After 11 (lovely) years of home ownership in Old North Columbus, my husband and I decided that we really wanted to move back to the Short North. After all, we’d lived there as renters for 5 years before getting married, both of us worked in the Short North and many of our friends and social activities revolved around the neighborhood.
We looked at numerous houses around the Short North that were within our moderate price range, but all lacked something we were looking for (at least two bathrooms, a basement and ideally, a garage). Ultimately, we discovered a house in Harrison West with really good bones, but that was otherwise a complete “do-over”. Harrison West was affordable, within the boundaries of the Short North, in proximity to everything we love and absent of the rigorous historical commissions of Italian and Victorian Villages (greatly simplifying our renovation process). If you want to review the trials and tribulations of our adventure gutting and rebuilding our Harrison West home, skip over to this link: martineaubungalow.blogspot.com.
There was never any question about the compatibility of the Harrison West neighborhood to our “urbanesque” lifestyle. We are active members of the Harrison West Society and have come to know and love many of our neighbors. Our home is now within eyesight of one of our regular routes: the bike path, close enough to the river for canoe launching, even closer to both of our offices for morning motor-scooter commutes and in proximity to several freeways should we have the need or desire to leave our urban enclave. Our dog enjoys romping in any of the plentiful parks in Harrison West: Harrison Park, Harrison West Park, Side by Side Park, the Battelle lot across from our house, Wheeler Dog Park and nearby Goodale Park. We love sitting on the patio at Caffé Apropos for happy hour or perched on the porch at Katalina’s Café Corner for weekend brunch. And when we want to hop up to High Street it’s only a walk, bike ride or scoot up Third Avenue!
The houses in Harrison West run the gamut from small cottages to newer condos and houses to stately Victorian homes. There is also a good concentration of multi-family units. Harrison West is part of the Near Northside Historic District which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, so the housing stock includes abundant older homes. The newer homes and flats of Harrison Park, constructed upon the site of the former AC Humko factory, are a beautiful recent addition to our historic neighborhood and are accompanied by amenities including an outdoor pool, fitness facility and community center. Prices for homes in Harrison West have incrementally increased along with neighborhood improvements, but there are still a lot of great values available with a lower-than-average Short North price tag.
And now, the homes:
Be My Neighbor is a series showcasing what your money can buy in different neighborhoods in Columbus. This is not professional advice and there is no financial incentive for us if these homes are purchased. We just want to showcase our great neighborhoods and the homes that are in them. All information was accurate to the best of our knowledge at time of publishing. If you are house hunting, good luck to you!