May 2026.
Dennison Place is a small, largely residential neighborhood that is south of OSU campus and immediately west of High Street. This post focuses on The Circles, a section of the neighborhood that features roundabouts at each intersection. A lot of the houses are partially obscured by the copious trees in the area, which provide a nice shaded quality but sure made pictures difficult.
There isn’t much history available online on Dennison Place, but given that it doesn’t really appear on Sanborn maps until the 1901 edition and the methods through which Columbus (and other large cities expanded), we can assume it was being developed to its present density around the turn of the 20th century. Indeed, the Near Northside Historic District listing (which includes Dennison Place) states that it was platted in 1888 by Anne Dennison, who was influenced by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and designed the picturesque “Circles” area. Beforehand, the area was owned by William Neil and his family, who farmed there.
Dennison Place is located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by King Avenue and the University District to the north, 5th Avenue and Victorian Village to the south, High Street and Weinland Park to the east, and the Olentangy River to the west.
289-293 West 7th Avenue
A large duplex, this house looks as if two were smashed together to become one. It dates to circa 1900. I like the porches and their Swiss chalet woodwork.
307 West 7th Avenue
307 W 7th is the quintessential Folk Victorian house, with the forms of a Queen Anne design minus the fancier details such as bay windows. The woodwork on the porch is likely a mass-produced pattern. It is also one of the few wood-framed houses on this street, though the siding is not original.
310 West 7th Avenue
This house has been modified quite a bit (namely through the out-of-character windows), but it still has its characteristic gable and tower. Unfortunately, whoever did these modifications removed the slate roof and replaced it with asphalt shingles.
311 West 7th Avenue
This is a similar Folk Victorian house, though it has a few more opulent details such as fancy glass windows.
315 West 7th Avenue
This one is very tucked away, but it has an archaic Colonial look with its small windows, saltbox roof, and wood siding.
322 West 7th Avenue
Believe it or not, these American Foursquares are the newest homes in this neighborhood, and they’re already 100-120 years old. They mark a shift away from the crazier revivals of the 1880s and 1890s to a more restrained version through the 1920s.
Detail of the polychromatic porch, which has Doric columns and a classical cornice:
323 West 7th Avenue
A more fanciful Queen Anne house with gables and an interesting porch, it has a stone facade that faces 7th Avenue. The remainder is brick, a common practice to reduce cost.
Porch detail:
7th-Pennsylvania Circle
At this point, we’ve reached the first roundabout (or “circle”) of The Circles. It lies in the intersection of 7th Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, featuring a picturesque array of plants.
327 West 7th Avenue
A more uniquely designed house given its placement on the southeast corner of 7th and Pennsylvania, it has classical details such as the Doric porches and Palladian dormer. Like its neighbors, it was built before 1900, probably circa 1890.
It’s also odd how one of the dormers is sandwiched between two chimneys on the west facade:
346 West 7th Avenue
This is one of the more elaborate Queen Anne homes on the street, with two towers and a large porch. The towers are tough to see here, but this view is better:
Lots of masonry and wood details here…bet that wasn’t cheap.
Porch detail:
347 West 7th Avenue
This 1892 Queen Anne house has some Tudor flair with the half-timbered gables. There’s also some subtle woodwork on the porch and below the bay window’s gable.
351 West 7th Avenue
This sort of Queen Anne design is super common across Columbus. This one in particular was built in 1892 and has special rough brick details in the quoins and arches.
355 West 7th Avenue
355 W 7th is another American Foursquare with some interesting details, such as the arched windows, dormer, and overhanging eaves with exposed rafters. It was built between 1901 and 1921, as the south side of 7th Avenue was sparsely developed in 1901 and this house was not yet shown on the Sanborn map.
356 West 7th Avenue
This house mixes characteristics from several styles and would be considered eclectic, with its Colonial Revival doorway (possibly an alteration), Romanesque Revival vaulted windows, and a Queen Anne bay window.
Detail of the vaulted windows, which have anta capitals embedded into the brickwork:
360 West 7th Avenue
This is an example of a more altered house in this area, as the exterior has been partially clad in some sort of stone or faux-stone veneer. Note the decorative brick panel on the second floor:
363 West 7th Avenue
This very blue Folk Victorian is a wood-framed house that was built in 1888, according to the auditor’s website. It has woodwork details on the porch and some fancy glass in the transoms above the bay windows.
366 West 7th Avenue
This Queen Anne has interesting woodwork and a large, two-story porch.
I really like this large, eclectic window on the first floor:
372 West 7th Avenue
This house has an uncommonly shaped and detailed arched window on the first floor, but the rest is pretty standard fare.
Detail of the stone voussoirs and porch woodwork:
7th-Michigan Circle
The “circle” here is more picturesque, with trees and plants of various scales lining the edges.
397 West 7th Avenue
Another wood-framed house built circa 1900, I like the paint colors and woodwork. An interesting detail is the dormer built into the top of the roof that is almost a truncated roof lantern.
404 West 7th Avenue
This common Queen Anne has been elaborated with a large turret and stone lintels/voussoirs.
Tower detail:
I wonder if there used to be an entrance at its base.
407 West 7th Avenue
This vibrant Queen Anne has fine wood details on its windows, porch, and gables. I like the art glass transoms, too. It was built before 1901 but likely very close to that date, as several lots to its west were not yet built on.
414 West 7th Avenue
Trees making life difficult…I can hardly even see this one.
Porch detail, with terra-cotta rosette:
421 West 7th Avenue
Another Queen Anne similar to the others we’ve seen already, this one was built after 1901.
422 West 7th Avenue
This brick Queen Anne was also built after 1901, though its porch is very anachronistic and would be better suited on the Italianate and Second Empire homes that were popular in the decades prior.
Porch detail with Corinthian columns:
The owners have this quaint rock garden:
7th-Perry Circle
Believe it or not, there used to be a third “circle,” which was slightly further west of this intersection between 7th Avenue and Battelle Boulevard. Battelle demolished this circle and the nearby houses to expand their parking lot sometime in the 1960s. If it helps orient you, the street followed the same path as it does currently (north of King and south of 5th).
Sources:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06656190101/?sp=3&st=image
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/columbusmaps/id/5120/rec/3
https://gis.franklincountyohio.gov/parcelviewer/
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