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The Scioto Mile Promenade, also known simply as the Promenade, is a public park and
When Columbus was founded, the only planned green spaces downtown were around the Ohio Statehouse and in front of the Carnegie Library. The 1908 Columbus Plan urged the removal of the numerous factories, coal yards, boarding houses, and tenements stretching along the riverfront downtown. The city's prison, storage facilities, and a junk shop were also located on the riverfront there. The plan was not directly adopted, but the Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus destroyed many of these buildings. In 1920, the city pushed for a remade riverfront, though its bond issue did not receive enough public approval. The "Avenue of Flags", flagpoles along Civic Center Drive with each of the 50 state flags, was dedicated on Columbus Day in 1967. The flags were replaced with 25 Ohio flags and 25 Columbus flags in 2002, because of complaints about Confederate symbols on other states' flags.
The original Scioto Mile Promenade was planned around 2007, with only the park's street-level walkway to be developed from April 2008 to fall 2009. Construction of "the Riverwalk" park space was planned to be completed later on. The walkway portion of the park opened on July 7, 2011.
The park space was constructed from 2011 to 2015. The riverfront road Civic Center Drive was reduced from five to three lanes, and the park space along the entire Scioto River was redeveloped at this time. The river was stagnant and muddy due to the Main Street Dam, a
File:Columbus Scioto Mile 13.jpg, Promenade walkway
File:LeVeque Tower - 18722800890.jpg, Huntington Plaza
File:Columbus Scioto Mile 08.jpg, Coleman's Pointe
File:Columbus, Ohio 06.jpg, Plaza on the Lower River Walk
File:Columbus Scioto Mile 12.jpg, The Prow
Scioto Mile page
{{Columbus Recreation and Parks Downtown Columbus, Ohio Parks in Columbus, Ohio Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio) 2011 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures completed in 2011 Parks established in the 2010s Protected areas established in 2011
promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
in downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. The park is part of the Scioto Mile network of parks and trails around the city's downtown area, and has a riverwalk stretching along the east bank of the Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County, Ohio, Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olent ...
, from Battelle Riverfront Park to Bicentennial Park.
The promenade has a multi-use trail, part of the Scioto Greenway Trail, used by bicyclists, pedestrians and runners.
History
When Columbus was founded, the only planned green spaces downtown were around the Ohio Statehouse and in front of the Carnegie Library. The 1908 Columbus Plan urged the removal of the numerous factories, coal yards, boarding houses, and tenements stretching along the riverfront downtown. The city's prison, storage facilities, and a junk shop were also located on the riverfront there. The plan was not directly adopted, but the Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus destroyed many of these buildings. In 1920, the city pushed for a remade riverfront, though its bond issue did not receive enough public approval. The "Avenue of Flags", flagpoles along Civic Center Drive with each of the 50 state flags, was dedicated on Columbus Day in 1967. The flags were replaced with 25 Ohio flags and 25 Columbus flags in 2002, because of complaints about Confederate symbols on other states' flags.
The original Scioto Mile Promenade was planned around 2007, with only the park's street-level walkway to be developed from April 2008 to fall 2009. Construction of "the Riverwalk" park space was planned to be completed later on. The walkway portion of the park opened on July 7, 2011.
The park space was constructed from 2011 to 2015. The riverfront road Civic Center Drive was reduced from five to three lanes, and the park space along the entire Scioto River was redeveloped at this time. The river was stagnant and muddy due to the Main Street Dam, a low head dam
Low or LOW or lows, may refer to:
People
* Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low
Places
* Low, Quebec, Canada
* Low, Utah, United States
* Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station
* Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LOW ...
built in 1918 to control flooding, but which doubled the width of the river to . The dam removal in 2013, along with sediment removal, narrowed the river to , giving the city access to of previously-submerged shoreline. The parks have helped revitalize the city's downtown area.
From about 2011 to 2014, Ron Pizzuti, founder of the Pizzuti Collection, planned to finance construction of a six-story sculpture on the Promenade. "Columbiad", designed by New York artist Brian Tolle, was to be an hourglass-shaped steel sculpture built on the Prow portion of the park.
Attributes
The Scioto Mile Promenade includes a street-level promenade stretching from Broad to Town Streets, connecting Battelle Riverfront Park with Bicentennial Park. Fountains and benches line the promenade. The entire park follows the curve of the Scioto River on the eastern bank, below the Ohio Judicial Center, home of theOhio Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...
.
Within the park lies Huntington Plaza, an open-air space directly across the street from the Ohio Judicial Center. It features seasonal flowers and three infinity-style fountains. The fountains include 44 sculpted bronze fish in their designs.
Coleman's Pointe, an overlook onto the Scioto River, is beside the plaza, extending toward the river. The space is used for viewing Genoa Park night lighting and for wedding ceremonies. It is named for Michael Coleman, mayor of Columbus at the time it was built.
The Lower River Walk slopes down between the street-level promenade and Scioto River. It includes park space, walking paths, and built-in stone seating. The river bank features a riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...
, a natural line of plants along the river, keeping soil from eroding into the water.
The Prow, an observation platform, is situated at the south end of the park. It includes stone benches, lanterns, and a grove of birch trees. The platform was a re-utilized portion of the Town Street Bridge (1917-2009), replaced in 2012 by the Rich Street Bridge.
Gallery
See also
* List of parks in Columbus, OhioReferences
External links
*Scioto Mile page
{{Columbus Recreation and Parks Downtown Columbus, Ohio Parks in Columbus, Ohio Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio) 2011 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures completed in 2011 Parks established in the 2010s Protected areas established in 2011