Graceland Shopping Center Columbus Ohio 43214 - Map
The picture of the remains of an old house and a sign proclaiming Graceland Shopping Center is part of Don O'Brien (DOK1's) photostream on Flickr.
Actually the sign calls it Graceland Shoppers Mart. I wonder if Graceland was called that at first?
The sign promising the shopping area for Christmas 1954 says the shopping area developed by Don M. Casto Jr. would be "ONE OF THE NATIONS FINEST SHOPPING CENTERS."
More 1953 Graceland Shopping Center photos from Don O'Brien:
Future Graceland Shopping Center Site: 1953
December 1953 Graceland Signs.
On the photo of the remains of the house, O'Brien quotes the Graceland site of George Campbell about Graceland Shopping Center history:
"Graceland was built on a former horse farm, named "Graceland", that was co-owned by a Columbus Bookmaker and his wife, a Madam. When the property came up for sale, the Casto and Gibson families purchased it for $100,000. The center opened in 1954, and had a good run through the 1980's."
I'd remembered the bookie and the Madam for some reason. I must have read that on Campbell's site.
The map at the top shows where the Graceland Shopping Center is in north Columbus just south of Worthington. I wonder if the Graceland area was annexed into the City of Columbus in the 1950's or if it was in an unincorporated area of Franklin County, Sharon Township.
The Graceland area is part of the Clintonville Beechwold area today. The Columbus Chaseland neighborhood was nearly annexed to Worthington in 1954.
Where does Clinonville begin or end?
Anyone who reads my Worthington Old and News site knows I love Don O'Brien's historic pictures of Worthington. O'Brien grew up just north of Worthington on W. Wilson Bridge Rd. W. Wilson Bridge Road was in Sharon Township in the 1930s and 1940s. Assuming the Graceland Shoppin Center is in the City of Columbus, a few streets in the area are or were until quite recently still in Sharon Township, not annexed to the City of Columbus.
Don O'Brien took this photo for the Worthington News, the newspaper in Worthington back in the day.
O'Brien added some great old Christmas photos while I was doing my 2009 Christmas shopping, if you like old photos be sure and visit his Flickr Photostream.
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