Arena District Arch

by David Yunker – Columbus Ohio

Arena District Arch

This beautiful arch, from what I understand, was on the grounds of the Ohio Pen. I believe that there were several more of these arches that didn’t make it through the demolition. This photo is the most popular request, especially for charity events, on my website.

Comments for Arena District Arch

July 06, 2008
Beautiful Picture Of the Arch
by: Ann

Hi David,

That is an awesome picture. I can see why it’s requested often.

Thank you for sharing that and please feel free to share any others you want.

I’m hoping to see a lot of Old Columbus Ohio Pictures!

November 08, 2008

Arch from Union Station

Submitted by: Bill Bedford

The arch was not from the Old Ohio Pen. it was one of Many arches on the old Union Station (train) which sat at the present site of the Convention Center.

November 20, 2008

Arch Not from Ohio Pen yet Union Station

by: Anonymous

This arch is from the original central terminal train station “Union Station” which was demolished in November of 1979. The station was located at what is now the Hyatt Regency, Convention center, and old convention center.

In 1891 the traffic situation on High Street reached a crisis, with the roadway blocked for up to seven hours per day by crossing trains. In 1893 the architectural firm of Daniel H. Burnham & Company of Chicago began planning a new facility. A key feature of the new station would be a road viaduct over the tracks, finally solving the traffic/train problem on North High Street. In 1893 the old station was handling 112 passenger trains per day.

The new station opened in 1897, and the Arcade was finished in 1899. The Arcade was unique to Columbus and consisted of stores and offices built atop the viaduct and facing High Street. An elevated roadway connected High Street to the station to the east. The station increased the number of depot tracks from seven to nine.

The architecture of the station drew on Burnham’s experience designing the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The style was Beaux-Arts Classicism, a late 19th century style often applied to monumental structures.

In May 1928, part of the Arcade was demolished to expand the driveway to the station to better accommodate automobiles. In April 1931, the train shed was replaced with an enclosed concourse. In 1956, Columbus was down to 42 daily passenger trains, the lowest number since 1875.

Daily passenger trains fell to 21 in 1962, and just 10 in 1970. It was clear that the completion of the interstates and popularity of automobiles would soon mean the end of passenger rail service in Columbus. On May 1, 1971, Amtrak took over most of what was left of passenger service in the United States.

At 6 pm on Friday, October 22, 1976 the deteriorating Arcade was demolished by a consortium led by the Battelle Memorial Institute to make way for a new convention center. This despite the arcade having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places two years earlier. The demolition was timed to turn the building into rubble before preservationists could act. A restraining order by a judge halted demolition, but it was too late and only one arch of the ornate structure was saved. It remains on display in the Arena District’s Dimon McPherson Park directly across Nationwide Boulevard from Nationwide Arena. The land the arch sits on was formerly occupied by the Ohio Penitentiary.

November 23, 2008

Arena District Arch History

by: Ann

Thank you very much for that detailed information about the arches. I really enjoyed reading that and learning more about the history of the arches!