Arc of Columbus history offers nickname: Arch City
It has been remarked from time to time that Columbus seems to be a city without a defined nickname reflective of the town to itself.
Unlike New York, which has been "The Big Apple" for some time, and Chicago, which has been the “Windy City,” Columbus seems to be a town in search of an image that it can call its own. There has been no lack of efforts by residents, friendly observers and promoters of the city to find a name that fits.
We have been the “Capital City” since the town was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1812, but that name never really captured the public imagination. For a time after Ohio State University came to Columbus in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College with farm fields next to classrooms, we were known by some as “Cowtown." But since there were not all that many cows in town in later years, that name did not stick either.
And then there is “Discovery City.” About every 10 years or so, an enterprising soul will recall that the town is named for a man who is credited with discovering America. Therefore, we can readily and assuredly call ourselves “Discovery City.” But perhaps because Columbus did not discover what Native
Americans had discovered long before him, that nickname did not last either.
One nickname, however, did last a while: For more than a quarter-century we were known as “Arch City.” To some extent, and because of recent activity, we still are a place defined by our arches.
The story of the arches began in 1888. Columbus was a bustling Midwestern capital city of 80,000 people which had seen a lot of growth since the end of the Civil War.
As a major railhead and government center, Columbus was doing quite well. Columbus felt so good that it confidently invited the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union Army veterans organization, to hold its 22nd Annual Encampment and convention in 1888. Belatedly, city officials and civic leaders realized what they had done.
Columbus would be visited by 250,000 Union veterans and their families and friends – for 10 days. The city successfully coped with the influx by creating tent cities in and around the town, and arranging room for 90,000 Union Army veterans to march in the largest parade of its kind since the end of the war.
Columbus also aided in providing food and security to the veterans. As far as security was concerned, local police officials were sure that every pickpocket, thief and confidence man in the Midwest would turn up for a convention this large. And they would haunt the poorly lit streets of Downtown.
Columbus had streetlights, but they were oil lamps on short poles at street corners and threw very little light. To solve this problem and to keep the riffraff at bay, a series of wooden arches lit with gas lamps was erected along High Street through Downtown. They were remarkably successful in keeping the area well-lit and secure during the convention, and they remained a popular fixture for a brief time after the convention.
But it soon became apparent that something a bit more permanent might be in order. The wooden arches lit by gas lamps were replaced by metal arches and powered by electric light bulbs, and the arches also carried the power lines for a recently electrified streetcar system. The light from the arches kept Downtown well-lit and gave an almost magical glow to city streets and buildings after a rain shower.
Columbus soon was calling itself the “Arch City” with confidence and pride. In time, arches were extended in every direction from the Short North to the South Side, and from the Near East Side to Franklinton across the Scioto River to the west. The success of the arches as carriers of power and light would last until 1911, when city leaders began to advocate for the placement of even brighter cluster lights at street corners and alley entrances. With the new lights in place there would be no need for lighted arches.
So they began to come down, although the removal of the arches took some time. The last lonely arch in Columbus was removed from Mt. Vernon Avenue in 1937.
Columbus leaders tried other nicknames from time to time, but names such as “Col-met” never caught on. And perhaps that is just as well, because the legend of “Arch City” never died.
In 2002, new metal lighted arches marched up High Street through the Short North from Goodale Street to Fifth Avenue. They would be complemented by new arches at the Lennox Town Center near the Ohio State campus and by a few others elsewhere in the city.
The arches came back and Columbus became the once and future Arch City.
Local historian and author Ed Lentz writes the As It Were column for Thisweek Community News and The Dispatch.