German Village Society
588 South Third Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
www.germanvillage.com • german@germanvillage.com
614-221-8888/fax 614-222-4747
The German Village area was primarily
developed between 1840 and 1914. Hard-working German immigrants settled
what was then called The Old South End, building its compact brick houses
with small gardens and grape arbors. This community thrived through
the nineteenth into the twentieth century, but two World Wars, Prohibition’s
loss of brewery jobs and the suburban movement created a 40-year exodus.
In the early 1950s, “urban renewal” claimed the northern
third of the Old South End and the remaining area had seriously
deteriorated. Then came a man of vision – Frank Fetch, who embodied
the spirit of neighborhood activism and renewal. Energized by Fetch’s
spirit, area residents formed the German Village Society in 1960. In
1963, City Council set boundaries of an historic district, delegating
design review authority to the new German Village Commission, and thus
creating Columbus’ first historic district. In 1975, the entire
District – all 233 acres – was placed on the National Register
of Historic Places.
Over the last four decades, a unique partnership of private investment
and public cooperation has resulted in a preservation project unparalleled
in beauty and cohesiveness.
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