| Short North Arches | |
Columbus was once known as "Arch City" because there were street lights on arched
supports over High St. Some old pictures show the arches over High St. in the downtown area but it doesn't
seem definite exactly how much of High St. had arches. They were taken down in 1914. So when my wife recently said she saw that arches were coming to the Short
North I thought, "Boy, more McDonalds on High?"
And then it hit me--the original arches? WOW! Something of historic significance? Can't be!
But it is true--the arches are back, from I-670 to just north of 5th Av.
The steel arches are 28 feet high and 53 to 69 feet long depending upon street width and location. While the original steel arches had electric lights with standard bulbs, the new arches have light globes lighted with fiber optics. They were manufactured by Unison Steel Fabricating on the South Side. Along with the arches, the Short North will soon see over 20 "pocket parks" between buildings and parking lots; several new multistory apartment buildings; and a cap over I-670 modeled after the old Union Station.
These arches are well worth the $1.5 million cost (shared between the Short North Improvement District and the City of Columbus). But I would like to see more: how about extending them down to Nationwide Blvd. and then over to Nationwide Arena to create an "entertainment" or "culture" district? And if the boulevard returns to E. Broad St., let's find a neat way to light it up, too. This is a great start to giving Columbus its' own unique flavor.
The original wooden arches were installed in 1888; they were replaced with steel arches in 1896 that lasted nearly 20 years. Here's hoping the new steel arches last much, much longer.
And it's too bad more than the arch from the Union Station isn't around to greet the new steel arches.
