Walking Tour

To begin: Park at Franklin Park Conservatory.  Walk through the park to Franklin Park South.

 Walk down and turn right on Morrison Avenue.  Continue until reaching Bryden Road.

Walk on Bryden Road (one of Columbus' many bikeways) to Wilson Avenue.  Walk from Wilson Avenue to Oak St.

Oak Street is very much a street in transition.  There are many many messy and vacant lots, but there are also some hopeful signs of revitalization, such as this new bakery at Oak and Champion, and renovated condominiums at Oak and Sherman.  While walking on Oak Street, one has a feeling of being just outside the city because the skyscrapers from downtown are visible all the way down the street. Continue on Oak Street and Bryden Road until reaching Parsons Avenue.

Parsons Avenue is the most concentrated area of commercial development in OTE and Franklin Park.  It is a favorite among locals for its bars, cafes, and eateries.  The street also has a decent amount of art galleries.  Make your way back to Franklin Park Conservatory.

The end of the tour takes you around Franklin Park on the west side.  There are more homes in need of renovation on this side of the park (see above left), but others already have a nice street presence.

Churches and Schools

This map shows the churches and schools located within the boundary lines.  While both neighborhoods have become very diverse, they still have low numbers in terms of families and children who are moving into the area.  One major reason for this is probably due these neighborhoods being under the Columbus City School District. Also, there are not many schools in the neighborhood.

Neighborhood boundaries

This map shows the boundaries between the neighborhoods of Olde Towne East and Franklin Park in context to the rest of Columbus.  Data was found on the density of Olde Towne East, and it is much more dense compared to the city of Columbus as a whole.  There is a population of 6,925 within 1.205 sq miles for this neighborhood.  

Source: city-data.com (based on 2008 figures)

A walk around the neighborhood