A New Foundation, East Barthman Avenue, Columbus Ohio
My early November excursion into the Urban Curse neighborhood presented me with quite a bit of activity and change. The large open commercial block along Parsons Avenue, where many vacant buildings and houses once stood (#UrbanCurseRedevelopment : Fall 2011), has begun to be prepared for construction of the new John Maloney Health and Wellness Center as well as affordable apartments intended for the areas senior citizens I also spotted fresh empty lots throughout the community indicating that many of the long vacant houses have finally been met demolition crews in recent months. It is always interesting to see these houses gone, some of which I have featured repeatedly on Urban Curse. Sometimes the houses and buildings seem so eerie and prominent when standing, but once vanished it’s hard to imagine them existing at all.
Sounds and Senses, South Washington Avenue, #Columbus #Ohio
The street is empty and desolate. The day is beautiful, moderate, dry, and crisp. A disobedient dog barks in the distance, a phantom screen door weeps open and slams shut, an invisible bird or small animal scuffles inside reclaimed brush growing unmanaged in a vacant lot. There is a faint smell that reminds me of the wild countryside, but the sounds of diesel engines and hip hop beats along Parsons Avenue assures me that I am in the midst of urban withdrawal.
Very few residents currently live on this particular block in south Columbus. Although the day is beautiful, moderate, dry, and crisp, the few residents who remain are reserved only to peak from their windows. Despite the promises of revitalization, signs of hope seem imminent yet stalled.
Home of the Lions, East Reeb Avenue, #Columbus #Ohio
APPS : #CameraPlus #PhotoForge2 #Snapseed
#Backstory : Due to a declining population in the South Side “Urban Curse” neighborhood, Reeb Avenue School had to close it’s doors in recent years and await it’s fate. Would it be demolition, lay dormant for an unforeseen amount of years, or be redeveloped as part of the revitalization efforts in the South Parsons Corridor
Fortunately, this early 20th century architectural gem will be renovated and repurposed to house the South Side Learning and Development Center, the South Side Pride Center, Community Development for All People, home to a new cultural heritage and arts programming center, and a neighborhood community gathering space.
Left for Dead, East Innis Avenue, #Columbus #Ohio
APPS : #CameraPlus #PhotoForge2 #Snapseed (Taken with Instagram)
South Parsons View to the City, South Parsons Avenue, #columbus #ohio
This is a crisp morning view one would get entering the city of Columbus from the south on Parsons Avenue. Looking north from an overpass that spans east to west bound rails, the city’s skyline becomes slightly apparent just beyond the Urban Curse neighborhood that I document. This is where the real early 20th century urban neighborhoods begin, developed primarily for employees of a historic steel mill that runs along it’s southern perimeter.
