Old Beechwold Historic District

Old Beechwold is a planned suburban neighborhood of roughly 75 wooded acres between North High Street and the Olentangy River in northern Columbus. Narrow curving streets without curbs or sidewalks wind past stone, brick and stucco houses, a small stone bridge and a ravine kept as parkland. The land was once a zoo-park venture, then the estate of Joseph A. Jeffrey, founder of the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, who built the first houses in 1906. In 1914 it passed to developer Charles H. Johnson, who hired landscape architect William Pitkin, Jr. to lay out the plat in 1915. The houses reflect English Cottage, Tudor Revival, Georgian and Dutch Colonial styles, designed by several local firms. The district was listed for its architecture, landscape architecture and community planning. Its remote location, more than eight miles from downtown, became practical through streetcar service and the growing use of automobiles. The district counts 155 contributing and 34 non-contributing resources.