As It Were: Early streets in Columbus didn’t provide smooth passage
Ed Lentz
Today, the streets of downtown Columbus tend to be taken for granted.
The success of asphalt paving in the past century has meant most streets are reasonably straight and clean.
Such was not always the case.
The story of the streets of Columbus – especially in the old city within two miles of the Statehouse – is a complicated one. And it is a story made more complicated for a variety of reasons.
Columbus is a planned city.
There was no town here until the Ohio General Assembly brought it into being in 1812. Elaborate plans were made for wide streets and handsome boulevards. As the town came into being with government buildings on Statehouse Square and a variety of cabins, stores and taverns nearby, the major streets slowly developed.