herr2ck: Columbus - Clintonville

Photos vary, from November 2025 to February 2026.

Columbus’s Clintonville neighborhood is best known for its residential character and being home to just about every upper-middle-class white person in the city of Columbus that isn’t out gentrifying Olde Towne East or something. I’ll concede that High Street north of Pacemont Road and south of North Broadway Street has some historic Commercial style architecture, which is this blog’s usual bread and butter, but a lot of it is very generic and similar to other buildings I’ve already covered. So, this post will focus on the more unique landmarks of Clintonville instead.

Clintonville is located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio. Its borders vary depending on sources. It’s agreed that the east border is the Big 4 railroad tracks, beyond which is I-71 and North Linden; the west border is the Olentangy River with the Upper Arlington-ish area nearby; and the southern border is Glen Echo Run, leading to Old North. However, the northern boundary is disputed. Google Maps claims it is Cemetery Drive west of High Street and between Chase Road and Selby Boulevard east of High. Wikipedia, citing the Clintonville Area Commission, asserts that it is Henderson Road, with Beechwold to the north.

History

Clinton Township, which is what later became Clintonville, was first settled in 1804 by John Wilson and his wife. The area remained rural for much of the 19th century, sandwiched between more urban Columbus to the south and Worthington to the north. Its post office opened on September 13, 1847 at the corner of High Street and North Broadway Street.

Clintonville grew due to several factors--the establishment and growth of The Ohio State University, population growth in Columbus, the extension of the streetcar system to Worthington in 1893, and the presence of Olentangy Park nearby. It had around 2100 residents by 1890, though it remained largely rural through 1910. As a result, Clintonville became a streetcar suburb of Columbus, among other “ring suburbs” such as Grandview, Upper Arlington, and Bexley. It was annexed into Columbus in the 1950s.

Photos

Truman & Sylvia Bull Coe House (75 East Lakeview Avenue)

This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an important early house in Clintonville. Aside from its ornate Eastlake decoration applied to a Queen Anne house plan common in Columbus, it maintains many historic features, such as its windows, slate roof, and interior woodwork. Interestingly, several features, such as the porch, window pediments, and wooden siding, have been restored from previous alterations.

Sylvia Bull Coe’s grandfather, Thomas Bull, purchased the land that became Clintonville in 1814 from John Rathbone. She inherited some of the land in the years following. Her husband, Truman Coe, was a lumber businessman that was also related to early Clintonville settlers. Truman notably helped build the plank road from Columbus to Westerville. The NRHP listing notes no date of construction (listing c. 1880-1885) or proof that the Coes even built it, but given that the land was owned by them, it is likely that they were the original owners. Truman Coe’s lumber interests may have influenced the intricate Eastlake wooden details, which were newly fashionable at the time.

Sylvia Coe died in 1891, and her land was divided among her husband and children. Her daughter Lucy and her family occupied the house in the 1890s. Lucy moved to a house on Duncan Avenue in 1912 and leased the Coe House, and Truman Coe died in 1911. The house was later divided into apartments, which led to further alterations, such as the disassembly of the porch, an extra entry door, and new asbestos ceilings. The current owners have undone these changes.

I love all the rich details on the house and its excellent condition today. Though it wouldn’t look out of place in a neighborhood like Victorian Village today, it sticks out among the 1910s-1920s houses nearby with simpler appearances and details:

Columbus Mennonite Church (Clintonville Baptist Church)

This church was built in 1917 and was originally known as the Clintonville Baptist Church. Unfortunately, that congregation seems to have been defunct for too long to find anything online, though it appears they were active through at least 1973.

Columbus Mennonite Church was founded in the 1950s by a group of grad students at Ohio State, and they purchased a church at “6th & Neil Avenues” (the one Stauf’s now occupies) in 1965. In 1998, the congregation moved into its current church building on Oakland Park Avenue and Broadway Place. I don’t think the members are the bonnet-wearing Mennonite types that get confused with the Amish, but they have similar beliefs, based on their website.

For whatever reason, the church has an extremely wide and shallow plan. It looks as if part of a larger church was sheared away and walled off to create this one. It’s only four bays wide:

The east facade has had an addition recently, resulting in some clunky Postmodern boxes closer to Broadway Place:

Detail of the simple stained-glass windows:

St. James Episcopal

Though this is a Mid-Century Modern church, the congregation was originally founded in 1881 (though its cornerstone says 1894). The only other thing I could find was the cornerstone’s second date of 1961.

This is an example of a Mid-Century Modern design that abstracts existing styles, here the Gothic Revival. The stone exterior, stained glass, gabled roof, and steeple are all common features of the latter.

One of the more spartan wings of the church:

Another look at the steeple (though partially obscured by power lines):

2931 Indianola Avenue

I thought Frank Gehry moved to Ohio and opened another Gehry House for a second…this one has always puzzled me while driving by. Instead of a famous Deconstructivist architect, Bob Erickson lives inside, a community leader who opens his home to anyone who needs shelter. The original house dates to 1917, but Erickson has added several rooms such as The Pit (a porch with a sunken TV area), Home Base (an underground room), The Solarium, and many more.

Como Gables

I like this little Jacobethan Revival apartment building right across from the Church on Como. It dates to 1925 and has some subtle picturesque details, such as the gables and ornamental urns.