Historic homes of Olde Towne East, just east of downtown Columbus — Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc service area
Columbus · Olde Towne East

Towing in Olde Towne East, Columbus

Historic homes on Bryden Road and East Broad, with I-70 and I-71 wrapped around the district.

Call (740) 812-9489

Olde Towne East is the historic district directly east of downtown, bounded by East Long Street on the north, I-70 on the south and I-71 on the west, with its eastern edge reaching Wilson and Miller avenues near Franklin Park. It holds more than 1,000 homes, some from the 1830s, built in over 50 architectural styles, and the city's Bryden Road Historic District runs through its center. Front porches face East Broad Street, Bryden Road and East Main Street. We come here for drained batteries, keys locked in cars and vehicles that die on the freeways ringing the district. Trucks from our Harrisburg Pike yard usually get there in 20–40 minutes.

Local Guide: Towing Around Olde Towne East

Landmarks

  • Bryden Road Historic District — City of Columbus register historic district running through the heart of Olde Towne East.
  • Kwanzaa Playground at English Park — Playground at 1277 Bryden Road created in 1995 by seven local artists with African-American cultural imagery.
  • Blackburn Recreation Center — City recreation center at 263 Carpenter Street with a pottery kiln, swimming pool, dance and boxing.
  • Engine House No. 12 — Former city firehouse in Olde Towne East, now home to the Gemüt Biergarten brewery.
  • Franklin Park Conservatory — Botanical garden at 1777 E. Broad St. on the district's eastern edge, whose Victorian Palm House opened in 1895.
  • Saint Paul's Episcopal Church — Late Gothic Revival stone church of 1903 at 787 E. Broad, listed on the National Register in December 1986.
  • Broad Street Christian Church — Church completed in 1907 to plans by Wilbur T. Mills, long used by Disciples of Christ and now home to an Ethiopian Orthodox congregation.
  • Columbus Near East Side District — National Register district from 1978 whose landmarks include Engine House No. 12 and the old Fair Avenue Elementary School.
  • Blackburn Park — Community park of about 5.5 acres sharing its Carpenter Street address with the city recreation center.
  • Fran Ryan Center — Recreation and Parks community site of nearly 4 acres at 43 Douglass Street.
  • Wilson Avenue Park — Tiny city lot at 368 Wilson Avenue.
  • First A.M.E. Zion Church — African Methodist Episcopal Zion congregation at 873 Bryden Road.
  • Central Seventh Day Adventist Church — Adventist church on Oak Street at No. 906.
  • First English Lutheran Church — Lutheran church at 1015 E. Main Street.
  • Exodus Fellowship Church — Congregation meeting at 812 East Fulton Street.
  • Christ Bible Church — Church at 86 S. Ohio Avenue.
  • Macedonia Baptist Church — Baptist congregation located at 492 Oakwood Avenue.
  • Greater New Hope Deliverance Center — Church with a 441 Gilbert Street address.
  • Jerry Hammond Center — City of Columbus facility at 1111 E. Broad Street.

Schools

  • East High School — Columbus City Schools high school at 1500 E. Broad St. in a 1922 building renovated in 2008, home of the Tigers.
  • Ohio Avenue Elementary School — Columbus City Schools elementary at 505 S. Ohio Avenue.
  • Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls — Columbus City Schools girls' school at 1390 Bryden Road.

Colleges

  • Columbus College of Art & Design — Art and design college on Cleveland Avenue, just west of Olde Towne East across I-71.

Main Routes

  • East Broad Street — Main east-west spine through the district, lined with mansions and the 1920s Tudor-style East Broad Street Commercial Building.
  • Bryden Road — Residential street of historic homes that gives the city historic district its name.
  • Parsons Avenue — Business corridor on the district's west side and address of the Columbus Public Health building.
  • Interstate 70 — Forms the southern boundary of Olde Towne East.
  • Interstate 71 — Forms the western boundary between Olde Towne East and downtown.

Major Employers & Projects

  • Nationwide Children's Hospital — Major hospital campus at 700 Children's Drive in Southern Orchards, just south of I-70.
  • Columbus Public Health — City health department at 240 Parsons Avenue.
  • Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization Program — City grants, loans and technical help for businesses in the Parsons Avenue corridor between Bryden Road and Broad Street.

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

Frequently asked questions

What route does a tow truck take from Harrisburg Pike to Olde Towne East?

Most runs head east on I-70 from the southwest side, pass through the downtown interchange and come off just beyond it, which leaves the truck a few blocks from the neighborhood's southern streets. When the split is jammed, the driver can cross downtown on Broad Street or Main Street instead, since both lead straight into the district. Most addresses between Long Street and I-70 are reached in 20–40 minutes. A cross street speeds up the last stretch, for instance Oak and 18th or Bryden and Parsons, so mention one when you call.

Can you move an older or low-slung car away from a historic Olde Towne East home?

Yes, and we would rather plan that job than rush it. Much of this street grid dates from the 1870s, when farmland here was turned into a planned subdivision, so rear lots and side drives were not laid out with today's cars in mind. For a vintage, lowered or all-wheel-drive vehicle, ask for a flatbed: the car rides level on the deck and is strapped at the wheels rather than the frame. If it is parked behind the house, tell dispatch whether the way in is an alley or a narrow drive.

My car quit on I-70 beside Olde Towne East. What do I do while I wait?

That stretch of I-70 hugs the neighborhood's southern border right next to the downtown interchange, where ramps feed in and out in quick succession. If the car still rolls, steer onto the right shoulder or coast down the next ramp, then switch on the flashers and keep your belt fastened. A car stranded in a live lane with no shoulder is a 911 call before it is a call to us. After that, tell our dispatcher your direction, the nearest exit or overpass and whether the car shifts into neutral, and we will send an emergency tow.

Someone left a car in front of my house or in my building's lot. Can you tow it?

That comes down to who owns the pavement. Curbside spaces on Bryden Road, East Broad Street and the side streets are public, so only the Columbus Division of Police can order a car removed from them; phone the police non-emergency line and report it. Private lots work differently. Landlords and business owners in the district can authorize private-property towing once signs that meet Ohio law are posted at each entrance, and we photograph and document every vehicle we remove. If your own car disappeared from a private lot, the posted sign names the company that took it.

Where can my car go after an Olde Towne East tow, and how much will it cost?

The destination is your call. People usually pick a neighborhood mechanic, a dealer, their own driveway or a shop from our repair partner network. If you need a few days to decide, the car can sit at our Harrisburg Pike lot, which charges a daily storage rate. Dispatch reads you the total from our published rate card before the truck hooks up, so nothing is left to guess at the end. We accept both cards and cash, and the invoice lists each charge separately.

Can you help if I'm stuck at Nationwide Children's Hospital, just across I-70?

Yes. The hospital campus on Children's Drive sits in the Southern Orchards neighborhood immediately south of I-70, a short hop from Olde Towne East, and a long stay there can leave a battery flat or keys locked inside the car. Give dispatch the garage or lot name, the level and the nearest stair tower, plus the clearance posted at the entrance if the car is inside a structure, because that decides which truck we send. Most of these calls end with a jump or an unlocked door right in the parking space.

Nearby in Columbus

Services in Olde Towne East

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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