Moment in Time (March 10, 2022)

The top image was presented in the February, 1922 edition of the Norwester magazine. Rendered by architect W. H. Tremaine, it depicts the proposed Grandview town hall and community center. The article also included schematic drawings of the building's three floors - the basement is included here.

As Grandview and Marble Cliff grew at the rapid rate that the communities did in the early 1920s, news articles described the pressure being put on facilities in the growing area. Schools were at their limit, so a new high school was being planned. First Community Church was planning an expansion of their small chapel. There was no formal community library, and no meeting spaces that could accommodate the increasing number of community groups and activities. Because of this rate of growth and the number of added fire runs, the City of Columbus (who had been providing fire service to the villages) had begun charging Grandview for service. This prompted the village leaders to also begin discussions of a local fire department, which would require equipment and a building to house it.

In January of 1922 a meeting of the Brotherhood (a group of community business, church, and political leaders) was convened to review architectural drawings of the proposed high school building. These preliminary drawings were published in the January, 1922 Norwester. Included in the proposed elements of the school facility were a community library, and use of the gymnasium, auditorium, and kitchen/lunchroom for community members outside of school hours. There was pushback from the residents concerning outside use of the school because of the increased demands of the curriculum, including use of the school facilities for after school physical education activities, which were a growing nationwide curricular emphasis. 

 As a result, the group opened their meeting to discussions between the community leaders and residents regarding the planning of a possible new community building to accommodate the needs of the fire and police departments, the mayor and council, a community library, exercise facilities, and a public meeting space. The proposal was met with a mixture of support and opposition. Feelings were expressed that the community could make do both with what currently existed. The leaders decided to engage with W.H. Tremaine, who had previously designed the Franklin County Engineers Office on Dublin Road and the Grandview Elementary School, to prepare preliminary designs that could inform the public, and the architectural drawings were presented in the local media the following month. 

It showed a two-story structure with a fully functional basement. It had offices for the mayor, council, village clerk, the water and sewer department, the board of public affairs, a community library, meeting rooms for the Boy Scouts, Masonic Lodge, Camp Fire Girls, Women’s Clubs, and other community organizations, a space to hold two “fire apparatus”, living space for a fireman and the building attendant, a large two story stage and several dressing rooms. It also had a gymnasium, auditorium, and a banquet room with an associated kitchen and serving areas, space for the police department, the jail, a billiards room, men’s and women’s locker rooms, rest rooms and a five-lane bowling alley (shown in the center of the drawing of the basement in the attached image.) Resident voters rejected the proposal because of the cost, and because many thought that the proposal was way too expansive. 

In May, Grandview Mayor Ryder proposed a $30,000 bond issue that included $15,000 for a municipal building “of brick construction and artistic design, in keeping with the other architecture of the village,” and $15,000 for two “medium weight” trucks and equipment. The bond issue was placed on the June ballot, and passed 321-19. After a public discussion, it was decided to place the building (which included village offices) in the new community park at Grandview and Goodale, which had just been dedicated. The new fire and municipal building was completed in August of 1924.

Ohio Architect and Builder, Vol 29, Page 8, 1917

Norwester Magazine, January 1922, Pages 18, 19, 1nd 21

Norwester Magazine, February 1922