New Indianola Historic District

Along North Fourth Street and Chittenden and Eleventh Avenues in Columbus stands a group of about 90 brick rental buildings, all erected between 1916 and 1921 by developer Charles F. Johnson. The buildings fall into six types: duplexes, single-family houses, a pair of frame houses, four-family buildings, multi-family rows and four pairs of apartment courts set perpendicular to Fourth Street. Large front porches, one-over-one windows, decorated parapets and consistent setbacks give the streets a unified look. Johnson bought and platted the land in 1916, and the district was largely complete by 1921. It was aimed at renters drawn by nearby employers, Ohio State University and streetcar service to downtown. City directories show middle-class tenants, especially in the courts. The district was recognized for its architectural cohesion, its concentration of rental housing unmatched elsewhere in Columbus, and its survival as an early streetcar suburb. Some state board members disputed its significance.