Preservation Efforts

German Village has a rich history back to the mid 19th century and continues to “make” history today. As caretakers of a legacy, German Village Society is committed to preserving the integrity and essence of the original German Village historic district, while encouraging the rehabilitation of existing properties and the creation of new structures to add vitality to the contemporary urban community.

The German Village Society recognizes that the German Village Commission is charged by the City of Columbus with the responsibility to guide architectural rehabilitation in accordance with the spirit and content of the German Village Guidelines. In addition, the German Village Society supports the efforts of other local neighborhoods with similar historic missions that strive to maintain the integrity of their communities. The Historic Preservation Committee, a standing committee of the German Village Society, serves as a forum to review architectural and land-use issues on behalf of the German Village Society Board.

The German Village Society encourages the discovery and documentation of historically significant features of the individual properties, chronicles milestone events of the neighborhood, and promotes the education of our residents, neighbors, and visitors to the attributes of our community.

The German Village Society employees an Historic Preservation Officer to provide residents with Commission assistance. Jody Graichen, Historic Preservtion Officer, is available to answer questions, visit properties, and provide forms Monday through Friday. Her direct line is 221-4921 or email jgraichen@germanvillage.com

The German Village Society also maintains and archive that contains information on each structure in the Village. Homeowners, students, and historians and invited to explore the materials stored at the Meeting Haus. Please make an appointment to view our collection.

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Purchase German Columbus online:
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Author(s): Jeffrey T. Darbee, Nancy A. Recchie
Pages: 128
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Publication Date: 05/11/2005
Book Description: German Columbus celebrates the lives and work of the German immigrants who made their homes and their livelihoods in a tight-knit, cohesive neighborhood in the Old South End of Columbus, Ohio. Natives of Germany arrived in the capital city as early as its founding in 1812, but it was only after 1830, when new transportation routes from the east facilitated travel, that a major wave of German immigration began. By the 1850s, the area just south of downtown Columbus had a distinct flavor, with school lessons and church services conducted entirely in German and with several newspapers printed in the German language to serve the community. Merchants, business owners, and brewers, the hard-working Germans were the largest immigrant group in the city, totaling a third of the population through the end of the 19th century. Later, a shift in public opinion against immigrants and anti-German sentiment arising from World War I resulted in a rapid assimilation of Germans into the general population. Today, some of the Old South End survives in historic areas such as the Brewery District and German Village. Author Bio: Jeffrey T. Darbee and Nancy A. Recchie make their home in German Village and work throughout Ohio as historic preservation consultants. With over 30 years of experience in the field, they tapped numerous public and private sources for historic images and vintage photographs to bring to life the story of German Columbus.