Grandview Heights City Hall is located at 1016 Grandview Avenue, Grandview Heights, OH 43212.
Phone: 614‑488‑3159.
Neighborhoods
Grandview Heights did not develop by chance, but rather developed as a result of physical, social and economic conditions and/or decisions. Grandview Heights was incorporated in 1906 with a population of 200.
Development in the Grandview area was largely influenced by topography — " the hill," the tracks, and Fifth Avenue. The hill provided an isolated and extremely scenic location for new suburban housing. The railroad tracks lying along the lower elevations provided early transportation from Grandview to downtown Columbus. The tracks also gave rise to and serviced the industrial areas of the community. Fifth Avenue was a very early wagon route from Columbus to the Grandview area and beyond. Fifth Avenue was a very poor entry into the growing residential areas due to its extremely industrial character. Northwest Boulevard was later constructed to provide a more scenic residential entry into Grandview and Arlington. Fifth Avenue did however give rise to retail commercial development that serviced the area including Grandview Heights.
In 1875 the Grandview area consisted of large farms with grazing lands and a great amount of woodlands. In the 1880's and 1890's permanent homes were constructed on top of the Grandview Hill in the vicinity of Bluff Avenue and Urlin Avenue. The main roads into the area were Fifth Avenue and Dublin Pike. One of the earliest grocery stores was located at Fifth and Grandview Avenues. Industrial development began to occur adjacent to the railroad lines on the south and east side of the present City.
These small established land uses expanded over the years, leaving the City with some very distinct land use areas. The area that was incorporated as Grandview Heights had very few non-conforming land use problems. The residential pattern and character of Grandview was established by three or four subdivisions of the area farms. These residential areas were zoned for protection very early in the municipal history of Grandview Heights. This may have been largely responsible for the uninterrupted cohesiveness of the residential character. First Avenue became a strong connecting link as it runs almost directly through the middle of the Community. All of residential Grandview is within walking distance of First Avenue. Most of the Community's focal points, the schools, the library, First Community Church and the park are located along First Avenue. As all of the streets are connected to First Avenue in a grid pattern, the City remains compact, organized and very accessible. The industrial areas of the City were well contained along the tracks and reasonably isolated from the residential areas. The large Big Bear grocery store at Fifth and Grandview Avenues expanded the original grocery service of the community and remains a primary activity area within the community.
While the residential areas of Grandview matured and were refined over the years, the residential areas of Columbus between Third and King Avenues lost some character and focus. The housing stock in this area is largely rental units. Many of the units were constructed to house the families of the workers who were employed in the industrial areas to the east and the quarries to the west in the Marble Cliff area. These rental units have been maintained reasonably well, although an increase in the number of cars per household has served to make the area appear more congested. The dwindling number of manufacturing jobs resulted in fewer families moving to the area, and the closing of Kingswood School caused a loss of neighborhood focus. Fifth Avenue also lost character over the years as neighborhood shops were replaced by auto-oriented uses like fast food restaurants and strip centers. Despite this loss of character, the rental market appears to be strong, rents are high and the area serves as a good housing option for many households. This may be mostly attributable to its favorable location.
The residential area in Columbus south of Fifth Avenue is difficult to characterize. It is truly in-between the single family character of Grandview Heights and the multifamily area north of Fifth Avenue. The residential neighborhoods adjacent to Grandview are made up of a mix of single family, duplex and multifamily units. Except for a few pockets, there is little discernible architectural style. The structures were constructed between 1920 and 1950's. The area is broken into pockets by the Grandview Heights High School Athletic Fields, the Grandview Avenue commercial area, Northwest Boulevard and the industrial area beginning on Eastview Avenue.
Nearby Towns: Marble Cliff Vlg •