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BECK PLACE HISTORY...
In the early 1900’s, the existing
warehouse at the corner of Beck and Jaeger
Streets was a small neighborhood bakery owned by
the Lang family. The Langs lived adjacent to the
bakery and their home was eventually razed to
make way for later warehouse additions. In
following years, the warehouse was occupied by
the Tip Top and Pennington Bakeries, the
Columbus Dispatch circulation trucks and most
recently Retail Planning Associates.
Beck Place
begins with the conversion of the
existing 41,600 sq. ft. warehouse into eight
very unique warehouse lofts.
The later non historic additions
are being demolished and eight new townhomes on
Grant Avenue and four new warehouse lofts on
Jaeger Street will replace them. The old bakery
smokestack will remain.
A new connector on Grant combines
the old warehouse to the new vertical three
story brick townhomes. Dramatic two story glass
windows are designed to allow an abundance of
natural light.
The new warehouse lofts being
built at the corner of Jaeger and Lear Streets
will resemble the existing warehouse.
The average unit size will be
over 2,400 sq. ft. and all have a two car
attached garage. The homes are limited to two
and three bedrooms and most include lower
levels, terraces and courtyards. The vertical townhomes and some warehouse lofts will offer
elevators as an option. Guest parking is provided.
Beck Place
will have secured rear gated
access while the front retains pedestrian entry
courtyards in keeping with the friendly
"Historic" German
Village atmosphere. The townhome exteriors
complement the traditional German Village
facades.
Bob and Jason Taggart, the
developers (www.tmrco.com), held an open house in an effort to
hear all neighborhood concerns. They assured the
community that the development would be
sensitive to the charm and historic fabric of
the neighborhood.
The architectural design plans by
the Behal, Sampson and Dietz (www.bsdarchitects.com) were extensively
reviewed by the German Village Commission.
The developers have selected
The Baker Henning Company (www.bakerhenning.com), well known for building high
quality single and multi-family homes. Ground
breaking is to occur this summer.
Rosalie Goodsell, Coldwell Banker
/ King Thompson, marketing and sales consultant,
expects Beck Place to have broad appeal and
attract current German Village residents, as
well as buyers from other urban and suburban
neighborhoods.
Construction financing is being provided by
Huntington
Bank (www.huntington.com).
Columbus’ "Historic" German Village designated
as a
“Preserve America Community”
by the White House
First neighborhood in Ohio to achieve honor
(Columbus)
First Lady Laura Bush has notified Mayor
Michael B. Coleman that Columbus’ beautiful
and
"Historic"
German Village is designated as a Preserve
America Community. While other towns and
cities have achieved the designation, German
Village is the first neighborhood to achieve
this honor.
“Building neighborhood pride and improving
the quality of life are the cornerstones of
Columbus’ mission, and we are proud to stand
with the residents of German Village in
celebrating this national recognition,” said
Mayor Coleman. “We must protect our
historic buildings and cultural heritage,
and the homes of
"Historic"
German Village are among
the best examples of preservation in the
nation.”
Area residents will host a celebratory
breakfast with Mayor Coleman on April 27th
at the Olde Mohawk Restaurant at 819 Mohawk
Street. The event includes a $10 buffet
breakfast, doors open at 7:45 a.m.
Preserve America is a White House initiative
that encourages and supports community
efforts to preserve and enjoy our cultural
and natural heritage. The goals of the
initiative include a greater shared
knowledge about the nation’s past,
strengthened regional identities and local
pride, increased local participation in
preserving the country’s cultural and
natural heritage assets, and support for the
economic vitality of our communities.
“The German Village community has achieved
national attention because our civic
association, The German Village Society, has
successfully partnered with the City of
Columbus over the last fifty years. The
focus and tenacity of our membership is
truly remarkable” said German Village
Society board president Mary Cusick.
The German Village community has led the way
in historic preservation both locally and
nationally," O'Shaughnessy said. "I was
happy to have the opportunity to write a
letter in support of the nomination and
delighted that we've achieved this
prestigious designation."
The Preserve America Community designation
is granted to eligible neighborhoods that
meet three general criteria:
The neighborhood, in partnership with the
city government, has recently supported a
historic or cultural preservation project
that promotes heritage tourism or otherwise
fosters economic vitality, and involves a
public-private partnership between
government entities and at least one civic
association, nonprofit, and/or business
enterprise.
The neighborhood has recently adopted a
resolution or policy statement indicating
its commitment to the preservation of
heritage assets within the neighborhood.
The neighborhood meets at least five
criteria specified in three broad
categories: discovering heritage through
historic places, protecting historic
resources, and promoting historic assets.
"Historic"
German Village met the criteria in each
category with impressive programs and
projects that include the Ralph and Dorothy
Fischer Archives (a collection that includes
an archival file for each structure in
German Village); the German Village
Visitors’ Center; Stewart Avenue School
tutoring and sponsorship; architectural
scavenger hunts for Ohio history and German
language students; the German Village
Commission; the German Village Society
Historic Preservation Committee; German
Village Oktoberfest; the Society’s printed
materials; their award-winning Visitors’
Center Video; their involvement as a charter
member of the Council of Historic
Neighborhoods; and the annual Caretakers of
a Legacy Awards program.
German Village was Columbus’ first historic
district, with boundaries recognized by City
Council in 1963. The German Village
Commission was the city’s first
architectural review board, established in
1963. The entire 233 acres of
"Historic"
German
Village were placed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1974 by the National
Park Service.
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