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Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society

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Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society

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06/18/2026

One hundred years ago the premier social event in the Tri-Village area from 1915 to 1925 was the annual Field Day Celebration held on a Saturday in Grandview in mid June. It featured a parade along First Avenue, games, all sorts of contests, and a community dinner. Neighborhood streets prepared floats and competed for prizes. The competition was fierce and as many as 1,500 people participated in the parade. Pictured here are residents of Broadview Avenue. The date of this photograph is not known. The women are dressed as geishas and are being pulled in rickshaws by the men. It is obvious from this and other photographs that considerable effort went into the design and costumes. First Avenue was paved and the tracks visible in the road were for the streetcars.

The Historical Society’s archive contains a series of links that you can click on to read copies of the original Field Day programs for the 1918-1922 events and view a large collection of photos and newspaper clippings depicting the activities from a phenomenal period of joint community spirit. Click here to view the collection https://www.ghmchs.org/field-day

06/12/2026

The Goodale Industrial/Business Corridor in Grandview Heights has undergone a massive transformation from a former heavy manufacturing and warehousing district into a vibrant, mixed-use hub. An example of one former factory at 947 Goodale Boulevard is pictured below. The picture is from a December 1947 Columbus Dispatch article about the L.J. Gardiner Company. The company, founded in 1913, was well-known for producing specialized products for theaters during the silent and early "talkie" film eras. The factory pictured here was built in 1925. The large sign on the front of the building states that it is a manufacturer of motion picture projectors, complete theater equipment, and precision machinery. They were also known for manufacturing aircraft hydraulics. Instead of being demolished, the factory was preserved and repurposed after the projection company ceased operations. Today the Columbus Electrical Trades Center (pictured below) is located at 947 Goodale Blvd near the intersection with Northwest Boulevard.

06/03/2026

Dear Stevenson Elementary,

As Stevenson Elementary celebrates 100 years of service, learning, and community, We wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for all this remarkable school has meant to Grandview Heights.

For a century, Stevenson has been far more than a school building. It has been a place where generations of children have taken their first steps toward lifelong learning, where friendships have been formed, where dedicated teachers have inspired young minds, and where families have come together in support of one another. The impact of Stevenson extends far beyond its classrooms, helping shape the character, values, and spirit of our entire community.

Throughout the years, Stevenson has stood as a symbol of excellence, resilience, and belonging. Countless students have walked through its doors, carrying with them dreams, curiosity, and potential. Thanks to the commitment of educators, staff, parents, and community members, those students have been encouraged to grow into thoughtful leaders, engaged citizens, and compassionate neighbors.

The Grandview Heights - Marble Cliff Historic Society is grateful for the role Stevenson continues to play in making our community such a special place to call home. The school’s dedication to children and families helps foster the strong sense of connection and pride that defines Grandview Heights.

While we celebrate the school’s rich history, we also celebrate its future. The next generation of students will benefit from the same tradition of care, excellence, and community that has guided Stevenson for the past 100 years.

Congratulations on this incredible milestone. Thank you to every teacher, administrator, staff member, volunteer, parent, and student who has contributed to Stevenson’s legacy. Grandview Heights is stronger because of you. Go Bobcats! 🐾

With gratitude and appreciation,

GHMCHS

05/14/2026

Pictured below in this 1979 photo are 14 second, third, and fourth year French students at Grandview Heights High School. They were selected as part of an exchange program sponsored in this country by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and in France by the French Ministry of Education. They spent 23 days in two different parts of France. The first four days were spent along the coast at Saint Cast in Brittany. The remaining days were spent in a Paris suburb, Maison-Alfort. Each student stayed with a different family and participated in routine French family life. The students did a lot of sightseeing in the afternoons and weekends. In the mornings they went to school with their French correspondents. The students then attended classes at Lycee Eugene Delacroix. In March and April the French correspondents reciprocated and came to Grandview and stayed with families. The exchange was planned and managed by Garda Hofmann, GHHS French teacher, and Principal John Hanlon. Being able to afford the trip was never a requirement of the program - conversational French was. Students with the best ability to use the language were selected, and funds were raised by student projects and private donations to the School Exchange Services Committee. Pictured in the group photo (click to enlarge, left to right from the bottom) are Leah Lacoco, Tracy Knippenburg, Debbie Dericho, Miriam Tucker; second row: Anne Flinn, Molly Wilcox, Heidi Williams, Laura Radcliffe; third row: Carmel Rooney, Theresa Reilly, Rena Shere; top row: Kirk Hickman, Lonnie Owen and teacher Garda Hofmann.

05/07/2026

The magazine distribution industry in central Ohio was controlled at one time by one company, the Scott Krauss News Agency, which had been in business in Columbus since 1903. The company eventually built a distribution plant and office at 1180 Goodale Boulevard, and from that plant it shipped magazines in their coral colored trucks to nearly 1,000 retail outlets as far away as Athens and Chillicothe. The excerpts below(click to enlarge) from a 1968 Columbus Dispatch article provide a brief history of the company. After Scott Krauss’s death the firm subsequently evolved into the Ohio Periodical Distributors Inc. Accent draperies acquired the former Scott Krauss News Agency facility in 1975 and maintains operations there today.

04/30/2026

The first Rax franchised restaurant opened in the United States in 1978. At its peak in the 1980s, the Rax Roast Beef restaurant chain had grown to 504 locations in 38 states. The photo below, showing the building under construction at 1266 Dublin Road, is from a July 7, 1984 Columbus Dispatch article. The accompanying article stated that the 50,000-square-foot, two-story facility was being built at a cost of $5.5 million, according to Paul M. Savage, vice president of the restaurant chain at the time. Once completed, the building would accommodate all the headquarters personnel which were being housed in three buildings at the time. The other photo shows the completed headquarters at its opening on September 15, 1984. The Rax franchise subsequently faced a number of challenges that necessitated the closure of the Marble Cliff headquarters and sale of the property in 1990. The Church of Scientology of Central Ohio has owned the property at 1266 Dublin Road since 2008. The local Rax restaurant at 1724 W. 5th Avenue during the 1980’s was eventually sold to Wendy’s and is now the location of a Valvoline Instant Oil Change center. As of late 2025, there are only six Rax Roast Beef restaurants remaining in the United States.

04/23/2026

Charles and Mamie Rife started their small market business at 1417 West Fifth Avenue in 1936. They lived nearby in a small brick house across from Rife’s Market. The market is pictured in the 1946 photo below. Charles was a truck farmer, and drove around Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana buying produce. The produce was then sold to grocery stores in the area. He started one of the first locally grown food businesses in the area, and in 1946 enlarged the store to add a butcher shop selling locally produced meats. The store became noted for buying Blue Ribbon beef winners at the Ohio State Fair, showing them at the store, then selling the meat as one of a few butchers handling prime graded beef. The reputation grew and sons Wayne and Paul began helping in the store. The store began taking on other products including Hilliard corn from Elfrink Farms, jams from Champaign Berry Farm, and candy from Walnut Creek. Brother Sam, pictured below, and nephew Dick also worked there and later took over the business. In its final days it was operated by Mary Kay Rife and her husband, Mike Zimmerman. Rife’s, a Tri-Village landmark, closed in 2014. The article below(click to enlarge) was published in the Columbus Dispatch in August, 1984 when Sam operated Rife’s. Photos and article are from the Columbus Metropolitan Library online collection.

04/16/2026

The Columbus Soapbox Derby Grandview Connection
The Columbus Soap Box 2026 Spring Fever Rally and Test Drives have started this month. The All-American Soapbox Derby began in 1933 in Dayton, Ohio as a local race. Over the years local races were held throughout the U.S. to select the final group of racers that would compete in the national competition in Akron, Ohio. From the 1940’s through the early 1960’s the Columbus race took place on the Grandview Avenue hill from Mulford Road to Goodale Blvd. Competitors were kids in the 9-15 age range and the cars had to be constructed by the kids themselves. They ran in heats of three over the nearly 1000 feet course. In 1950, the race started a tradition of an adult celebrity race, called the Oil Can Trophy Race. Columbus Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner (pictured left) prepares for his heat in the 1955 Soapbox Derby. His opponent is Joe Wyman, who was the Columbus district shop superintendent. Wyman, who was substituting for Grandview Heights Mayor A.K. Pierce, would himself later become Grandview’s mayor. Wyman was the General Chairman of the local Soapbox Derby race. He won a second place trophy. Sensenbrenner joked that Wyman had a slight weight advantage!

04/08/2026

The High School Band Fundraiser
After the Superintendent of the schools announced the formation of a Grandview HS band in July of 1940, the Band Parents Association or Band Boosters held their first fundraiser on October 18, 1940. It was a tag sale to "Boost the Band". There were 27 male students who played as a "band" at the school assembly and the football game that evening against Columbus Academy. Funds raised by the tag sale went to the purchase of a base drum and other instruments. The tags were sold in connection with the game and people wore them by hanging them on shirt and coat buttons. A vintage tag from the Historical Society’s collection is shown below. Tag sales occurred yearly and would eventually become the current Decal Sale that happens the Sunday after band camp in July of every year. The tag sale was the first and oldest fundraiser for the band. The tag sales were replaced by the first Cake Walk on November 22, 1948. To better reflect the goals of this beloved community event, the Grandview Heights Band & Orchestra Boosters changed the name of the spring fundraiser to the BOBCake Bash beginning in 2024. The information provided here is fromhttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/603e507468514f1405170873/t/60798ed9bc95dd4d82510250/1618579164770/CakeWalkBook.pdf written by Meghan Watters, Grandview Heights H.S. Class of 2020. The 2026 BOBCake Bash is this Friday, April 10 from 6:30-9:30 in the GHHS Gymnasium.

03/19/2026

Stevenson Sign History
Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School opened in the fall of 1926 but the permanent brick and engraved stone sign shown in this photo was not installed until 1991. The PTO officers that year decided that after sixty-five years a permanent sign was long overdue. The Stevenson PTO officers at the time were Pam Patterson, Karen Nevergall, Wayne Carlson, and Kathy Lithgow. Funds were raised and Norb Howell, an architect and Stevenson parent, was selected to submit designs for consideration. Once a design was accepted drawings were submitted to the firm contracted to produce the sign. Everything was on track for installation and a dedication ceremony until the stone arrived with the school’s namesake misspelled. For whatever reason the mason had engraved Robert “Lewis” Stevenson instead of Robert “Louis” Stevenson. The mistake was immediately noticed by the late Jeanette Lauritsen while looking out the window with her students when the stone arrived. She was a teacher and at one time principal at RLS. The error was the mason’s. A replacement was provided at no charge and it arrived in time for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony pictured below. Cheryl Hilton, the school principal at the time, is addressing the crowd. Also pictured are Mayor David Colley and Ted Knapke, the superintendent of Grandview Schools.

Address

1685 West First Avenue
Columbus, OH
43212

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 3pm

Website

http://www.ghmchs.org/

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