Driving Park Civic Association

Driving Park Civic Association

Driving Park History

== History ==
Driving Park received its name from its historic past as a large equine racing complex for horses and eventually automobiles during 19th century and early 20th century. Columbus residents would travel to Driving Park to enjoy the exciting horse races held there. When automobiles came into fruition during the 1900s the track was converted to allow for auto racing. Its largely flat stretched oval design allowed turn of the century speedsters to set many records at the racetrack. One major event was the world's first 24hr race in 1905.

The precursor community of Driving Park was a small community consisting of employees of the racetrack. During the 1930s the racetrack was abandoned yet the community continued to grow.

== Recent Decades ==
During the 1950s the [[interstate 670]] and [[interstate 70]] construction projects navigated through and demolished Columbus' predominantly African American neighborhoods to the east. As a result African Americans moved further south. At one point the community was thriving with a theatre and many diverse commercial outlets along Livingston and Whittier Avenues.

There are historic neighborhoods on the south side of Livingston bordered by Frebis Ave where many middle class families reside. There is also a 19th century mansion on the corner of Livingston and Linwood which was a stop on the Underground Railroad. 

The historic sites within Driving Park's borders include the the childhood homes of Aviator Eddie Richenbacker and The Tuckeegee Airmen tribute. The area has many beautiful small middle class homes built during the 1940s and more than half have been kept up by the residents. Larger older houses called "foursquares" slang for [[American Foursquare]] built during the 1900s or 1930s still remain either as a whole or partitioned as a double. Similar to other areas of Columbus such as [[Victorian Village]] and the [[Short North]], this area has many beautiful 19th century homes that were owned by many notable residents. In fact the style of the homes vary to include echoes of German Village to the west part of the neighborhood, Olde Towne East to the north, and Bexley to the east. The truth lies in the construction teams involved in projects in the surrounding areas. The area is often forgotten in reference to it being known as the "ghetto" due to lack of education about the area by surrounding neighborhoods.