Old Oaks

“The Creation of a Thousand Forests is in one Acorn.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Old Oaks is a turn-of-the-century streetcar suburb located about a mile east and south of Broad and High, the epicenter of Downtown
Columbus. The history of Old Oaks begins in 1891 when streetcar service became electrified. In 1892, a group of developers platted the Oakwood Addition subdivision. A notable landmark, St. John’s Catholic Church Parsonage & School, was built in 1898, with neighborhood construction taking place throughout the thirty year
period from 1892 to 1922.

Homes in the district show a predominance of architectural consistency with 2-1/2 story brick homes that boast large front porches. Homeowners were and are an economically, ethnically and religiously diverse group of people.

The Old Oaks Civic Association sponsors an annual Easter Egg Hunt in the spring, Boulevard Blast block party in the summer, fall pumpkin sale and a Holiday Home Tour. Other neighborhood events include the biannual garden tour as well as Wednesdays-on-the-Porch, a weekly “social hour” which runs from mid-May through early September.