Rowhouses and alleys of Italian Village east of High Street, Columbus — Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc
Columbus · Italian Village

Towing in Italian Village, Columbus

Alleys behind rowhouses, Fourth Street food-hall nights and the I-670 edge, all covered 24/7.

Call (740) 812-9489

Italian Village sits east of North High Street, boxed in by I-670 to the south, Fifth Avenue to the north and the railroad tracks to the east. Its streets hold Italianate and Queen Anne houses, doubles, rowhouses and American Foursquares, and by 1899 its blocks were threaded with alleys serving horse stables. Old industrial buildings, the Berry Brothers Bolt Works on First Avenue and the Budd Dairy plant on Fourth Street, now hold offices and a food hall. We get called for cars that will not start in those alleys, lockouts outside restaurants and stalls on I-670. Trucks leaving our Harrisburg Pike yard generally arrive in 20–40 minutes.

Local Guide: Towing Around Italian Village

Landmarks

  • St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church — Parish founded in 1896 whose church was built two years later and now hosts the Columbus Italian Festival.
  • Budd Dairy Food Hall — 1916 dairy plant at 1086 N. Fourth St., listed on the National Register in 2017 and reopened as a food hall in April 2021.
  • Berry Brothers Bolt Works — 1888 factory at 30 E. First Ave., named a historic site in 1988 and renovated into an office complex.
  • Italian Village Park — Neighborhood park with a playground and picnic facilities that commemorates Columbus native Carl Proto.
  • Second Avenue Elementary School building — Built in 1874, one of the oldest remaining school buildings in Columbus.
  • Jeffrey Park — Neighborhood of apartments and townhomes rising since 2013 on the 41-acre former Jeffrey Manufacturing Company site.
  • Bethany Baptist Colored Church — Congregation founded in 1882 by African American families who settled in the northeast corner of the Village.

Colleges

  • The Ohio State University — Main campus lies north of Fifth Avenue, the Village's northern boundary.

Main Routes

  • North Fourth Street — Main commercial street of the Village, home to Budd Dairy Food Hall at 1086 N. Fourth St.
  • East Fifth Avenue — Northern boundary and the Village's other concentration of commercial buildings.
  • Interstate 670 — Forms the southern boundary, separating Italian Village from downtown.
  • North High Street — Western boundary shared with the Short North, first built as the Columbus-Worthington Pike in 1823.
  • Interstate 71 (Fifth Avenue exit 110A) — Fifth Avenue exit east of the Village, with no northbound exit ramp.
  • East Second Avenue — Most of the Village’s manufacturing land is concentrated on the north side of East Second Avenue.
  • East Russell Street — Engine House No. 4 stood at 155 E. Russell St. from 1892 until I-670 construction removed it in 1960.
  • Auden Avenue — Street inside the Jeffrey development where a mural titled The Jeffrey Co. by Yorckh Jacome is located at 224 Auden Ave.

Major Employers & Projects

  • Budd Dairy Food Hall redevelopment — Cameron Mitchell Restaurants turned the old dairy into a food hall with ten dining vendors and three bars.
  • Berry Brothers Bolt Works offices — WSA Studio led the renovation that turned the 1888 bolt works into a fully occupied office complex.
  • Columbus Italian Festival — Held at St. John the Baptist Church each October since 1980.
  • Jeffrey Place — Earlier plan for the Jeffrey site announced in 2004 that stalled after only two small buildings went up.
  • Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District — Second Short North Alliance service district, created in 2020 to extend cleaning and safety work beyond High Street.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Frequently asked questions

What route does the truck take to reach Italian Village from the southwest side?

Most runs leave Harrisburg Pike, pass through downtown and cross I-670 on Fourth Street or High Street, which puts the truck right at the south edge of the Village. The arrival window is 20–40 minutes, and evenings around the Fourth Street restaurants can add a few minutes. Give dispatch the house number and say whether the car sits on the street or back in the alley, since many garages here only open onto an alley and the driver needs to know which way to turn in.

My car is parked in the alley behind my rowhouse. Can a tow truck get back there?

Usually, yes. The Village's alley grid dates to the horse-and-stable era, so lanes are narrow and fences, trash carts and garage doors sit close on both sides. We match the truck to the space: a wheel-lift with dollies can pull a car out of a tight garage pad, while a flatbed is loaded at the alley mouth when there is not room to back in. Clearing bins away from the car before we arrive and noting any low wires or overhanging branches saves real time.

Do you tow during the Columbus Italian Festival at St. John the Baptist?

Yes. The festival has been held at St. John the Baptist Church in Italian Village since 1980, and it returns every October. Nearby blocks fill with visitors and some streets get busy with foot traffic, so tell dispatch the closest open cross street rather than the church itself. Lockouts and dead batteries are the typical festival calls, and our festival towing page covers what to expect when streets around an event are crowded.

My car died on I-670 right next to Italian Village. What should I do?

I-670 forms the southern edge of the neighborhood and carries steady traffic between the I-71 interchange and the High Street cap. Steer to the right shoulder if the car still rolls, switch on the flashers and stay buckled in rather than walking along the barrier. If you are stuck in a traveling lane, 911 comes first so police can protect the scene. After that, tell us your direction and the last exit sign, and an emergency tow gets the car off the highway.

A stranger's car is in my private space behind a Village apartment. Who removes it?

The answer turns on whether that curb or lot is public or private. On a public street or a city alley, the Columbus Division of Police decides whether a car gets towed, so phone their non-emergency number. Parking pads and small lots owned by a landlord or business can have violators removed once signs meeting Ohio law are posted at each entrance, and that is the private-property towing we provide for property owners. Tenants should ask their landlord to arrange the account rather than calling a truck themselves.

Once my car is hooked up in Italian Village, where can it go and how is the price set?

You choose the destination: your driveway, a dealership service department, an independent garage or one of our partner repair shops. When nothing is open, the car can be held at our Harrisburg Pike yard for a daily storage charge until you decide. The dispatcher prices the job from our published rate card before anything is hooked, and cash, credit and debit are all accepted. Ask for an itemized receipt so a roadside plan or insurer can reimburse you later.

Nearby in Columbus

Services in Italian Village

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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