Moment in Time (October 20, 2022)
The Grandview Heights Municipal Building is shown here in several views. The top right shows the building as it was completed in 1924, with the Seagrave fire apparatus parked in front. The top left is an aerial view showing the extra truck bays after the 1936 addition. The bottom two images show the facility after the 1963 additions were built.
Note: the following is excerpted from an article on the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society website at ghmchs.org regarding the history of the Municipal Building.
“In a January public meeting, discussions took place between community leaders and residents of Grandview concerning the planning of a new building to house the mayor, the council, fire and police operations, and to provide meeting space for various activities. The proposal was met with a mixture of support and opposition. Feelings were expressed that the community could make do both with what currently exists and moving some offices to existing public spaces. In an attempt to inform the public, architectural drawings were presented in the local media.”
This accounting was described in the Norwester magazine 100 years ago in 1922! Because of the rate of growth and the number of added fire-runs in the Tri-Village area, the City of Columbus (who had been providing fire service to the villages) had begun charging Grandview for service. This prompted village leaders to begin discussions of a local fire department, which would require equipment and a building to house it.
The original idea was expanded to provide a space for the village government offices, the library, police offices and a jail, and space for all the community organizations that couldn’t be accommodated in other local buildings. The proposal for the project was never put on the ballot, most likely because of the higher priority for a new high school. Instead, Grandview decided to contract with Columbus for fire services at $250 per run.
However, in early 1923, Mayor James Thomas of Columbus issued an order to halt all fire service to Grandview. Columbus had proposed a new rate of $1.87 per $1000 tax valuation for the new fire services contract. That meant a flat rate of $4200 for Grandview, and then Grandview Mayor Ryder refused. Instead, he proposed that Grandview establish their own fire department at an unspecified location. He was attempting to join with Marble Cliff and Upper Arlington, and he hoped to put the building in a location central to the three communities.
Later that year, bonds were sold to establish a park on the west side of Grandview Avenue between the railroad and the top of the hill. The 22-acre park was to include a recreation area that was accessible by way of a “subway” tunnel under the trolley tracks on Goodale. Plans for the park were submitted in September, the bonds were sold in July of the next year, and the park was dedicated in June of 1924.
In May, Mayor Ryder proposed a $30,000 bond issue which included $15,000 for a 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 it passed 321-19. After a public discussion, it was decided to place the building (which included village offices) in the new community park, and the new building was completed in August of 1924. The fire department hired a chief and two firefighters, one of whom lived in the new building.
In 1936 an additional equipment bay was added, and in 1963 the building was renovated to add additional office space and room for the police department.
Almost one hundred years later, an issue is on the ballot again, this time to build a new facility on the site of the original recreation area of the park, on which a service facility and senior center were later built. City leaders have provided opportunities for the public to tour the existing municipal building before the vote on the issue (Issue 32) is taken.
More information can be found on the free History Walks app, a collaboration between the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society and the Grandview Heights Public Library.
References:
1. Norwester, February 1922, Page 019
2. Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society web site: https://ghmchs.org