Damage Restoration in Central Columbus, Ohio

Local Knowledge

Restoration in the Columbus Urban Core Means Working Around Century-Old Infrastructure

The neighborhoods that ring downtown Columbus, including Franklinton, Olde Towne East, King-Lincoln Bronzeville, and Milo-Grogan, were largely built out between the 1890s and 1930s, and much of the underground infrastructure dates to that period. Combined sewer lines that carry both stormwater and wastewater still serve large stretches of the near east and near west sides, and heavy rain can push that combined flow back up through floor drains and basement fixtures in older homes before the city system catches up.

Franklinton sits in the Scioto River floodplain and was historically known as "The Bottoms" because of its low elevation relative to the river. A flood wall and levee system built after the devastating 1913 flood protects most of the neighborhood today, but homes and commercial buildings outside the protected zone, along with older basements with shallow footing depths, remain more exposed to river-driven groundwater than housing in the surrounding suburbs.

Housing stock in this urban core skews toward brick two- and three-story structures, converted warehouses, and frame worker cottages rather than the ranch and colonial suburban stock found in Powell, Delaware, or Dublin. That means restoration work here more often involves multi-unit exposure, shared party walls, and industrial or converted commercial buildings where a single water event affects several tenants at once.

What We See in the Columbus Urban Core