(Featured as October 12, 2005 Moment in Time, to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of girls' basketball at GHHS)
Girls in the Grandview Heights schools have been involved in athletics for many years. This photograph shows the 1914 GHS girls basketball team posing for their team portrait. In 1915 the girls fielded two teams, called the "Teutonic Allies" and the "Triple Entente". They also scrimmaged other local teams, including Hilliards, Milo and Indianola. In 1919, Coach Stanton Jones began coaching both the girl's and the boy's teams and coached them to the County Championship in 1922. The students organized a club, the GAL (Girls Athletic League) and added volleyball, field hockey and tennis to their sports opportunities between 1916 and 1920.
The Highlander, the yearbook of Grandview Heights High School, is the recorded history of the year's activities, academic endeavors and athletic accomplishments of the school. This photo shows the student orchestra of the 1926 school year, proudly led by Mrs. Nettie Taylor. Mrs. Taylor was the faculty member responsible for the music taught and performed at both the Grandview Heights High School and Junior High. This included the Senior High Glee Club and the Junior High Glee Club. Music for dramatic performances included "Sunshine", the Junior Class play, the Senior Dramatic Club's performance of "Whose Little Bride Are You" and the Junior High operetta "The Wishing Well". Pictured here are members: first row - Bruce Behmer, Susan Jeffers, Rose Nardone, Miriam Koch, France Nesbitt, Robert Ulrich, Paul Clark, Benny Nardone, Bruce Frey and John North; back row - Lee Shaffmaster, Amor Bues, Summer Henderson, Bryon Droke, Antoinette Nardone, Donald Franz, Howard Clark and Mrs. Taylor.
First Community Church Women's Guild gathered over 10,000 books and held their first annual Book Fair in October of 1970. Best sellers of the past, some first editions and a selection of novels and mysteries were represented in the collection. This was a first among the many fundraisers for the church put on by the Women's Guild. Pictured here are Mrs. Frank Paulsen, chairman of the sale, and Mrs. Albert Weller, Jr. as they prepare books for the upcoming event held at the church. First Community Church was established in 1910 as Grandview Heights Congregational Church. The church is now affiliated with two denominations, the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). First Community Church is one of three churches located in the Village of Marble Cliff.
More than 100 participants between the ages of 12 and 44 took part in the largest tennis tournament in Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff history. In August of 1970, Jan Gallis was in charge of the tournament sponsored by the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Recreation Commission. Miss Gallis, in her second year with the Commission, taught many of the contestants. Play took place at the Urlin Avenue Courts located at Goodale and Urlin Avenues, and all participants were Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff residents. Pictured here are the winners of the Senior Men's Doubles, runners-up Don Keller and Bill Davis, and champions Ernie Kreil and Ivan Kreil.
The Boulevard Theater opened its doors in the winter of 1940. It thrived as a movie house, showing first run films and in later years showing second run (with an occasional first run) movies to its neighborhood audiences. The theater, at 1312 West Fifth Avenue, was owned by Yessenoff Enterprises, a Columbus cinema chain called Academy Theaters. In January,1978 the theater was demolished after negotiations were settled for new ownership of the property. It was purchased by Hueblien, Inc, the parent Corporation of the KFC Corporation. When the site was cleared of rubble a Mexican fast food restaurant called "Zantigo" replaced the aged cinema. This location is presently occupied by Taco Bell.
The 1977 razing of a fine turn-of-the century home at 1944 West First Avenue was prompted by the need for major structural repairs. First Community Church purchased the home during the early 1940s to house Sunday school classes and ministerial staff. In the post World War ll years the "First Avenue House" was a teen recreation center as well as office space for church staff members. In 1952 the Tri-Village Trading Post began selling used household goods and clothing at the house. When the Trading Post was moved to the annex of the church (visible in the background of the photo) the house was used for vacation Bible school, study groups and youth fellowship groups. Later, a Halloween haunted house fund raising project was held in the old home. Before the First Avenue House came tumbling down, the stylish woodwork, banisters and bay windows were sold at silent auction.
A group of sportsmen prepare for a round of trap shooting, while another group awaits a turn, at the Columbus (Arlington) Gun Club. This structure was designed in 1905 by J. Upton Gribben, a noted Columbus architect and former protege of Frank Packard. It served as the center of social activity for prominent citizens of the area, as skeet shooting was a national passion during this time.The Gun Club was located on the north side of Fifth Avenue between Arlington Avenue and Cambridge Blvd. until the Northwest Boulevard Company began the development of the Country Club District in 1915, which was the first development in what would become Upper Arlington. At that time the Club moved to a new building on the north side of King Avenue at Andover. The Club was the site of the Grand American Handicap Trap Shoot in 1908, and attracted famous shooters like Annie Oakley (top inset) and John Philip Sousa (bottom inset). It is reported in the book History of Upper Arlington that an all wood motordrome, for use in racing motorcycles, was located on the Gun Club property. The building (front view in upper left inset) was used as the field office for the Northwest Boulevard Company after the club moved, and the Armstrong family, some of the earliest UA residents, lived in the second floor rooms.
Paul Panzera was moving in March, 1979 to a new location on West Fifth Avenue when he was interviewed by Jane Fitting for the Tri-Village News. Panzera was quoted: "I have always liked to cook." Paul's Pantry originated on West Third Avenue when Paul purchased Ginny's Restaurant. He had formally worked and learned from his jobs at Tedeschi's Bakery on Third Avenue, the Fifth Avenue Dairy Queen, and Leonardo's Pizza. After 13 years on Third Avenue, his basic skills and trade were ready to take on a larger restaurant and he leased the building at 1565 West Fifth Avenue. All new equipment, heating and air conditioning, and appliances were purchased and interior decorations, with one room having a Bobcat theme were in place for the opening. Paul is one of seven children born in Italy to John and Clara Panzera, who moved to the Grandview Heights area. Paul continues his cooking success at Paul's Pantry still at the same Fifth Avenue location. This is the restaurant's 35th year of "cooking Grandview style".
Councilman Ralph Salzgaber (inset photo), Bicentennial Committee chairman for Grandview Heights, proudly displayed the 270 pound Liberty Bell replica ordered for the Grandview Heights-Marble Cliff Bicentennial celebration. The bell was purchased for $2400 from the I.T.Verdin Co., bell-makers located in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of 2400 bells cast by the Company for America's Freedom Train, it was carried aboard a 1916 Mack truck in the Grandview Heights-Marble Cliff Flag Day Parade in June of 1976. The bell, a three-eighths scale replica, was made of 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin with the same metallic properties as the original Liberty Bell. After being displayed in schools and other public buildings throughout the area, the bell now resides at the Village Hall at 1600 Fernwood Avenue in Marble Cliff.
As their Grandview Heights city beautification project in 1977, Grandview Garden Club members take on the planting on city property at the Municipal building. The Garden Club members sponsored plant sales to raise funds to purchase plants to annually decorate city green space. Tri-Village residents were encouraged to donate to the Landscape Fund, and Garden Club members replanted the city flower beds each spring. The Grandview Garden Club was organized in 1954 with membership limited to 30 members. The purpose of the club was (and still is) to promote interest in home gardening and community beautification, increase knowledge in preservation, conservation and beautification, and to promote interest in horticulture identification and creative floriculture. Redecorating and landscaping for the city was taken on by the club starting in the early 1970s, and the Grandview Garden Club still functions today by working with the Grandview Heights Parks and Recreation Department for the city's beautification.
The New York World's Fair of 1964 was the destination of these First Community Church youth. The eager travelers were, left to right, Karen Beardsley, Karen Kight, Mike McNeal, Cindy Cook, Nancy Priest and seated, Karen Wheeler. Plans were in the making for the trip along with fund raising for well over a year. These high school juniors exchanged visits with young people at a church in Manhassett, Long Island. When the youth from Long Island were here earlier in the year, they were shown around the suburbs and the Ohio State campus. The 35 kids from the Tri-Village area (plus chaperones) traveled by bus to the big city for tours and a visit to the New York World's Fair. While in New York they gave a program of contemporary worship service. Their week-long visit was from August 31 to September 6, 1964. The Rev. Sherwood Carver and Gabe Campbell were among the chaperones accompanying the chartered bus load of teenagers.
In June of 1976, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff residents lined the streets of First Avenue, to Oxley Road, and to Wyman Woods on Goodale for the first annual Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Flag Day Parade. Police Chief D.L. Miller led the parade in front of Joe Wyman, former Mayor, and his wife who had ring side seats at Grandview Avenue and First Avenue. Floats from neighbors with themes of Colonial days, riders and marchers in costume celebrating America's birthday, clowns and old cars, along with P.T.O., Northwest Kiwanis, and GH/MC Historians all participated in this first Flag Day Parade for the residents' enjoyment. A day of activities followed at Wyman Woods. The present Memorial Day Parade carries on the annual parade participation in Grandview that originated with the early Field Days Parade of 1921. The GH/MC Historical Society members, Claudine France, Margaret Gaudieri, Eleanor Boardman Ann Larrick and Win Keller (inset) ride in their car in the parade of 1976.
In 1976, the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society had a project for the bicentennial year that was approaching. It seemed like a natural theme to capture the stories of the historic homes of the community. The research had already begun as the two year old society began to collect pictures and history of the area from residences, many that dated back to the 1800s. The story of the development of Grandview and Marble Cliff through the story of the homes became the society's first publication in the bicentennial year of 1976. Over sixty homes were catalogued and thirty were chosen for the book that was named "Sheltering a Heritage". The homes pictured here are part of the stories of the historic area that would become the two towns. The quarry stone home at the upper right was built as a wedding gift in 1901 by David Gray for his son and daughter-in -law. The large and spacious Julius Stone house at the upper left was built in 1903 for the family of five children. Mr. Stone served on the first village council and Mrs. Stone served on the school board. The home at 789 Northwest Boulevard was built in 1906 by the Thomas family that originally farmed the area. The publication "Sheltering a Heritage" with its history and pictures of homes and stories of families in years past is still available for purchase from the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society.
In January of 1975, Grandview Recreation Director Lynn Veach planned for the merger of the Parks and the Recreation departments in Grandview Heights. With the ground work having been done for combining of the departments, Veach began improving and setting up programs, claiming that the combination of the use and care of city facilities would be a definite resulting advantage. An assistant was hired to complete the transition, working for the recreational needs of the community. Parks and Recreation departments working under one head would provide a consistent year round program. Pictured here is Marta Durban, instructor for one of the new 1977 programs sponsored by the Grandview Heights Parks and Recreation Department. Under her direction dance clinics were held for all ages in creative movement, modern dance and modern jazz. Community recreational needs continue to be provided through the Parks and Recreation Department and the Grandview Community Center.
It was an active time for the Marching Band in the fall of 1973. New shows to be played at football game halftimes were learned at band camp, including "The Movies" and "Music of the Russian Masters". A special Dixie Band played selections from the fifties. It was similarly a very busy time for the Majorettes who participated with the band. As with the band, snappy routines were learned during the summer at band camp that also captured the award for the band squad with the most spirit. The Majorettes marched in the Little League Parade, the Columbus Day Parade, and participated in other Grandview ceremonies throughout the year. Pictured here from left to right are Judi Ervin, Cindy Pinney, Donna Tyndale, Patti Long, and Carol Meyer, who served as head Majorette. This photo also appeared in the 1974 Highlander yearbook for Grandview Heights High School.
Teri Antolino, the head lifeguard at the new Grandview Pool, dives from the high board while Mayor Larry Pierce and Congressman Chalmers Wylie together cut the ribbon for the official opening of the Grandview Heights Municipal Swimming Pool on June 3, 1978. The opening was the dedication ceremony of the newly purchased (by the city of Grandview Heights) privately owned Grandview Swim Club at 1305 Goodale Boulevard. Extensive renovation was completed to the former club house and pool. The project cost was $470,000, and Mayor Pierce indicated that it was the biggest single project the city had undertaken. It was funded with federal and municipal monies. While the basic building remained the same as it was in the early 30s, the new shape of the pool with deeper diving area, fresh paint, and a new stainless steel shell gave the now municipally owned pool a new look. To many residents it remains the place of memories of Grandview Heights summers at the pool.
