German Village

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For the historic district in Hamilton, Ohio, see German Village Historic District.
For the mock-up of a German residential center used by the US Air-force to perfect Fire bombing techniques during World War II, see German Village (Dugway proving ground).
German Village
3rd Street in German Village
German Village is located in Ohio
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates: 39°56′45″N 82°59′34″W / 39.94583°N 82.99278°W / 39.94583; -82.99278Coordinates: 39°56′45″N 82°59′34″W / 39.94583°N 82.99278°W / 39.94583; -82.99278
Built: 1820
Architect: Unknown
Architectural style: Italianate
Governing body: Local
NRHP Reference#:

74001490

[1]
Added to NRHP: December 30, 1974
German Village (Boundary Increase)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Architect: Unknown
Architectural style: No Style Listed
Governing body: Private
NRHP Reference#:

80002998

[1]
Added to NRHP: November 28, 1980

German Village is a historic neighborhood just south of downtown Columbus. It was settled by a large number of German immigrants in the early-to-mid-19th century, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the population of the entire city. On December 30, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, becoming the largest privately-funded preservation district on the list,[2] and in 2007 was made a Preserve America Community by the White House. On November 28, 1980, its boundaries were increased, and today is one of the premier historic restorations in the world.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

In 1796, Congress appropriated the Refugee Lands for individuals who had supported the Colonial cause in the American Revolution. By 1802, an American Revolution veteran named John McGowan claimed 328 acres (1.33 km2), most of what would become the German Village. As German immigrants arrived, McGowan sold tracts of land to them. By 1814, the German Village found its roots, originally called "die alte sud ende" (the old south end), and German immigrants contributed to building the first statehouse.

[edit] Immigration

By 1830, massive German immigration to the city had occurred. The most influential German newspaper in 1843 was "Der Westbote". Many would serve in the American Civil War, thus gaining the universal respect of the local citizens. By 1865, one-third of Columbus's population was German and the community was flourishing. They built up the local neighborhood, including many businesses, such as Hessenauer Jewelers and Lazarus Department Stores, schools, and churches, such as the Ohio-historic St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1865 and adorned with a 197-foot (60 m) steeple in 1893.[4] German-American George Karb would become mayor of the city, twice, at the end of the 19th century, and again in the early 20th century.[5][6]

Much of the area in present-day south downtown along I-70 was at one point consider part of the German Village, including the Market Exchange District which has experienced a rebirth along with the village.[7]

During the early 20th-century, the south end saw newcomers from Eastern Europe aside from German immigrants, resulting in brother neighborhoods such as the Hungarian Village.[8]

[edit] Education

The local schools the German immigrants constructed and managed were so superior that English-speaking residents of Columbus chose to attend them, such as one that once stood at Fulton St. east of S. Fourth St.[6][9] In 1831, the German Evangelical Lutheran Seminary secured 14 acres (57,000 m2) in the south end, founded by William Schmidt, an immigrant from Halle, Germany[disambiguation needed ].[10] The school would go on to become what is known today as Capital University, still under the leadership of the Lutheran Church although located in nearby Bexley now, and the 19th-best college in the Midwest.[11]

[edit] The arts and athletics

The German immigrants brought with them a vibrant athletic and artistic heritage[12] which reflected in their social establishments. The Columbus Maennerchor, a singing group, was established in 1848, and as early as 1852 won a ribbon for their talent at the North American Sangerfest.[13] In 1866, the group won the silver prize at a festival held in Louisville.[14] In the late 19th century, another singing group called the Columbus Liederkranz was formed by the Germans, but was forced to cease during World War One because of heavy anti-German pressure. They would merge with the Maennerchor, which survived.[8]

In the 1860s and 70s the Maennerchor formed a drama division called the "Dramatischen Sektion." They would produce operas, dramas, and comedies until disbanding in the 1930s.[15] One of their notable performances was their 1927 production of Friedrich von Schiller's Die Rauber.[15] Another social group was the Schiller Club, founded in 1900.[16]

The Columbus Turn Verein was a social and athletic association which dated back to 1866, and was a main organization from which the German immigrants drew mutual support.[9] In 1890, the Ohio State Buckeyes Football team played their first-ever home game in the south end, at a location just west of present-day Schiller Park between Jaeger, Ebner, and Whittier (then called Schiller) Streets.[17]

[edit] German Brewery District

A prosperous industry for the German immigrants was the brewing industry. Today the Brewery District, part of the greater German Village neighborhood, still partially resembles its notable past. During the 19th-century, the area was found largely along both sides of South Front Street from Livingston Avenue to Sycamore.[18]

The Great Southern Hotel was constructed downtown in 1897 by Bavarian immigrant and Columbus brewing magnate Nicholas Schlee.

Notable breweries during this period included the Bavarian Brewery, started in 1849 by George Schlegel, which ultimately became the Shlegel Bavarian Brewery in 1860 when Bavarian Nicholas Schlee immigrated and took over.[18] Schlee was President of the company that would eventually construct the Great Southern Hotel downtown,[19] while also owning the Lyceum Theater and serving as Vice President of the Central Bank.[20] Conrad Born opened the Capital Brewery in 1859, who was also president of the Century Discount Company,[20] and the industry would flourish until the early 20th century.

One of the last major brewers of the city before Prohibition was August Wagner, who immigrated from Bavaria in the late 19th century and worked as the brewmaster at the City Brewery before becoming President and general manager of The Gambrinus Brewing Company. By 1919 he had purchased all of the stock for the company to become the sole owner, and changed the name in 1938 to August Wagner Breweries, Inc.[21] He was known to parade around on a horse in a costume of Gambrinus, the patron saint of beer.[22] A statue of Gambrinus was located at 605 S. Front St. until recent years.[21]

29 breweries have existed in and around the village throughout its history.[21]

[edit] Hoster brewing dynasty

While English breweries were found originally in the city, as German immigrants moved in, their brewing techniques were universally embraced and became the dominant methods for producing beer.[18] Louis Hoster, an immigrant from Rheinfalz, Germany[23] is notably credited for this transformation when he opened the City Brewery in the 1830s. He would go on to serve on the City Council between 1846-1854 while establishing the city's first wollen mill in 1852. In 1864 he established the Louis Hoster & Sons Brewery, which became the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries in 1904.[20] He would also serve on the Board of Education and was a Unionist Democrat.[23]

Descendants of Louis's brewing dynasty included his son Louis Philip Hoster, president of the Columbus Structural Steel Company,[20] and Herman Hoster, son of Louis's George,[24] a graduate of Yale University, treasurer of Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries,[20] and founder of the Columbus Envelope Company.[25] Another son of George was Carl J. Hoster, graduate of Cornell University,[26] President of the Hoster Columbus Associated Breweries as well as the Director of the Hayden Clinton National Bank and Columbus Driving Park Association, President of the U.S. Brewer's Association, 32d degree of the Scottish Rite,[26] and great-great uncle of former U.S. President George W. Bush.[20][27]

Hoster Street in the German Village stretches six blocks between Lazelle and S. Front.

[edit] Dr. Herman A. Hoster, Jr.

Dr. Herman A. Hoster, Jr. was the son of Herman Hoster,[25] and name-bearer of the Herman A. Hoster Research Laboratory of the Department of Medicine and the Department of Zoology at the Ohio State University. He was a graduate of Yale University and Johns Hopkins University who would suffer from Hodgkin's Disease.[28] After learning of his illness, Dr. Hoster resigned his medical position with Yale to return home to Columbus. There he focused on research of the disease at the OSU.[28] He became a professor of medicine and eventually an associate director of research at the College of Medicine[29] where he performed experiments on himself related to his illness, including some at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He published several leading research papers from his time, including support of radiation therapy to treat the disease.[30]

Dr. Hoster became a charter member of the Hodgkin's Disease Research Foundation in New York City, serving as the original President between 1947-1951. The first headquarters of the foundation was established at St. Vincent's Hospital, and included board members such as Dr. Robert Chambers from the New York University, Dr. Antonio Rottino, Vice President of St. Vincent's Hospital, Dr. Harry Rolnick from Philadelphia, and John Finn, Vice President of Fordham University.[29][31]

[edit] Decline

Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker was a WWI hero from the Columbus German-American community

The area was in serious decline throughout the first half of the 20th century, however, due to anti-German sentiment during World War I. This was sparked with the sinking of the Lusitania by Germany, where innocent women and children lost their lives. The media used this to demonize Germany and German-Americans. The Germans claimed it was transporting weapons in a war zone, which the British and American governments denied. In 2008, however, millions of rounds of ammunition were found at the wreckage of the ship.

What ensued was the teaching of German in public schools being banned, and German textbooks burned. German street names were changed, such as Germania Street becoming the present-day Stewart Avenue,[32] and Schiller Park was renamed Washington Park. The anti-German sentiment fueled by the media was so bad that in 1918 German books were burned on Broad St., and at the foot of the Schiller statue. German canine breeds were taken from their owners and slaughtered, including German Shepherds and Dachsunds. Despite the hatred, the German American community would produce one of America's finest heroes from the war, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, for whom Rickenbacker International Airport in southern Columbus is named.

Further decline occurred later due to the closing of the local breweries during Prohibition, another response to the anti-German sentiment. After the war, the south end was zoned for manufacturing, leading to the erosion of the area's residential feel. In World War II, the street car tracks and wrought iron fences were confiscated for the war effort. By the 1950s, the area had become a slum. The city then demolished one-third of the neighborhood.[33][34]

[edit] Renewal

Nearing complete destruction, Frank Fetch defied the common wisdom and purchased a house on Wall St., determined to rebuild the neighborhood. Fetch would create the German Village Society. In June 1960, the society hosted the first Haus und Garten Tour, which attracted visitors and the local media to eight restored homes, and two gardens. Today the tour is one of the city's most popular events.[35] Frank Fetch Park today in the German Village bears the name of the man who it honors.

Concerned citizens managed to save its historic architecture from demolition in the 1960s by successfully lobbying for a local commission, the German Village Commission, to have power over external changes made to buildings, and by getting the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[36] The German Village Society presently has over 1,000 preservationists dedicated to maintaining the historic quality of the buildings and neighborhood, and German Village is currently considered one of the most desirable areas to live in the city, if not the premiere place in Columbus to live.[37] More than 1600 buildings have been restored since 1960, and it is credited as one of the most premiere restoration districts in the world.[38] By the 1980s, the restoration was near complete. Today it is the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

[edit] Present

U.S Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham were guests at the Schmidt's Sausage Haus during the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign,[39] while former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited nearby Katzinger's Delicatssen in 1994 where a sandwich is named in his honor, a corned beef with Swiss cheese and spicy mustard on pumpernickel called "President Bill's Day at the deli."[40]

[edit] Residential real estate

The village is mostly a residential neighborhood of sturdy, red-brick homes with wrought iron fences along tree-lined, brick-paved streets. The average home price is $377,450.[41] Several homes in the neighborhood price at over $1 million, including a 5,200-square-foot (480 m2) home that sold in August 2007 for $1.5 million.[42] Another home, which was purchased for $1.4 million in 2006, boasts an underground tunnel linking the garage with the main house, which also serves as an art and wine cellar.[43]

[edit] Commercial

German Village has a commercial strip mainly centered along Third Street, with mostly locally owned restaurants—such as Katzinger's Delicatessen—and the 32-room Book Loft bookstore.[44] The neighborhood is home to one of the world's largest producers of stained glass, the Franklin Art Glass Studios Inc.,[45] as well as several art galleries including the Archive Gallery, Hawk Galleries, Keny Gallery, Kight Studio 551, and Metroscap.[45] Shops catering to European-imported retail include Caterina Ltd. and T. David Collection.[45]

Numerous village restaurants won 2010 ThisWeek Community Papers awards, including Skillet as the Best New Restaurant in the city, and Thurman Café for Best Burgers.[46] Barcelona, noted for its Spanish cuisine, won for Best Patio, and is a consistent Columbus Dispatch best city restaurant,[47] while Lindey's was runner-up for the same award,[46] voted one of Columbus's top ten restaurants for 18 years straight, also having appeared previously in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and Gourmet Magazine.[48] Max and Erma's was runner up for Best Casual Restaurant and Best Soups, Pistacia Vera runner-up for Best Desserts, and Roosters won Best Wings.[46]

German Village is the home of the first restaurant in the Max & Erma's chain. In 1972 the restaurant was opened by Barry Zacks. The name was adopted from the original tavern, started in 1958 by Max and Erma Visocnik, which the new owners converted into the popular theme restaurant.[49]

[edit] Hospitality

The German Village Guest House has been recognized as one of the best in the Midwest by the New York Post, The Plain Dealer, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch,[50] and positively reviewed by the Washington Post and The Tennessean.[50] It was rated as the "Best Columbus Hotel 2010" by City Search.[51]

[edit] Film

In 2006, local media personality Andrea Cambern, in collaboration with the German Village Society and WBNS, narrated a 10-minute documentary short on the neighborhood which won an Ohio Historic Preservation Office Award.[52]

Friedrich von Schiller Park

[edit] Schiller Park

At the southern end of German Village is Schiller Park, named after Friedrich von Schiller, which was once a community meeting ground for the German settlement. It is now the site of recreational facilities, gardens and an amphitheater, which hosts free live performances of Shakespearean plays during the summer months courtesy of Actors Theatre of Columbus.[53]

[edit] Preserve America Community

In 2007, German Village was recognized by the White House as a Preserve America Community.[54]

[edit] Village society website

In early 2010, the German Village Society launched a new website after spending a significant amount of time researching new web platforms and exploring what components would be the most beneificial to both residents and visitors. The new website is maintained on a continuous basis with pertinent events/news/happenings in and around the community. The site allows for members of the German Village Society access to special updates and information regarding the Society.[55]

[edit] Oktoberfest

German tradition has long reigned in the German Village community in the form of an annual Oktoberfest festival. The long-standing tradition of the village is sponsored and run by a local family owned and operated restaurant - Schmidt's Sausage Haus. Each year this festival takes place at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.[56][57]

[edit] GLBTQ

Although German Village is an eclectic community, the area is known as a Columbus "gayberhood."[58] While no gay establishments are located within the German Village limits, several gay-friendly bars are located in the neighboring Brewery District and Merion Village. The 2010 Gay Softball World Series was held at nearby Lou Berliner park, which is adjacent to German Village, the Brewery District, and Merion Village.

[edit] Gallery

  • The center of German Village on S. Third Street. The steeple of St. Mary's church is seen in the background.

  • Typical German Village homes, on Beck Street.

  • Shakespeare at Schiller Park.

  • Schwartz Castle

[edit] Documentaries

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ a b "Insider's Guide To Columbus", Shawnie Kelley. Globe Pequot, 2006. ISBN 0762735422, 9780762735426. Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  3. ^ "Events & Festivals", Ohio Department of Development. 2006. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  4. ^ "St. Mary Church", J. J. Prats. Historical Marker Database. 4 july 2009. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  5. ^ German Village Society, 1814-1865 Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  6. ^ a b German Village Society, 1865-1914 Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  7. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964.
  8. ^ a b "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 26.
  9. ^ a b "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 18.
  10. ^ "Educational history of Ohio", James Jesse Burns. Historical Pub. Co., 1905. p. 349.
  11. ^ "Capital University", U.S. News and World Report. 2010. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  12. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 22.
  13. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 19.
  14. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 21.
  15. ^ a b "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 24.
  16. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 25.
  17. ^ "Site of First Ohio State Home Football Game / The Ohio State University First Football Team 1890", William Fischer, Jr. 13 oct 2008. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  18. ^ a b c "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 60.
  19. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 68.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Columbus in Historic Photographs", Columbus Metropolitan Library. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  21. ^ a b c "Brewery District", Touring Ohio. 2010. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  22. ^ "German Columbus", Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie. Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 27.
  23. ^ a b "THE L. HOSTER BREWING COMPANY", OhioBreweriana. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  24. ^ "Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Volume 2", William Alexander Taylor, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909. p. 731
  25. ^ a b "Obituary record of graduates of Yale University", Yale University. The University, 1915. p. 897.
  26. ^ a b "Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Volume 1", William Alexander Taylor, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909. p. 608-609
  27. ^ "Feature articles in Grandview ThisWeek Newspaper Weekly Moment in Time Column", The Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society. 2006-2007. Retrieved 7 sept 2008.
  28. ^ a b "A Tireless Determination: Herman A. Hoster, M.D.", House Call. Medical Heritage Center of Ohio State University. Winter 2003. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  29. ^ a b "Volume 133, Number 10", Journal of the American Medical Association. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  30. ^ "Hodgkin's Disease and Other Lymphomas". Republished by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Original December 1972. Retrieved 7 sept 2010.
  31. ^ "The National cyclopaedia of American biography", James Terry White. University Microfilms, 1967. p. 358.
  32. ^ "Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie", Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0738533963, 9780738533964. p. 13.
  33. ^ German Village Society, 1914-1920 Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  34. ^ German Village Society, 1920-1960 Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  35. ^ German Village Society, 1960-1990 Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  36. ^ German Village Society, 1960-1990 Retrieved 26 july 2009
  37. ^ German Village Society, History Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  38. ^ German Village Society, 1990-today Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  39. ^ "John McCain does his own German thing", Don Frederick. Los Angeles Times. 24 july 2008. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  40. ^ "Insiders' Guide to Columbus, Ohio, 2nd", Shawnie Kelley. Globe Pequot, 2008. ISBN 0762747846, 9780762747849. p. 51.
  41. ^ Realtor Neighborhoods, "German Village", Realtor. Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  42. ^ "August Real Estate News", Columbus Homes. September 2007. Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  43. ^ "Beck St. Secrets", Tim Feran. Columbus Dispatch. 29 june 2008. Retrieved 28 sept 2009.
  44. ^ Book Loft
  45. ^ a b c "SHOP", German Village Society. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  46. ^ a b c "Kudos to GV Businesses!", German Village Society. 22 aug 2010. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  47. ^ "Barcelona Restaurant: Traditional Spanish Cuisine in Columbus", Lee Ann Mullen. Hello Columbus. 20 dec 2009. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  48. ^ "Lindey's Restaurant & Bar", Ivonne Rovira. Hello Metro. 1 may 2010. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  49. ^ "Our Memories". Max and Erma's. http://www.maxandermas.com/misc/our_memories.asp. Retrieved Nov 13, 2010. 
  50. ^ a b "Let’s Do the Tryst", Caitlin Barnett. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  51. ^ "“Sweet rooms, and roomy suites...”, German Village Guest House. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  52. ^ "German Village Society and WBNS 10TV", Ohio Historic Preservation Office. 2006. Retrieved 6 sept 2010.
  53. ^ The Actor's Theatre
  54. ^ Preserve America Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  55. ^ [1] Retrieved 27 august 2010.
  56. ^ "German Village Society cancels Oktoberfest", Matt Burns. BizJournals. 7 july 2009. Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  57. ^ "Schmidt’s set to revive Oktoberfest", BizJournals. 20 july 2009. Retrieved 26 july 2009.
  58. ^ http://614columbus.com/article/why-is-columbus-so-gay-2153/

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