Clintonville

Clintonville is an unincorporated neighborhood in north-central Columbus, Ohio, with around 28,000 residents. It is commonly understood to include the area north of the Ohio State University campus area to Worthington, extending between the Olentangy River to the west to I-71 on the east. The northern neighborhood of Beechwold is often thought of as part of Clintonville, though as both communities have no official existence, the boundaries are a matter of opinion.

Much of the neighborhood is crossed by deep ravines, uncharacteristic for the mainly flat Columbus terrain, which were apparently made by water crossing down to the Olentangy River over its higher east bank. Many homes have been built along and down in these ravines. The houses in Clintonville are a mix of middle class 1920s-era Sears-Roebuck pre-fabricated Mission-style homes and beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses.

Like many of the neighborhoods in Columbus, the streets were often named after either early settlers or areas of Great Britain. However, the streets in the Walhalla Park Place section of Clintonville bear the legacy of Mathias Armbruster, a Bavarian immigrant who was fascinated with Norse mythology and Wagnerian opera; these street names include Mimring, Midgard, Brynhild, Gudrun, and Walhalla.

Whetstone Park in Clintonville is a Columbus landmark, featuring the 13 acre (53,000 m²) Park of Roses, a frequent spot for weddings. Whetstone Park hosts an annual Fourth of July fireworks display for the Clintonville community, perhaps the largest in Columbus aside from the downtown display, Red, White & Boom.

Clintonville is second only to the Short North in Columbus for the size of its gay population and its reputation for tolerance and diversity.

History

The community of Clintonville developed as the center of Clinton Township (named for the U.S. Vice President George Clinton), part of the land grants given to Continental Army soldiers in lieu of pensions in what used to be Wyandotte Indian territory. For years, the steep hillsides discouraged development, until farmland was purchased by the Bull family and then used for religious services. The Clinton Chapel was constructed in 1838, and served as a stop on the Underground Railroad over the next two decades.

In an attempt to draw others to the area and lessen the isolation of their farm, the Bulls built businesses in the center of Clinton Township, along the plank toll road that later became High Street, the main north-south thoroughfare in Columbus. They offered to give these buildings away to any skilled laborers who would stay. A post office designated "Clintonville" opened in the center of this district on September 13, 1847, and this date is marked by present-day Clintonville residents as the neighborhood's "birthday".

By the early 1900s, downtown Columbus residents and professors from the new Ohio State University had built summer homes in Clintonville, and the surrounding farmland was turned into housing developments shortly after automobiles became common. The Olentangy Amusement Park (open from 1893 until 1937) and the Columbus Zoo in Beechwold (a short-lived predecessor of the current one) also attracted people to the area. A business district developed in Beechwold, separated by nearly a mile of residences from the Clintonville district to the south. Both communities were entirely part of Columbus by the 1950s, after it annexed most of Clinton Township.

The Clintonville Area Commission was designated by Columbus in 1974, to act in an advisory capacity to the city in reviewing zoning, variance, and demolition requests. This is the only legal recognition the city has extended to Clintonville.

External links

• Clintonville "official" site, maintained by the Clintonville Community Fund (http://www.clintonville.org/)
• Clintonville Area Commission (http://www.clintonvillecommission.org/comm/orgs/cac/)
• Clintonville Chamber of Commerce (http://www.clintonvillechamber.com)
• The Park of Roses in Whetstone Park (http://www.clintonville.com/parkrec/rosegarden.html)