Jefferson Avenue Center: Bringing a Hidden Jewel into the Light

Katharine Moore knows that the Jefferson Avenue Center is often called a “hidden jewel” in the city. As the director for the Center, she appreciates (and fully endorses) the notion that it is a jewel, the hidden piece can be frustrating.

First up, a little history lesson

Jefferson Avenue was part of a housing subdivision built in the 1880s. Each street (Jefferson, Lexington, and Hamilton) was comprised of beautiful homes surrounding a park in the middle. Over time, the advent of car ownership and its adjacency to the Bronzeville neighborhood, a redlined black neighborhood, led to many families moving out of the area. Eventually, I-71 was built, right through Lexington, separating the Jefferson and Hamilton neighborhoods, leading to further deterioration of the neighborhood. 

In the 1970s, Columbus philanthropists Lou and Art Vorys discovered the Jefferson neighborhood while looking for a location for an alternative school they supported. While the space was not workable for children, they knew that it could be beautiful.

The Vorys had been involved with several nonprofits that were unstable due to space issues, whether from cost, inability to find space, or the need to borrow space. So, they bought all the houses they could on Jefferson Avenue, and in 1975 transferred them to the nonprofit Jefferson Avenue Center, which became one of the first multiple tenant nonprofits in the country.

A Business Model to Support Nonprofits

The Jefferson Center developed a business model to provide stable, affordable space for nonprofits, which allows those organizations to focus on their core missions. Currently, there are 26 nonprofit tenants, from larger employers like Action for Children to smaller, one-room tenants like Urban Stream.

Over the years, some nonprofits, like BalletMet, have used the space as an incubator, eventually moving to a permanent location. And others, like Columbus Landmarks Foundation, have stayed for almost 40 years.

“The model offers the opportunity for collaboration, shared resources, and endless ways to scale things to be more affordable,” explained Moore. “We are proud to be leaders in that movement.”

Designed with great care to be peaceful, with trees, outdoor spaces, picnic tables, and public art, the Center is currently at 100 percent occupancy. They keep a waitlist for nonprofits looking for space, though the turnover is pretty low.

Moore believes that the Center being downtown is invaluable to its mission.

“There are so many benefits to our location. We are on two different bus lines, which helps our organizations that have clients that use public transportation. And our proximity to the Ohio Statehouse benefits our tenants that do advocacy work.”

Stop By for a Visit

Moore encourages the public to come to visit. The Thurber House, probably the Center’s most well-known tenant, offers lots of wonderful programming to check out. The open green space in the middle of Jefferson Avenue, called Thurber Park, is open and welcome to all, with a gazebo and picnic tables.

For more information on the Jefferson Avenue Center, click here.