herr2ck: Columbus - Short North - High Street from 5th Avenue to 1st Avenue

February 2026.

The Short North Arts District, colloquially the Short North, is a prime example of a gentrified neighborhood in Columbus. Much of the neighborhood is a long commercial strip on High Street from about 5th Avenue to I-670. Aside from the occasional date or parent visit, I never went there much while at school, but it was a popular party spot for upperclassmen and rich students at Ohio State.

The Short North Arts District is located on the near north side of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Smith Place and the University District to the north (I know most sources put the boundary at 5th, but the first arch is at Smith, and it’s where the urban fabric of the Short North begins), I-670 and downtown to the south, Pearl Street and Italian Village to the east, and Park Street, Wall Street, and Victorian Village to the west.

History

The term “Short North” is actually police jargon from the area’s rougher years, since it was north of downtown but short of the University District. Historically, it was simply known as the Near North Side.

The Short North was annexed into Columbus in two parts--everything south of 5th Avenue in 1862 and everything north of it in 1871. Most of the subdivisions that make up the stretch of High Street in the neighborhood were platted in the late 19th century, when Columbus was rapidly expanding outside of downtown. However, this process was much slower than the residential areas of the Short North (present-day Victorian Village and Italian Village) on the west side of High Street, due to the large houses nearby and NIMBYism from their affluent owners. Additionally, the Short North Historic District was closer to downtown and the 5th Avenue and North High Street Historic District was centered on 5th Avenue, meaning the area now known as the 3rd Avenue and North High Street Historic District was sandwiched between the two and had less demand for development.

Streetcar service arrived in 1871, extended past Russell Avenue in 1876, and it was electrified in 1891. Since 5th Avenue was a major cross street in the area, the development was centered around its intersection with High Street. The vast majority of the existing historic buildings were constructed between 1900 and 1920.

The GAR parade with light arches. (WOSU)

One of the most prominent features of the Short North is its lighted arches. The first arches were installed downtown from Union Station to the Franklin County Courthouse for a Grand Army of the Republic parade in 1888, and they later supported wires for the electric streetcars. Keep in mind, these were built before municipal street lighting became common. (This is why Columbus is nicknamed Arch City.) They were originally built of wood with gas lamps, but in 1896, upgraded steel arches with electric bulbs were installed, powered by the Municipal Light Plant in the Arena District. The Short North had its own arches installed in 1908 after business raised money. However, these arches were removed in 1916. (One original steel arch remains in Chillicothe in front of the Majestic Theatre--Chillicothe was right up next on my list, but I didn’t get to it before I left Ohio for good.)

The Short North during the 1950s. (WOSU)

High Street became very congested with increasing automobile traffic in the early 20th century, also competing for space with the streetcars. In the end, it was widened by ten feet between 1915 and 1923, five feet to a side. As a result, many older buildings were either moved entirely, truncated slightly and had the facade itself moved, or simply had their facades rebuilt. This resulted in the largely homogeneous Commercial style of the district--it is very unusual today for any historic district to have such stylistic cohesion. However, a few Italianate buildings remain. Development in the area slowed in the 1920s and stopped entirely in the 1930s.

High Street’s condition after the mid-20th century. These buildings still stand and are in the Short North Historic District. (WOSU)

The Short North experienced a decline seen most notably starting in the 1970s, though white flight and suburbanization had affected the area since after World War II. Businesses gradually departed beginning in the 1950s, and by the early 1970s, many Short North buildings were vacant and decaying by that time. What few businesses remained were dive bars. Crime was an issue in the area. Notably, the Short North Posse was a gang in the area stationed at 4th Street and 8th Avenue in Weinland Park, dominating from the late 1980s to early 1990s. Additionally, prostitution was centered on a stretch of the street between 1st Avenue and 3rd Avenue.

Renovated stores hosting art galleries in the Short North. (WOSU)

With German Village’s successful restoration starting in the 1960s, it inspired similar action in the Short North. Young professionals and artists started to move into the neighborhood with its cheap rent, investing into the neighborhood by restoring and renovating their houses, which by proxy resulted in their own gains from the reinvestment and not the earlier working-class residents. The Short North Business Association was founded in the early 1980s to draw commercial activity back to the district, and the first art gallery owners held their “cooperative opening” in 1984. This eventually led to the current Short North Gallery Hop, which received its name a year later. Much of High Street’s redevelopment began this decade.

The three historic districts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. At that time, some of the buildings had been restored, but others still maintained earlier mid-century or Postmodern alterations. Later that decade, the Short North Special Improvement District was established by the city in 1999, and in 2002 reproductions of the original streetlight arches were installed.

The Short North’s current perception is complicated. Some state that the area is gentrified, others cite its corporatization and the step away from its artsy nature, and many cite the fact that crime in the area is rising once again. With even more absurd, faux-urban districts in the area such as Easton and Bridge Park in Dublin, where Upper Arlington soccer moms can pretend to live in the city for a few hours before driving back to their McMansions, the suburban perception of the Short North seems pretty poor. For the most part, it seems like Columbus residents are proud of this neighborhood. I personally viewed it as forbidden fruit--too far from OSU campus to walk, and the only people I knew who went to the bars there were rich kids and Greek life date parties.

Photos

As usual for these “dump posts,” this post covers a greater distance in less depth. Other places I have covered in more detail in this area include the 3rd Avenue and North High Street Historic District, 5th Avenue and North High Street Historic District, and York Temple. For the most part, this post will fill in the gaps between the historic districts (since I only put the contributing buildings in those).

Short North Church (5th Avenue United Brethren Church)

This dark Gothic Revival church was built circa 1900 (it appears on the 1901 Sanborn map) as the 5th Avenue United Brethren Church. I like its exaggeratedly pointy arches and the jagged roofline:

The main entrance has a little transom window with its former name:

Its cornerstone is nearby as well:

Tough to see the massive window with the glare, but it’s pretty cool:

Out of the Closet Thrift Store (1230 North High Street)

This building was completed in 2013 and replaced a parking lot, though historically a mansion and the Lyndon Building, a Masonic lodge (once the home of York Lodge), stood there. Out of the Closet, hence the name, is a thrift store with a queer focus that donates its profits to AIDS research.

Stonewall Columbus (1160 North High Street)

Stonewall Columbus, obviously named after the Stonewall riots that took place in New York and spurred a renewed interest in LGBTQ+ rights, is a local organization that works with the LGBTQ+ community. Their website actually goes into a lot of detail about their current building. I thought it was purpose-built for them, but the building facing High Street was built in 1957 as the State Savings Bank.

Stonewall moved into the building in 1995, and in 2018, they completed a major renovation and addition that connected it to the neighboring Crane Cigar Warehouse built in 1922. That building is listed on the NRHP as part of the 5th Avenue and North High Street Historic District, but I didn’t grab a picture of it.

Ohio Historical Marker:

Magnolia Thunderpussy Records (1155 North High Street)

Immediately south of the 5th Avenue and North High Street Historic District and of no architectural significance, this Modern building constructed in 1955 is home to well-known record store Magnolia Thunderpussy. I’ve never been, but it is very popular with the artsier, alt Ohio State students.

The stone veneer, large windows, and brickwork are all characteristically Modernist.

Skully’s Music-Diner (1151 North High Street)

Also not featured on the listing is Skully’s, a small performance venue that is very popular in the Short North. Again, I’ve never been, but local bands and even big-name artists will host shows there frequently. According to the auditor’s website, the building was completed in 1910.

Michael’s Goody Boy (1144 North High Street)

(Google Maps)

Oops…I never got a photo of the main facade. This restaurant opened in 1947 and was named after owner Michael Pappas, eventually closing and being renovated as a mid-century themed bar. It closed in 2023 and seems to have sat vacant since.

Sign above the main entrance:

The diner has a prominent neon sign on the corner of High and 4th:

Better-lit view from the other side:

1127-1129 North High Street

This one is just west of the 3rd and High district, which only covers the east end of that street (even addresses). Its facade uses a much darker shade of brick, indicating it was likely rebuilt when High Street was widened.

1101 North High Street

This is a former Family Dollar store that has been closed since 2017. I’m shocked it hasn’t been bulldozed for apartments yet, as it is the only remaining eyesore on the street today.

Byers Building (1033 North High Street)

It’s unclear to me if this Mission Revival building was actually built in 1932 as the datestone purports, or if it was salvaged off of some other demolished building along with the ornamentation above the windows. Google Maps shows that the central sign was installed between 2016 and 2017, but the decorative panels were there prior to that point.

Not really every day you see a building with a little campanile, even on the most eclectic Victorian designs:

These pinnacles are also strange and out of scale.

985 High Apartments

985 High is a gargantuan Contemporary apartment building that is an example of the infill construction that re-densified the Short North. I’m not fond of its aesthetics, but I get what it’s doing from an urbanist standpoint, and all it replaced was parking lots and a suburban-style White Castle restaurant.

Brunner Building (930-940 North High Street)

I can’t lie, I don’t like this one’s posturing as a historic building in the neighborhood. It was built in 2017 and uses the same ornamental details as the older buildings nearby. The entrance awning is inspired by Beaux-Arts designs, though, not Romanesque Revival like the rest:

Vaulted windows and cornice:

Wood Companies (937-951 North High Street)

These apartments were built in 2011 on top of an existing building (what is currently the first floor). It’s another faux-historic design just like the Brunner Building. In particular, the southernmost portion has brickwork clearly borrowing from the Commercial buildings seen earlier:

Sure, it is pretty authentic, but something about it just rubs me the wrong way:

The dual tones of brick are also throwing me for a loop.

By the patio facing 2nd Avenue is this set of Ionic columns. I have no clue what building they once belonged to.

The Rossi (895 North High Street)

Looks like we have another victim of the High Street widening here. Although the facade is obviously a different shade of brick that was rebuilt later, it seems that the original Italianate metal storefront and second-floor hood molds were kept and integrated into the new facade. Additionally, it seems that the building was extended westward at some point too, as there is a contrast between the window pattern and brickwork on the north facade.

Few High Street buildings have their storefronts unaltered like this one.

Detail of the iron columns and their capitals:

Galla Park Social (878-900 North High Street)

This large complex replaced a vacant lot and tiny convenience store, and it was built in 2018. I honestly like its massing and subtle cues to the historic architecture nearby a lot better than the other, more overt, buildings that I covered nearby. Galla Park is a fancy steakhouse and nightclub.

874 North High Street

Puny compared to its taller and larger neighbors, 874 N High has three prominent fanlight details above its central windows.

870 North High Street

Based on the tall mansard roof, this one is a Second Empire design and must have been moved back when High Street was widened. It’s a pretty banal design overall, but the roof is a departure from the flat ones seen everywhere else on the street.

This iron storefront is original to the building: