Bexley is an upscale Columbus suburb with roots tied to Capital University founded by Lincoln Goodale in the mid 19th Century. Today it is the only city in American classified as an arboretum because of the diverse and numerous trees growing within the city limits.
Urbanization in the area that would someday become Bexley, began around 1876 when Capital University moved from its original location near Goodale Park to its present location on East Main Street. Professors and their families soon began moving east, building homes and enrolling their children in Pleasant Ridge School. But it would take a war to give Bexley the bump it needed to become a community with all the amenities.
This little community of professors and teachers remained unchanged for 20 years or so until the Spanish-American War erupted in 1898 when the small community of educators became part of military history. An area around Broad Street and Drexel, was a small residential area known as Bullit Park named after its creator, Logan Bullit. There were several reasons why Governor Asa Bushnell recommended this site to the United States Army.
The site that would later become known as Camp Bushnell and had several good reasons for being chosen. It was close to the railroad, close to the National Highway, close to Alum Creek and it also had good infrastructure thanks to Logan Bullit who had been developing the area for the flood of new residents making their way out of Columbus and heading to the country where they could buy a plot of land and build for their future. Due to the short duration of the Spanish-American War, the camp was only open for few months, but during that time some 15,000 Ohio Volunteers passed through the 500 acre camp and began the process of being equipped to do battle.
It was named Camp Bushnell and included 500 acres of ideally located land that was quickly transformed into a military camp. This With the camp also cam sewage lines, water lines, lighting, tents and commissary supplies. As fast as the soldiers arrived, they were processed and housed. So efficient was the setup that army officers who dealt with the facilities gave it high marks on all levels.
As it became apparent that the war would be a short one, the line of volunteers began to dwindle. Those still in camp were moved south by train and Camp Bushnell ended service, but the improvements made to the area remained. making the area a prime location for additional real estate development.
Improved turn-of-the-century trolley and car travel made it possible to still work in Columbus, yet live further out from the hustle, bustle and general congestion associated with the large metro center at the turn of the Century. The improved transportation greatly increased the number of people interested in living east of Alum Creek in what would later become the Village of Bexley.
The area north of Town Street, now Bryden Road, was virtually undeveloped before 1905. In that year, however, a small group of prominent Columbus families began a movement to develop this area as an exclusive residential community. Led by Robert H. Jeffrey, who had been mayor of Columbus, along with other prominent citizens such as E.N. Huggins and Colonel Lincoln Kilbourne, they began building mansions in the area.
The community around Capital University flourished and grew. In January 1907, a civic association called the Pleasant Ridge Improvement Association was formed. It's goal was to promote public improvements that would attract additional families to buy land and build in the area. Roads, sidewalks,and street lights were installed. Trees were planted and yards became landscapes.
These early residents and their civic association are credited with instituting the rigid building restrictions that are now a familiar part of the Bexley community. These restrictions improved the area making it one of the more beautiful and well-kept communities in Central Ohio.
The village would include all land between Livingston Avenue and Town Street, but excluded a smaller community further north called Jeffrey. Jeffrey was too small to be incorporated, so their civic leaders started talks with the Pleasant Ridge Association. That summer, both groups met on the terrace of the Jeffrey Mansion and agreed to join forces. At this meeting, at the suggestion of Col. Kilbourne, the name "Bexley" was chosen for the soon-to-be village. That name came from the parish housing the Kilbourne family estate in Kent, England.
With a population around 1,000, Frank Holtzman was elected the first mayor, and the first ordinances passed reflected the times they were enacted: residents were banned from letting their cattle graze on village property. Public intoxication was also prohibited as was being able to discharge your firearm within the village limits.
Bexley reached the required 5,000 residents necessary to become a city in 1928, but could not be certified until after the 1930 national census was official. The village formally became the City of Bexley in January 1932.
Today, Bexley has a population of over 13,000 in an area that encompasses about 2 1/2 square miles. Like several up-scale communities in Franklin County, Bexley is completely surrounded by Columbus. Bexley is know for its schools which continue be a strong magnet for growing families. Bexley is a city divided roughly into three sections: South Bexley, Central Bexley and North Bexley.
South Bexley is located between Livingston Avenue and East Main Street. Here the homes are built on decidedly smaller lots compared to their northern neighbors. North Bexley is comprised of especially large estates built on equally large plots of land. And Central Bexley is a mix of the two with well landscaped homes, streets with landscaped medians.
Bexley is especially friendly to pedestrians with tree-lined streets and wide-sidewalks that make it a real pleasure to stroll the avenues and meet the neighbors.
The Jeffrey Mansion is at the heart of Jeffrey Mansion Park and is located in North Bexley. The house was designed by Frank Packard, one of Columbus' noted architects in the early 20th Century. He designed the mansion for Robert Jeffrey, the son of Joseph Andrew Jeffrey, founder of Jeffrey M anufacturing Company which was located in Columbus had its roots dating back to 1876.
Robert worked at his father's plant for a few years before deciding to run for Mayor of Columbus. He was 29 years old at the time. He remained mayor for just one term before returning to the family's manufacturing business where he remained for the rest of his life.
In 1905 the main house was completed of the Jeffrey residence. Over the next 2 decades additions and expansions would be added to the property until 1941 when Jeffrey donated his mansion to the city of Bexley to be used as a community center.
Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. began as a heavy mining equipment company that greatly expanded into industrial equipment with plants world-wide. Jeffrey Manufacturing and its many subsidies officially ceased to exist by the year 2000 with the last Jeffrey mining machine built in Columbus coming off the line in 1999.
Just up the road from his brother's house is the Malcom Jeffrey House, better known today as the Governor's Mansion. The rough limestone exterior walls has the look of a 17th Century English house. It was built in 1925 and was later donated to the State of Ohio in 1957 by Charles and Janet Harris to be used as the Governor's Residence. It has 25 rooms, 12 bathrooms and 6 fireplaces. While not all of our governors have decided to live there, it is the location for many formal and informal government functions.
Besides Capital University, one of the most iconic locations is on the main drag of E. Main Street. The theater first opened in 1937 as a single screen movie theater that could seat about 800 people for a first-run movie. The Drexel closed its doors for a time, but reopened with great fanfare that this historic Bexley landmark was saved from the wrecking ball. Inside the theatre is a mix of contemporary and nostalgic glitz for those old enough to remember what a movie theater was like in the last century. In 2011 the Drexel made a dramatic move in management: it now operates as a non-profit organization under the guidance of Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA).
In a recent survey of the Drexel audience found that it was made up mostly of non-Bexley residents which is not surprising since it is located directly across the street from Capital University. As they say, it is the only game in town for a night out in a great neighborhood filed with coffee shops, diners, and of course the famous Rubino's Pizzeria located a few blocks east of the theatre.
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