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Short North District
The Short North area has really changed over the last 20 years. Today it is a wonderful eclectic mix of art galleries, boutiques, restaurants with condominiums and apartments! The Short North is a historic, urban neighborhood which some consider to be the Art District of Columbus. Located on High Street north of the Convention Center, it is near downtown, the Arena District, German Village and the Brewery District, and not far from The Ohio State University's South Campus Gateway Project which is just a few miles north.
The Short North area is really the art capitol of Ohio. It is an edgy mix of chic and chintz with plenty of showmanship thrown in. You can find just about anything you're looking for in the Short North: good art, great food, boutiques, unique living quarters and lots of people. It sits in between the respectable Victorian Village to the west and Italian Village to the east.
The Cap
On the south side of the Short North District is the new Cap which features fine dining establishments that span Interstate 670. The Cap bridges the downtown district with the Short North District in an amazing way, architecturally speaking and from an engineering perspective. Columbus is filled with dangerous interstates, but the Cap actually turned one of these bisecting thoroughfares into visual eye-candy and many visitors probably don't even notice that the block of restaurants are actually on top of the freeway. Beyond the visual appeal is the Cap's ability to bridge the districts in such a way as they seamlessly flow from one to the other without visitors feeling like they're crossing some division line.
In the 1860's Goodale Street marked the northern edge of the city. By 1920 North High St. was a thriving urban area, but it was replaced by I-670, a neglected commercial strip, and slum housing. By mid 20th Century, the Short North was an area that was showing its age. Then some urban homesteaders began buying cheap houses in the area and fixing them up. The rush was on.
Art is really the core of the Short North. You'll find it in the galleries that pepper the strip. You'll find it in the restaurants, the salons and the shops. You'll even find it on buildings in the form of bold mural-masterpieces. The first Saturday of the month is an event called the Gallery Hop. If your schedule permits, be sure to check this event out for a truly unique experience even if you don't care for art!
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