Around the beginning of the 20th century, the banks of the Scioto River were unremarkable, with housing and businesses lining it.
Toward the beginning of the century, large civic buildings were planned and built: Columbus City Hall, the Ohio Judicial Center, and the Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse.
Bicentennial Park was the first added on the riverfront, in 1976.
In 1983, Battelle Riverfront Park opened.
The parks were separated, and Civic Center Drive, then a five-lane street, cut the parks off from downtown Columbus.
A replica of Christopher Columbus's Santa María ship was docked at Battelle Riverfront Park beginning in 1992, intended to bring residents to the riverfront, with limited success.
With Michael B. Coleman as mayor beginning in 2000, he spurred development of the riverfront.
The Scioto Mile was planned to connect the two parks and bring residents to the riverfront.

The Scioto Mile was developed from 2011 to 2015.
The first phase involved Civic Center Drive reduced from five to three lanes, allowing for installation of colonnades, fountains, gardens, and pavilions.
Next the park space along the entire Scioto River was redeveloped; Bicentennial Park was completely redesigned.
The river was stagnant and muddy due to the Main Street Dam, a low head dam built in 1918 to control flooding, but which doubled the width of the river to 600 feet (180 m).
The dam removal in 2013, along with sediment removal, narrowed the river to 300 feet (91 m), giving the city access to 33 acres (13 ha) of previously-submerged shoreline.
The parks have helped revitalize the city's downtown area.

From late 2018 to 2019, Smart Columbus operated a pilot program of electric driverless shuttles in a loop around the Scioto Mile.
The program continued into 2020 in Columbus's Linden neighborhood.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, the banks of the Scioto River were unremarkable, with housing and businesses lining it. Toward the beginning of the century, large civic buildings were planned and built: Columbus City Hall, the Ohio Judicial Center, and the Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse. Bicentennial Park was the first added on the riverfront, in 1976. In 1983, Battelle Riverfront Park opened. The parks were separated, and Civic Center Drive, then a five-lane street, cut the parks off from downtown Columbus. A replica of Christopher Columbus's Santa María ship was docked at Battelle Riverfront Park beginning in 1992, intended to bring residents to the riverfront, with limited success. With Michael B. Coleman as mayor beginning in 2000, he spurred development of the riverfront. The Scioto Mile was planned to connect the two parks and bring residents to the riverfront.
The Scioto Mile was developed from 2011 to 2015. The first phase involved Civic Center Drive reduced from five to three lanes, allowing for installation of colonnades, fountains, gardens, and pavilions. Next the park space along the entire Scioto River was redeveloped; Bicentennial Park was completely redesigned. The river was stagnant and muddy due to the Main Street Dam, a low head dam built in 1918 to control flooding, but which doubled the width of the river to 600 feet (180 m). The dam removal in 2013, along with sediment removal, narrowed the river to 300 feet (91 m), giving the city access to 33 acres (13 ha) of previously-submerged shoreline. The parks have helped revitalize the city's downtown area.
From late 2018 to 2019, Smart Columbus operated a pilot program of electric driverless shuttles in a loop around the Scioto Mile. The program continued into 2020 in Columbus's Linden neighborhood.
Scioto Mile