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Iuka Ravine, developed on land from the “Indianola Farm” that belonged to the Neil Family, is significant for its early 20th century architecture. The ravine’s natural beauty influenced architects to design homes for the upper middle class that incorporated “features of the old oak forest and glacial boulders.” Several ravine homes were designed by Frank Packard and Charles Inscho. Two classically-designed bridges built in 1912 insulated the area from traffic to create what became known during the 1920s-1950s as a “quiet professor enclave.” Iuka’s curvilinear street, one of the first in Columbus, as well as its stone walls, glacial erratics, and mature hardwoods created a “unique urban experience.” The Iuka Ravine Historic District was listed in The National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and added to the Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1985.
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On November 19, 1968, the Columbus Metropolitan Library dedicated the first public library in the nation named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, the East Side Community Council requested that the new library being planned for the King-Lincoln Bronzeville community bear his name. The King family had both family and civic ties to Columbus and were honored by the tribute. More than 1,000 people gathered outside 1600 E. Long Street to hear Martin Luther King Sr. deliver the November dedication speech. Continuing the King family tradition, Martin Luther King III cut the ribbon to open a new branch building at 1487 E. Long Street on October 18, 2018. The Martin Luther King Branch was the first Columbus public library to bear an individual’s name.
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2210 Summit Street once housed one of Ohio’s longest-running lesbian bars. In 1970, a lesbian bartender at Jack’s A Go Go recognized that while Columbus had bars for gay men, it needed one geared toward lesbian clientele. Patrons knew the bar as “Jack’s,” Logan’s Off Broadway, and Summit Station. Staff welcomed women from small towns, women working in trades, women of color, butch/femme lesbians, and transgender people. Regulars recall that stepping through the door felt like finally entering a place of true belonging. Women could dance, “get together,” break up, sing karaoke, party with friends, and celebrate birthdays and holidays. Summit Station remained a safe public space, despite ongoing police harassment of its gender non-conforming regulars. A sign posted outside declared: “Ladies Night, Every Night. Men $5.” (Continued on other side)
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Stonewall Union (later Stonewall Columbus) was founded in 1981 by central Ohio LGBTQ+ activists. The organization focused on activism on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as providing physical spaces where that community could prosper. Deriving its name from the 1969 Stonewall Uprisings in New York City, Stonewall Union formed with the goals of bringing legislative reform, community building, and education to Columbus for the benefit of the LGBTQ+ community. Stonewall Union organized its first Pride March, on June 26, 1982, with over 500 participants. Additionally, Stonewall Union launched such community-building initiatives as the 1982 television program Gay Pride Report and the 1984 Lavender Listings business guide. In 1985, Stonewall Union moved into its first building. (Continued on other side)
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Dr. Harley Manuel and Charles E. Jones were frustrated by the restrictive covenants and redlining that kept Black residents from purchasing homes in desirable Columbus neighborhoods. Deciding to create their own neighborhood, the two men purchased 10.5 acres of farmland in March 1945. They divided it into 42 lots that became Livingston Heights Place. The first lots were sold to pharmacist Waldo W. and Harriet Tyler in 1946. Other early residents included Edward J. Cox, William and Esther Toler, David D. White, Dr. William K. Allen, and Dr. Harry Jefferson. Later residents were Dr. John H. Rosemond, Llewellyn (Jack) A. Coles, Captain Amos A. Carter Jr., Sammy Hopkins, William “Bill” Willis, and Dr. Richard Ruffin. Twenty homes were built between 1948 and 1967 within the subdivision’s boundaries of Johnson Park, Livingston, Byron, and Waverly.