Victorian village is composed of over 1,000 buildings and was designated as a historic district by the city in 1973.
Victorian Village is officially bounded by Goodale Avenue on the south, N. High Street on the east, W. Fifth Avenue on the north, and Harrison and Neil Avenues on the west. Some people consider areas to the north up to the OSU campus and areas to the west primarily along Pennsylvania and Michigan Avenue part of Victorian Village.
The area was farmland until the late 1800s, as the growth of downtown and OSU and the extension of a streetcar line up N. High Street contributed to the development of Victorian Village between 1870 and 1920. The decline of the area began in the 1930s with the popularity of the automobile and the creation of the northwest suburbs.
Redevelopment of the area began in the 1970s; today, over eighty percent of Victorian Village buildings have been renovated. Here are some examples of Victorian Village architecture:
- 755 Dennison Av. Victorian Gothic house featuring typical extravagant use of complex shapes and elaborate detailing.
- 76 W. Starr Av. High Italianate style house.
- 1265 Neil Av. Queen Anne house with Eastlake ornamentation. Queen Anne houses typically have varying textures and colors with steeply pitched roofs and one or more towers.
- 1163 Neil Av. Richardsonian Romanesque house, similar to the Queen Anne style but featuring multi-colored stone.
- 1035 Hunter Av. Vernacular Victorian house showing Queen Anne and other influences. A "vernacular" includes features from one or more styles; American influences are contained in this home.
- 1045 Hunter Av. American Foursquare. American foursquare is a more dramatic reaction against Victorian style and features a nearly square, box-like appearance.
- 1013 Hunter Av. Hunter House, a simple Italianate structure, popular in the US from the Civil War until the early 20th century.
