The Random Columbus Photos 4 edition takes a look back at Downtown in the 1980s.
Date Photo Taken: 1989 Photo Location: Looking west on Broad Street from LeVeque Tower. This photo is interesting for a few reasons. First, it shows the beginning of construction to replace the Broad Street Bridge over the Scioto River. After the Great Flood of 1913 destroyed an earlier Broad Street Bridge, the one in the photo was finished in 1921. By the early 1980s, the bridge was rapidly deteriorating and the decision was made to replace it. It’s reconstruction start, however, was delayed until 1988 due to a contract to keep the Columbus 500 auto race going, which used the bridge. The nearly identical new bridge was completed in 1992 at a cost of $13.2 million. Across the bridge is the Scioto Peninsula. On the right is Vets Memorial, built in the 1950s and recently demolished to make way for a new memorial and museum as part of the redevelopment of the peninsula. On the left is the old Central High School, years before it was converted into COSI’s new location. Also of note are warehouse and other buildings that still existed on the peninsula, remnants of when this area was largely manufacturing. These were mostly demolished in the 1990s and early 2000s and were left as vacant lots for well over a decade, some of them becoming parking lots for COSI. These lots will soon become part of a large mixed-use development and park.
The winter of 2015-2016 featured warmer than normal temperatures across the country.
After the double cold and snowy winters between 2013-2015, the winter of 2015-2016 was drastically different. It featured general warm temperatures- including the warmest December ever- and little snowfall overall.
Temperature and snowfall ranking data goes back to the winter of 1878-1879. Snow depth ranking data goes back to 1940.
December-February Only Average High: 44.0 8th Warmest Average Low: 27.5 14th Warmest Mean: 35.8 12th Warmest Precipitation: 9.29″ 37th Wettest Snowfall: 14.5″ 44th Least Snowy Average Daily Snow Depth: 0.3″ 4th Lowest Largest Snowstorm: 2.4″ on January 12th 32 or Below Highs: 21 15th Fewest 32 or Below Lows: 61 9th Fewest Measurable Precipitation Days: 34 10th Fewest Measurable Snowfall Days: 14 10th Fewest Deepest Snow Depth: 3″ on February 16th Days with 1″+ Snow Depth: 14 11th Fewest
Entire Cold Season: October-April Average High: 53.7 3rd Warmest Average Low: 35.3 10th Warmest Mean: 44.5 5th Warmest Precipitation: 20.92″ 48th Wettest Snowfall: 17.1″ 36th Least Snowy Average Snow Depth: 0.1″ 2nd Lowest Largest Snowstorm: 2.4″ on January 12th 32 or Below Highs: 21 11th Fewest 32 or Below Lows: 87 7th Fewest Measurable Precipitation Days: 82 17th Fewest Measurable Snowfall Days: 17 8th Fewest Deepest Snow Depth: 3″ on February 16th Days with 1″+ Snow Depth: 15 8th Fewest
Average High By Month October 2015: 65.4 45th Warmest November 2015: 57.7 7th Warmest December 2015: 52.5 1st Warmest January 2016: 36.7 56th Warmest February 2016: 42.9 26th Warmest March 2016: 57.8 8th Warmest April 2016: 62.5 41st Warmest
Average Low By Month October 2015: 45.7 34th Warmest November 2015: 39.5 6th Warmest December 2015: 36.9 1st Warmest January 2016: 20.1 44th Coldest February 2016: 25.4 39th Warmest March 2016: 39.1 7th Warmest April 2016: 40.4 28th Coldest
Mean By Month October 2015: 55.5 37th Warmest November 2015: 48.6 5th Warmest December 2015: 44.7 1st Warmest January 2016: 28.4 45th Coldest February 2016: 34.2 34th Warmest March 2016: 48.5 7th Warmest April 2016: 51.4 42nd Coldest
Precipitation By Month October 2015: 2.68″ 44th Wettest November 2015: 2.37″ 57th Driest December 2015: 4.88″ 8th Wettest January 2016: 1.12″ 9th Driest February 2016: 3.29″ 31st Wettest March 2016: 4.27″ 36th Wettest April 2016: 2.31″ 35th Driest
Snowfall By Month October 2015: 0″ 1st Least Snowy November 2015: Trace 2nd Least Snowy December 2015: Trace 2nd Least Snowy January 2016: 5.4″ 39th Least Snowy February 2016: 9.1″ 29th Snowiest March 2016: 2.3″ 22nd Least Snowy April 2016: 0.3″ 5th Least Snowy
Average Snow Depth By Month October 2015: 0″ November 2015: 0″ December 2015: 0″ January 2016: 0.2″ February 2016: 0.8″ March 2016: 0.1″ April 2016: 0″
Maximum High By Month October 2015: 79 on the 6th and 8th November 2015: 75 on the 3rd and 5th December 2015: 68 on the 12th January 2016: 60 on the 31st February 2016: 68 on the 20th March 2016: 75 on the 27th April 2016: 81 on the 18th
Maximum High Records -The 68 on December 12th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 65 set in 1949. -The 65 on December 14th tied the record for the date set in 1901 and 1995. -The 65 on December 23rd was a record for the date, beating the old record of 62 set in 1933. -The 68 on February 20th tied the record for the date set in 1891. -The 65 on February 28th tied the record for the date set in 1896, 1939 and 1955.
Minimum High By Month October 2015: 49 on the 17th and 30th November 2015: 37 on the 22nd December 2015: 33 on the 19th January 2016: 13 on the 18th February 2016: 16 on the 13th March 2016: 33 on the 2nd April 2016: 36 on the 9th
Maximum Low By Month October 2015: 57 on the 24th November 2015: 59 on the 5th December 2015: 56 on the 12th January 2016: 49 on the 31st February 2016: 44 on the 20th March 2016: 56 on the 14th April 2016: 59 on the 21st
Maximum Low Records -The 57 on November 18th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 56 set in 1921. -The 47 on December 22nd was a record for the date, beating the old record of 46 set in 1931. -The 51 on December 23rd tied the record for the date set in 1941. -The 49 on December 31st tied the record for the date set in 1988.
Minimum Low By Month October 2015: 28 on the 18th November 2015: 21 on the 23rd December 2015: 21 on the 20th January 2016: 2 on the 13th February 2016: 2 on the 14th March 2016: 22 on the 2nd and 3rd April 2016: 23 on the 5th
Highest Daily Precipitation By Month October 2015: 1.25″ on the 28th November 2015: 0.55″ on the 28th December 2015: 1.19″ on the 27th January 2016: 0.47″ on the 10th February 2016: 1.22″ on the 24th March 2016: 0.98″ on the 10th April 2016: 1.05″ on the 11th
Precipitation Records -The 1.25″ on October 28th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 1.10″ set in 1883. -The 1.19″ on December 27th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 0.90″ set in 1968.
Highest Daily Snowfall By Month October 2015: 0.0″ November 2015: Trace on the 22nd December 2015: Trace on the 3rd, 18th and 31st January 2016: 2.4″ on the 12th February 2016: 1.9″ on the 16th March 2016: 1.5″ on the 4th April 2016: 0.3″ on the 9th
Deepest Snow Depth By Month October 2015: 0″ November 2015: 0″ December 2015: 0″ January 2016: 2″ on the 13th and 14th February 2016: 3″ on the 16th March 2016: 2″ on the 4th April 2016: 0″
I saw this site mentioned on the CityLab site awhile back and thought it was a very cool idea. The site highlights how cities are transforming public spaces and making car-centric areas much more pedestrian, bike and transit friendly. Since I found the site, I have been lucky enough to become a regular contributor working to help make the site even better. The great thing is that anyone can send in before and after photos from their own cities of public space transformations. Take a look: http://www.urb-i.com/ The site covers cities across the world.
Columbus has several examples that I have added, but the photos are not yet updated on the site’s map. Until they are, here is a sneak peek:
