Gowdy Field
Encyclopedia
Gowdy Field is a former garden, athletic field, landfill
, and now business park located in Columbus, Ohio
.
The land was originally annexed in 1921. The site is situated on the west side of Olentangy River
Road near the Goodale interchange, just west of State Route 315, south of 3rd Avenue and east of the CSX railroad tracks. In its time, the field has served as a community garden, baseball fields and city landfill. In the early 1900’s, it served as a model community garden that provided food to approximately 250 poor families before and after the Great Depression
. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, the site was known as Goodale Field and featured more than 20 baseball diamonds. On Dec. 15, 1952, Columbus City Council renamed it Gowdy Field after the city's most famous baseball player and war veteran, Henry Morgan "Hank" Gowdy. The Columbus born player was the only Major League Baseball player to serve in both World War I and II and was also the first player to enlist in World War I. In 1914, Gowdy led the “miracle” Boston Braves from last place to sweep the World Series against the heavy favorite, the Philadelphia Athletics.
On Dec. 15, 1964, Columbus City Council passed a resolution allowing the city’s Service Department to use the field as a landfill. It was then filled with construction debris and trash for approximately two decades. It was later covered in dirt and became a
weedlot. Site conditions and pedestrian safety concerns have rendered the land unusable as a recreational field. Therefore, the City determined that the highest and best use for Gowdy Field would be commercial office space. A $20 million office project for Time Warner Cable
became the first new office tower on the site followed by an Ohio State University
medical center and cancer clinic.
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
, and now business park located in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
The land was originally annexed in 1921. The site is situated on the west side of Olentangy River
Olentangy River
The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio.It was originally called keenhongsheconsepung, a Delaware word literally translated as "stone for your knife stream", based on the shale found along its shores. Early settlers to the region translated this into "Whetstone River"...
Road near the Goodale interchange, just west of State Route 315, south of 3rd Avenue and east of the CSX railroad tracks. In its time, the field has served as a community garden, baseball fields and city landfill. In the early 1900’s, it served as a model community garden that provided food to approximately 250 poor families before and after the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, the site was known as Goodale Field and featured more than 20 baseball diamonds. On Dec. 15, 1952, Columbus City Council renamed it Gowdy Field after the city's most famous baseball player and war veteran, Henry Morgan "Hank" Gowdy. The Columbus born player was the only Major League Baseball player to serve in both World War I and II and was also the first player to enlist in World War I. In 1914, Gowdy led the “miracle” Boston Braves from last place to sweep the World Series against the heavy favorite, the Philadelphia Athletics.
On Dec. 15, 1964, Columbus City Council passed a resolution allowing the city’s Service Department to use the field as a landfill. It was then filled with construction debris and trash for approximately two decades. It was later covered in dirt and became a
weedlot. Site conditions and pedestrian safety concerns have rendered the land unusable as a recreational field. Therefore, the City determined that the highest and best use for Gowdy Field would be commercial office space. A $20 million office project for Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
became the first new office tower on the site followed by an Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
medical center and cancer clinic.