Italian Village, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Italian Village is an historic district located in the near north side of Columbus, Ohio, adjacent to the central business district. The area is bounded by Interstate 670 on the south, Fifth Avenue on the north, North High Street on the west, and the Conrail railroad tracks to the east. The Italian Village area was one of Columbus' first suburbs, annexed to the city of Columbus in 1862.

[edit] Preservation history

In the early 1970s, residents of Italian Village took action against the deteriorating physical condition of the area and the threat of having more and more historic buildings demolished. Residents and property owners, who felt a sense of community and had visions of an improved neighborhood, formed the Italian Village Society in 1972. One year later, the Italian Village Commission was established by Columbus City Council.

In 1986, the entire Short North Area (Italian Village, Victorian Village, and the High Street Commercial District) was awarded an All-America City Award, for its public-private partnership, in revitalization of the area. Several sections of Italian Village were recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and another section is currently being considered for listing.