Indianola Park

Indianola Park was a trolley amusement park in Columbus, Ohio's University District. It opened to the public on June 8, 1905, and remained in operation through the 1937 season. The park occupied roughly 30 acres between East 18th Avenue, Norwich Avenue, North 4th Street, and the railroad tracks near Big Four Street. Its main entrance stood at North 4th Street and East 19th Avenue, across High Street from the growing campus and residential neighborhoods associated with Ohio State University. The park was developed by Charles Miles, a dentist and real-estate promoter who led the Summit Land Company. Miles understood that entertainment facilities could help attract residents and buyers to newly developed neighborhoods. He drew inspiration from the success of Luna Park at Coney Island and commissioned Frederick Ingersoll, an amusement-park designer associated with Luna Parks in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, to shape the attraction. Indianola's original program combined rides, recreation, live entertainment, food, and organized sport. Its facilities included a large swimming pool, an Ingersoll figure-eight roller coaster, a carousel, scenic railway, dance pavilion, band shell, restaurant, concessions, picnic grounds, tennis courts, a football field, and a baseball diamond. Indianola expanded its entertainment offer in the years before the First World War. A theater was added in 1908, enabling vaudeville and a wide variety of stage programming. The park hosted theatrical performances, musical events, circus acts, novelty spectacles, outdoor films, balloon ascensions, tightrope acts, fireworks, and other public entertainments. A major round of improvements in 1909 added the Shoot the Chute water ride, the Blue Streak roller coaster, an expanded band-shell area, and a Human Laundry funhouse. The park also served for approximately five years as the home field of the Columbus Panhandles, an early professional football team. Indianola reached its strongest period during the 1910s. Weekend attendance could reach approximately 10,000 people, while as many as 5,000 visitors used the pool on particularly hot days. The dance pavilion continued to attract patrons during winter, benefiting from the national popularity of social dancing. The site also hosted Ohio State men's basketball games in 1918, illustrating how the park functioned as a broader civic and sporting venue rather than simply a collection of rides. A management change in 1923 brought a substantial promotional and refurbishment campaign. The new operators marketed a revitalized “Greater Indianola,” repaired and enlarged parts of the pool and locker facilities, modernized the dance pavilion, and introduced attractions such as the Thriller roller coaster, Seaplane Swing, Caterpillar, Joyplane, and Custer Cars. Entertainment increasingly emphasized jazz-age dancing and popular bands, while vaudeville and traditional band concerts became less central. In 1927, the northern portion of the property was sold to the Columbus Board of Education for Indianola Junior High School, which opened in 1929. The amusement park consequently contracted to its principal remaining attractions, especially the pool and dance pavilion. The Great Depression weakened attendance and consumer spending, although unusually hot summers in the early 1930s helped sustain the pool business. After the 1937 season, Indianola Park closed permanently. The property subsequently entered a commercial and institutional phase. In 1948 it was converted into Indianola Park Shopping Center; the pool was filled and paved for parking, and the former dance pavilion became a supermarket. Additional shops and restaurants occupied the site during the following decades. In 2006, Xenos Christian Fellowship acquired the shopping center and undertook a major rehabilitation. The former dance pavilion was converted into a worship center, while the complex retained some long-standing commercial tenants and added other local businesses. Today, the amusement park itself no longer operates, and most of its physical structures have disappeared. The former junior high school site, shopping center, surviving trees, and local historical references preserve parts of Indianola Park's legacy as an important early twentieth-century entertainment destination in Columbus.

Indianola Park emerged from the intersection of real-estate development, electric streetcar transportation, and the rapidly expanding amusement-park industry of the early twentieth century. Charles Miles, president of the Summit Land Company, promoted residential development in the area across High Street from Ohio State University. He used the park as both an entertainment destination and an amenity that could make nearby neighborhoods more attractive to prospective residents. Frederick Ingersoll, an experienced amusement-park designer, planned the facility, which opened on June 8, 1905. The original park was organized as a broad recreational complex rather than a ride-only venue. It featured a substantial swimming pool, a figure-eight roller coaster, carousel, scenic railway, dance pavilion, band shell, restaurant, concessions, picnic grounds, tennis courts, and fields for baseball and football. The combination enabled Indianola to serve families, young adults, sports spectators, and social organizations. Its location in the University District also gave it access to a large student and neighborhood population. Indianola's entertainment schedule expanded quickly. A theater added in 1908 supported vaudeville and other stage productions. Visitors could encounter Shakespeare, Greek dancing, circus animals, diving horses, balloon ascensions, tightrope walking, outdoor motion pictures, fireworks, and novelty events. In 1909, the park added the Shoot the Chute, Blue Streak roller coaster, Human Laundry funhouse, and an enlarged band-shell area. It also became the home field of the Columbus Panhandles for roughly five years, linking the park to the early history of professional American football. During the 1910s, the park was one of Columbus's major mass-entertainment venues. Weekend crowds reportedly reached about 10,000, with the pool alone accommodating as many as 5,000 people during hot weather. The dance pavilion remained active during winter, when social dancing was enjoying national popularity. Indianola also accommodated university athletics, including Ohio State men's basketball games in 1918. Management changed in 1923. New operators renovated the property and promoted it as a modernized “Greater Indianola.” Improvements affected the dance pavilion, pool, and locker rooms, while new rides included Thriller, Seaplane Swing, Caterpillar, Joyplane, and Custer Cars. Promotional strategy also shifted toward jazz-era entertainment and a more deliberately regulated public image. Popular touring and local jazz groups replaced much of the earlier concert programming, and vaudeville became less prominent. The park's physical footprint began to shrink in the late 1920s. In 1927, land north of East 19th Avenue was sold to the Columbus Board of Education. Indianola Junior High School opened there in 1929. The amusement operation continued on its reduced core, centered on the dance pavilion and pool, but the Great Depression made discretionary entertainment harder to afford. Hot summers temporarily supported attendance, yet the park closed after the 1937 season. The site then developed a second identity as a neighborhood shopping center. In 1948, the pool was filled and converted into a parking area, while the former dance pavilion became an Ohio Giant Market. Shops and restaurants were added through the early 1950s. Later changes reflected the University District's student population and shifting local retail patterns. By the late twentieth century, many original businesses had departed, leaving a smaller group of restaurants, service businesses, and community-oriented tenants. Xenos Christian Fellowship purchased the shopping center in 2006 and rehabilitated the property. The former dance pavilion became a worship center, and the complex received infrastructure, lighting, landscaping, and paving improvements. The junior high school closed in 2010. Remaining traces of the amusement park are largely archaeological, historical, and landscape-related, including some original picnic-area trees. The site continues to contain local businesses and community activities, but Indianola Park itself is a defunct amusement-park brand and historic Columbus landmark.

• 2010

  Indianola Junior High School closes

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  The former school on part of the historic park property closed.

• 2006

  Shopping center acquired by Xenos Christian Fellowship

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  Xenos Christian Fellowship acquired the shopping center and began a substantial rehabilitation, including conversion of the former dance pavilion into a worship center.

• 1948

  Site converted to shopping center

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  The property became Indianola Park Shopping Center; the pool was filled and the former dance pavilion became a market.

• 1937

  Amusement park closes

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  Indianola Park ceased operations after the 1937 season.

• 1929

  Indianola Junior High School opens

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  The school opened on land formerly belonging to the northern portion of the park.

• 1927

  Northern land sold for school construction

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  Part of the property was sold to the Columbus Board of Education for Indianola Junior High School.

• 1923

  Management change and revitalization

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  New owners renovated the park, introduced several rides, and repositioned its entertainment around jazz-age dancing and promotional campaigns.

• 1918

  Ohio State basketball venue

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  Indianola hosted Ohio State men's basketball games.

• 1909

  Major attraction expansion

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  The park added the Shoot the Chute, Blue Streak roller coaster, Human Laundry funhouse, and an enlarged band-shell area.

• 1908

  Theater added

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  A theater expanded the park's programming to include vaudeville and other stage entertainment.

• 1905

  Park opens

  [1]Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org

  Indianola Park opened to the public on June 8 in Columbus's University District.

A large urban trolley park combining amusement rides, swimming, dancing, live performance, concessions, and athletic facilities for Columbus residents and visitors, with particular appeal to nearby university communities.

• Recreation facility · 1905

  Swimming pool

  Indianola's very large swimming pool was one of its principal attractions and could draw thousands of visitors on hot summer days. It helped the park remain relevant beyond its rides and provided a major seasonal reason for attendance. The pool was later filled and paved for parking when the site became a shopping center.

• Roller coaster · 1905

  Ingersoll figure-eight roller coaster

  The Ingersoll figure-eight coaster was part of the park's original ride collection. It reflected the early twentieth-century design work of Frederick Ingersoll, whose amusement-park projects helped define the period's trolley-park experience.

• Roller coaster · 1909

  Blue Streak

  Blue Streak was added during the 1909 expansion and became part of Indianola's expanded roller-coaster offering. It formed part of a broader modernization program that also introduced water and funhouse attractions.

• Roller coaster · 1923

  Thriller

  Thriller was one of the headline attractions introduced after the 1923 management change. Its addition supported the operators' effort to present a renewed park during the jazz age and to compete for leisure spending with a more modern ride mix.

• Entertainment venue · 1905

  Dance pavilion

  The dance pavilion was a central social venue at Indianola, remaining popular through the winter and later becoming especially associated with jazz-age bands. After the amusement park closed, the building was reused first as a market and later as a worship center.

• Amusement ride · 1923

  Custer Cars

  Custer Cars, introduced during the 1923 revitalization, were an early form of bumper-car attraction. They were marketed alongside other new rides as part of the park's effort to refresh its offering for contemporary visitors.

• 1923A Greater Indianola

  United States

  Following a management change, the park promoted renovations and new attractions with an extensive advertising push using the themes “A Greater Indianola” and “The Biggest Year of All.” The campaign emphasized a remodeled dance pavilion, improved pool facilities, and a larger ride selection.

  Outcome. The park continued to perform well into the mid-1920s, although its later contraction and eventual closure were associated with property reduction and Depression-era economic pressure.

  Source

• 1948

  Convert the property into a shopping centerStrategy

  Background

  After the amusement park closed, the property was available for a new commercial use in a changing Columbus neighborhood.

  Action taken

  The pool was filled and paved for parking, and the former dance pavilion was reused as a market.

  Aftermath

  The site developed into a neighborhood retail complex with shops, restaurants, and service businesses.

  Source

• 1937

  End amusement-park operationsStrategy

  Background

  The Great Depression reduced discretionary spending, while the park had already lost part of its original site. Hot summers temporarily supported pool attendance but did not resolve the longer-term pressures.

  Action taken

  Indianola Park closed after the 1937 operating season.

  Aftermath

  The property was later converted into Indianola Park Shopping Center, ending the site's use as an amusement park.

  Source

• 1927

  Sell northern portion of the propertyStrategy

  Background

  The park's owners faced a changing property and operating environment during the late 1920s.

  Action taken

  Land north of East 19th Avenue was sold to the Columbus Board of Education for construction of Indianola Junior High School.

  Aftermath

  The amusement park continued on a reduced footprint centered on the pool and dance pavilion until closing after the 1937 season.

  Source

1. 1Indianola Parken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Indianola Park official websiteindianolapark.com