Broad Street has been one of Columbus's two main corridors since its founding, along with High Street.
The street has its origin before High Street and Columbus, with the 1797 founding of Franklinton.
The first section of the road was constructed then, on the west bank of the Scioto River.
Franklinton, then an independent settlement, had applied to be Ohio's capital.
The settlement's founders were persuasive, though its flood problem led Ohio officials to choose the eastern bank of the river, on higher ground.
Several streets were then laid out from the city's founding in 1812 into the following year, including Broad and High.
The construction involved clearing dense forest, and tree stumps left behind caused horse-drawn carriages to manuever around them, helping lead to the wide roadway.

In the city's early years, it was isolated from the rest of Ohio and the country.
This was first remedied in 1831 with the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal's Columbus Feeder Canal.
In 1833, another connection began to benefit the city.
The National Road, a project begun in 1806, reached the city in 1833; it utilized all of West Broad Street up to High Street, where it continued south and east.

Early in Columbus's history, around the mid-1800s, East Broad Street became one of the most fashionable places to live, from downtown past Franklin Park.
This carried into the early 1900s, when grand hotels and apartment buildings like the Royal York and Brunson Place were built.
One early house from 1837, the Alfred Kelley mansion, was torn down and replaced with the Christopher Inn around 1961, itself torn down in 1988.

Beginning in 1857, a large portion of the downtown stretch was converted into a lush boulevard with tree-lined medians.
Local businessman William Deshler designed the streetscape, following seeing tree-lined boulevards in Paris.
The road was still made up of dirt and not significantly changed until 1873, when gravel and broken rock was added.
In the early 1930s, with increasing automobile traffic, the streetscape was viewed as an obstacle or danger.
Careless drivers would commonly crash into the road's trees, suffering injuries or deaths.
Thus in 1932, after a public vote, the trees were cut down, the medians removed, and the street was widened by two lanes.
Around the 1970s, Columbus mayor Tom Moody commissioned Vincent Ponte to redesign downtown Broad Street.
Ponte proposed a similar parkway to what was built in the 1850s, but a lack of funding and concerns of impeding traffic caused the plan to not be carried forward.
Starting around the 1980s, the remaining mansions on East Broad Street began to be repaired and restored to their original integrity.

In 1992, with the AmeriFlora '92 exposition approaching, the city again considered reworking Broad Street, including transit options or a parkway with medians.
Again in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with a declining downtown population, Mayor Michael B. Coleman commissioned $10 million in studies.
Coleman was the first mayor in years to promote walkable urban living, and the plan and its timetable continued, though continually pushed back and overlooked during the 2007-2009 Great Recession.
The city's 2010 strategic plan again pushed for a walkable, narrowed Broad Street, among many other projects.
With the redevelopment of Franklinton in the 2000s into the present day, some of the first streetscape improvements took place.
In 2017, the city created a tree-lined median, painted bike lanes, two-way turn lanes, and grassy rainwater basins around a stretch of Broad Street just west of downtown.
The work was intended to safely bridge two of the city's riverfront-area museums: COSI and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
In 2019, the city announced it will continue the process through the extent of Franklinton, though without the planted medians.
Broad Street has been one of Columbus's two main corridors since its founding, along with High Street. The street has its origin before High Street and Columbus, with the 1797 founding of Franklinton. The first section of the road was constructed then, on the west bank of the Scioto River. Franklinton, then an independent settlement, had applied to be Ohio's capital. The settlement's founders were persuasive, though its flood problem led Ohio officials to choose the eastern bank of the river, on higher ground. Several streets were then laid out from the city's founding in 1812 into the following year, including Broad and High. The construction involved clearing dense forest, and tree stumps left behind caused horse-drawn carriages to manuever around them, helping lead to the wide roadway.
In the city's early years, it was isolated from the rest of Ohio and the country. This was first remedied in 1831 with the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal's Columbus Feeder Canal. In 1833, another connection began to benefit the city. The National Road, a project begun in 1806, reached the city in 1833; it utilized all of West Broad Street up to High Street, where it continued south and east.
Early in Columbus's history, around the mid-1800s, East Broad Street became one of the most fashionable places to live, from downtown past Franklin Park. This carried into the early 1900s, when grand hotels and apartment buildings like the Royal York and Brunson Place were built. One early house from 1837, the Alfred Kelley mansion, was torn down and replaced with the Christopher Inn around 1961, itself torn down in 1988.
Beginning in 1857, a large portion of the downtown stretch was converted into a lush boulevard with tree-lined medians. Local businessman William Deshler designed the streetscape, following seeing tree-lined boulevards in Paris. The road was still made up of dirt and not significantly changed until 1873, when gravel and broken rock was added. In the early 1930s, with increasing automobile traffic, the streetscape was viewed as an obstacle or danger. Careless drivers would commonly crash into the road's trees, suffering injuries or deaths. Thus in 1932, after a public vote, the trees were cut down, the medians removed, and the street was widened by two lanes. Around the 1970s, Columbus mayor Tom Moody commissioned Vincent Ponte to redesign downtown Broad Street. Ponte proposed a similar parkway to what was built in the 1850s, but a lack of funding and concerns of impeding traffic caused the plan to not be carried forward. Starting around the 1980s, the remaining mansions on East Broad Street began to be repaired and restored to their original integrity.
In 1992, with the AmeriFlora '92 exposition approaching, the city again considered reworking Broad Street, including transit options or a parkway with medians. Again in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with a declining downtown population, Mayor Michael B. Coleman commissioned $10 million in studies. Coleman was the first mayor in years to promote walkable urban living, and the plan and its timetable continued, though continually pushed back and overlooked during the 2007-2009 Great Recession. The city's 2010 strategic plan again pushed for a walkable, narrowed Broad Street, among many other projects. With the redevelopment of Franklinton in the 2000s into the present day, some of the first streetscape improvements took place. In 2017, the city created a tree-lined median, painted bike lanes, two-way turn lanes, and grassy rainwater basins around a stretch of Broad Street just west of downtown. The work was intended to safely bridge two of the city's riverfront-area museums: COSI and the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. In 2019, the city announced it will continue the process through the extent of Franklinton, though without the planted medians.
Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio)