herr2ck: Columbus

January 2026.

The Hilltop, a collection of neighborhoods on the west side of Columbus, has the distinction of being the city’s largest neighborhood. It is also one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods, and crime is high as a result. I found it largely lacking in significant architecture (much of what I knew of and visited was very similar to other buildings in Columbus), and my trip there was very cursory as a result. Luckily, organizations such as the Neighborhood Design Center are working to add an architectural presence to the area.

The Hilltop is located on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by I-70 and Marble Cliff to the north, I-270 and Grove City to the south, I-70, Harrisburg Pike, and Franklinton to the east, and I-270 and Lincoln Village to the west.

History

Like nearby Franklinton, Hilltop’s first European settler was Lucas Sullivant, who also spawned the neighborhood’s name (it was called Sullivant’s Hill at first). He deeded the land to his sons, who used it to farm. With the arrival of the National Road (Broad Street/US-40) in the 1830s, Hilltop began to develop. Its placement on a hill versus the floodplain of Franklinton was also very desirable at the time.

During the Civil War, a Union Army camp called Camp Chase was established in the Hilltop. Its boundaries were roughly Broad Street to the north, Sullivant Avenue to the south, Hague Avenue to the east, and Westgate Avenue to the west. It was used to stage and train Union troops, as well as detain Confederate prisoners of war. In 1865, the camp had over 9,400 Confederate prisoners. It closed in July 1865, and the land was later developed as the Westgate neighborhood. The only extant portion of the camp today is the cemetery of deceased prisoners, which has a memorial arch with a Confederate statue on top.

Other early developments in the Hilltop included the Ohio State Hospital for the Insane (later the Columbus State Hospital), built from 1880 to 1887, and the Ohio Asylum for the Education of Idiotic and Imbecilic Youth (now the Columbus Developmental Center), built from 1865 to 1868. Sources contemporary to the buildings’ construction note their rural location far away from the center of Columbus.

Relief parties after the Great Flood. (Be The Street)

Hilltop’s growth spiked in the turn of the 20th century. By 1900, the neighborhood had 2,000 residents. A streetcar line connected to the Columbus State Hospital led businesses to open on Broad Street, and the formerly rural roads were paved and houses built along them. Though Hilltop was (and still is) a majority white neighborhood, upper-class Black residents owned land there for farming. After the Great Flood of 1913 which devastated Franklinton, Hilltop became home to many displaced residents. By 1924, the Hilltop had 15,000 residents, aided by its continuous expansion and growth in property values. It’s important to note that the neighborhood was segregated, however.

Westland Mall, a major commercial presence in the area. (Be The Street)

Many Hilltop residents worked in the factories nearby, such as a General Motors plant. Its population was 375,901 in 1950. This prosperity lasted until the mid-20th century, with the classic one-two (three?) punch of divestment/deindustrialization, interstate highway construction, and white flight. At this time, the far western end of Hilltop was being developed in a suburban manner, but the neighborhood quickly declined. By the 1970s, development had almost completely stopped in the area, and many businesses closed or departed. Additionally, existing buildings along Broad Street were gradually demolished. As of 1975, the Hilltop was already designated a “Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization Area” by the city of Columbus.

Aerial view of the neighborhood in the 1980s. (Neighborhood Design Center)

Hilltop’s industries continued to decline and close over the years. GM’s Fisher Body Plant, which opened in 1946 where the casino is today, closed in 2007. Other major losses included Western Electric, the Columbus State Hospital, and Westland Mall. Many other small businesses and industries went out of business from the 1980s onward.

Although crime is still an issue for the Hilltop, there are both community and city-wide revitalization efforts for the neighborhood. The most prominent is Envision Hilltop, which has led to changes such as traffic control on Sullivant Avenue to reduce accidents and speeding. Additionally, projects like the new Hollywood Casino have brought more interest to the area. Hilltop’s revitalization is important, but it must be done in a way that favors the members of the community and does not invite gentrification. Luckily, Envision Hilltop seems to focus on problems that affect residents of the community first and foremost.

Photos

Highland Elementary School (Highland Avenue School)

Historic photo of Highland Elementary School. (HathiTrust)

Highland Elementary School was built in 1895 as the Highland Avenue School. It was designed by architect David Riebel in the Romanesque Revival style. Unfortunately, that is the extent of the concrete information I could find online, so the rest is going to be my own “best guesses.”

At some point in time, probably within 10-20 years of construction, an identical addition was built onto the south end of the original building. It has a bay window in the center instead of an entrance, which could possibly be an alteration. Another one-story addition was built in the 1950s or 1960s.

The original Romanesque Revival arched entrance has been removed and replaced with a Beaux-Arts portal beneath a portico. This may have been part of Howard Dwight Smith’s modernization program in the 1920s, but it looks a little flimsy versus his high-quality stone entrance designs.

South addition with its bay window--note how it is almost identical to the original building:

Engine House No. 17

← Engine House No. 1/16 & Station 16 | Engine House No. 17 & Station 17 | Station 19 →

Chemical House No. 1, Engine House No. 17’s predecessor. (Wikimedia)

The Hilltop’s earliest fire station was Chemical House No. 1, which looked to be a wood-frame Italianate building that was built in 1897. Uniquely, its firemen were entirely Black. They moved from a firehouse on Oak Street (where Engine House No. 12 stands today), where they had worked since 1892. This station closed in 1913 when Engine House No. 17 opened.

Circa 1990 view of the station. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

Engine House No. 17 was built in 1913. It was the last of the traditional Romanesque Revival engine houses, though this one lacked arched windows entirely and had only spare, simple brick decoration. Again, there isn’t much history online beyond this, but it likely had a taller cupola to its hose tower that was removed like the others.

Engine House No. 17 operated until 1994, and it was renovated to become a community health center afterwards. Its replacement, Station 17, has a more sprawling and suburban design.