Before: 2011

After: 2021

17th Avenue, looking north from Gay Street
Before: 2011

After: 2020

Broad Street, looking northeast west of Woodland Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2021

Oak Street, looking east from Ohio Avenue
Before: 2011

After: 2021

These images represent just a small fraction of the development and changes that have occurred in and around the city, and don’t even include the large developments in suburban areas like Grandview Yard in Grandview or Bridge Park in Dublin. The next 10 years looks to be even more significant, with new mixed-use towers for Downtown, potential skyscrapers for Easton, and large numbers of infill development projects continuing in central neighborhoods from Franklinton to Linden to the South Side. With them, the city will continue to grow more dense and more vibrant and- with any luck- will also help spur much needed change to Columbus’ underwhelming transit system.

These Columbus development links show many of the projects seen in the photos, as well as projects that are still just in the proposal stages. The City provides a master list of area development commissions to keep track of the latest proposals.



Before and After Iuka Ravine

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Iuka Ravine, much like Glen Echo Ravine to its north, is a hidden gem in the heart of the city. Columbus isn’t exactly known for its interesting topography, so such features offer welcome variety from the otherwise endless flatness of Central Ohio. That the feature sits in the middle of the Campus area makes it even more special.

Iuka Ravine was named by Robert Neil when he returned home from the Civil War and built a home along it. Neil gave names to many local streets in the area, all based on his time in the Union Army and the places he had visited. He named the ravine after the Battle of Iuka, and Indianola Avenue was named after the location of that battle, Indianola, Mississippi.

The ravine went largely untouched until the early part of the 20th Century. Large homes sprung up along its edges beginning in the early 1900s, built to take advantage of the natural scenery. Iuka Avenue seems to have been built around 1905 given references for it don’t appear in any media before then. In 1912, Iuka Avenue was improved and the viaducts were built over the ravine at Indianola and Summit.

Before
before and after Iuka Ravine Columbus, Ohio
The before photo shows the Indianola viaduct over Iuka Avenue in 1916. Strangely enough, the ravine appears rather treeless, most likely due to construction of the viaducts and improvements 4 years prior to the time of the photo. A large building behind the bridge to the right was home to the Chi Phi fraternity at 2000 Indianola Avenue.

After

In the 2020 image, Iuka Ravine is now filled with trees- and, unfortunately, many cars- but otherwise remains remarkably untouched. Even the old Chi Phi house can still be seen peeking above the viaduct.

Over the years, Iuka has been threatened by development, but is now on the National Register of Historic Places. This popular running road and adjacent Iuka Park will likely continue to offer a bit of nature in the growing city for generations to come.

The Battle of Iuka was not a huge battle overall in comparison to other Civil War events, but over 400 soldiers still lost their lives during the fighting.