Blog #4: Arts and Urban Revitalization (Team C-Squared)

The area between Woodruff and Lane is relatively plain in terms of design. For example, The Ohio State Inn is an entirely beige building with no extra decoration, and other buildings like Donato’s pose no artistic element with entirely plain walls that could easily support public art. Additionally, there is no indication that you are approaching the university. Granted, there are dorms and other academic buildings along the road that would indicate to observant travelers that they are in the university district, but there is no true gateway to introduce the area.

As one travels along High Street, one of the most easily identifiable aspects of the drive is the black archways with gold writing that introduce the different neighborhoods/districts like the Short North and Old North. One of these archways can be seen right outside the Buffalo Wild Wings on High Street, yet it does not announce the arrival of the University District. Due to this fact, we believe that it would be a good idea to add multiple archways along the stretch of High Street between Lane Avenue and Woodruff Avenue (Photo #1). Currently, these structures are all essentially the same, with just the neighborhood names differentiating them. Following our concept drawing (Photo #2), the ones in the University District will be enhanced with additional features such as lights underneath and Block-O’s on the side-posts. The addition of such features will enhance the commute through the University District and infuse life into an otherwise dull portion of High Street.

Photo #1

Photo #2

Streetlamps are a necessary aspect to have along the roads whether they are wanted or not. However, the posts lining High Street are quite bland and lack personality (Photo #3). In order to give the University District a stronger sense of place, we devised a plan to add banners to the lampposts. Implementing this plan would be relatively easy, as the lampposts already have fixtures in place to hang murals (Photo #3). On such banners would hang various pieces of art representing iconic locations throughout campus (Photo #4). Such images would exemplify campus pride and give the area an increased sense of place. Implementing a Block O border around the murals would create a clean/cohesive look, while the designs in the center would make them all individual.

Photo #3

Photo #4

Without funding, all of these concepts cannot be put into action. Thankfully, the ideas presented are simple and would likely not cost vary much money to implement. In regards to the archway, as it is a commonality along High Street, it may be possible to convince the City of Columbus to support a furthering of the theme. The banners would likely have to receive funding from the Ohio State due to the fact that they would likely be seen as an advertisement for the university. Even if this happens, funding for such projects already exists in the form of private donors and student due. In order to allocate this money, a pitch must be made to either the university or to private donors (alumni) that such a project is affordable and necessary for the betterment of the campus environment. By convincing these entities to follow through, High Street could receive a major face-lift that will greatly improve its overall appearance and add a greater sense of personality to the University.

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