Short North Arts District Columbus, Ohio A New Hub for Arts and Culture

Redevelopment Strategies »» Special improvement district (SID), funded through property assessments of corridor businesses »» A defined identity cen- tered around arts and culture The Short North Arts District, which is centered on High Street, consists of 14 blocks Results and north of downtown Columbus just south of Lessons Learned the Ohio State University campus. Once home Local business owners »» to neglected buildings, boarded-up windows, initiated the redevelop- ment effort and created and few businesses—and visited frequently by a business association to the police—the area once known as the “Near spearhead the transfor- Northside” became known as “Short North” after In 1983, the Short North Business Association mation of the corridor. the Columbus police gave the area that moniker was founded to access funding and develop the »» Regular community for being just short of the northern boundary of area into a thriving community. One year later, a programs and an the downtown precinct. Short North underwent a group of area gallery owners created the Gal- emphasis on arts and culture brought renewed makeover when local artists, historic preservation- lery Hop, a monthly event to showcase new art attention and visitors to ists, and small businesses began to transform the exhibits. That move brought an influx of visitors, a formerly neglected and area into an arts district in the 1980s. residents, and businesses to the area. unsafe area.

18 BUILDING HEALTHY CORRIDORS By the late 1980s, a group of local residents created a satirical and countercultural annual July Fourth event now known as the Doo Dah Parade. Thirty years later, programming continues and consists of many events concentrated on or near High Street, including the street concert and fash- ion show “HighBall Halloween”; a weekend-long concert titled the “Community Festival,” which features local bands; and the Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade. In 1999, the Short North Special Improvement District’s community health and social connect- OPPOSITE TOP: The Short North District (SID) was created by community leaders to edness have greatly improved. Today, the Gallery Arts District has been nationally enhance the safety, cleanliness, and beauty of the Hop includes restaurants, galleries, and shops, recognized for its infrastructure Short North Arts District. The organization is funded and it attracts more than 25,000 attendees a year. and programming improvements. through the collection of property assessments More than 30,000 people participate in HighBall, (Bailey Lytle, Short North Alliance) OPPOSITE INSET: Short North’s from district businesses, and that funding enables an estimated 80,000 attend the Community identity has been restored and its the organization to provide services and public Festival, about 500,000 spectators watch the Pride social capital boosted by the in- improvements. Parade, and the Doo Dah Parade has become troduction of programming and a In 2012, the Short North Business Association locally renowned. Through the SID, Columbus’s business association. (Bailey Lytle, merged with the Short North SID to form the Short tradition of illuminated arches was restored with Short North Alliance) North Alliance (SNA), which is contracted annually the installation of 17 steel arches that create an ABOVE: Once known for its by the SID. The SNA works to continue the Short identity for the district. crime, Columbus’s Short North North Arts District’s development as a vibrant, cre- Those improvements have gained much nation- neighborhood has become a ative, and inclusive community and arts destination al attention: the Short North Arts District has been popular cultural destination that while maintaining the area’s position as “the art recognized by the New York Times, USA Today, attracts over 2 million diverse visi- and soul of Columbus.” To accomplish these goals, Fox News, and various other media outlets. More- tors. (Top: Bailey Lytle, Short North Alliance. Inset: Dana Bernstein, the SNA has continued to market the area and to over, 34 new businesses opened in 2015, and 2.5 Short North Alliance) serve property and business owners while main- million people visited the community the same taining the management and scheduling of events. year. By bringing a variety of groups together, As programming and an organizational struc- the Short North Arts District has become a more ture have come together, the Short North Arts vibrant and livable community.

CHAPTER 2: REINVENTING CORRIDORS 19