Archive for August 18th, 2008
Architecture, Beer, and Community: The ABCs of German Village
Just south of the City Center (and cut off from it by the 70/71 corridor) and centered largely around 3rd St., German Village is at once a piece of living history in Columbus, and a contemporary, thriving community in the city. Niche shopping, great food, interesting architecture, tiny but well-done gardens, and a beautiful park will greet any visitor to German Village, and many of those visitors will find it a place that’s hard to leave.
Schiller park lies at the south end of German Village. The rolling green park, with its playgrounds, pond, picnic tables, and ample open space is simultaneously home to playing children, dog walkers, strolling couples, and lunching residents, visitors, and workers from local businesses, not to mention the flock of black ducks gliding across the waters. A long sidewalk, with beautiful blooming flowers in the center and inscribed quotes in the original German and English translation, leads up to an imposing statue of the park’s namesake, Friederick von Schiller. Just over the statue’s shoulder is an amphitheater, home to The Actors’ Theatre and their free performances all summer long. (On this year’s schedule: Shakespeare’s MacB– er, Scottish Play and Measure for Measure, Moliere’s Tartuffe, and Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac.)
Walking north from the park on 3rd, one almost immediately becomes aware of German Village’s easiest to spot landmarks, St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The tall steeple of this church provides a ready sight from virtually anywhere in the neighborhood, and serves the visitor well as a great tool to orient themselves geographically should the need arise.
More to the point, you would be moving toward several can’t miss German Village stops. The Book Loft is a block-long, 32-room bookstore. Who couldn’t love a bookstore that needs its own map? Just across the street is the old 3rd Street School. Established in 1864, the school has now been transformed into Golden Hobby, a shop, run by the parks department, that sells craft and hobby projects made by area senior citizens. You can find some really nice pieces at amazingly low prices. Caterina Ltd. has fine European goods for sale (including Italian, German, and Polish ceramics, bath products, and more — see below) and the third floor holds a gallery of local artists’ work for viewing and for sale. Finally (though you may want to make it your first stop), there is the German Village Society‘s Meeting Haus, where you can get information on German Village events and history, purchase souveniers from their gift shop, or just stop in to get a free map of local attractions. If you have a few minutes, I do recommend viewing their informative video on the neighborhood’s history.
When you have had your fill of the great shopping (window and otherwise) available on 3rd Street, head east through the many more residential blocks of the Village. Here, on the quaint brick roads, you will see many examples of the small, tightly packed together houses of the Village’s original, working-class residents. These small houses, with their tiny yards and gardens, are studiously maintained by the current residents, and restorations are overseen by the German Village Society. Typical details include landscaping in every available inch (including window-boxes), wrought-iron fences (often only a small distance from the house itself), story-and-a-half designs, and touches that definitely show the older heritage of the houses — coal delivery chutes and horse hitches included.
Another bonus to heading east from 3rd, is the chance to dine at a veritable German Village institution. Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, located in an old livery stable, does German food right. The bratwurst, in this man’s opinion, may well be the best sausages this side of the Atlantic. The Schmidt’s dark beer was smooth and mellow, a perfect German-style lager (a medium-sized beer was more than ample for lunch). And the cream puff was simply divine. (And if you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss the Fudge Haus right next door!) A stop at Schmidt’s is truly the best way to end a day spent in German Village.
