Columbus Ohio real estate

Seduction in Clintonville or a bit  of Graceland history  -   In my weekly installment about how Graceland Shopping Center got it's name... actually it has been weeks.  I drove by the NEW business on High Street in the south end of Clintonville and it made me think about Graceland and how The Other Paper tells the story.  Seduction....

Here is how The Other Paper tells the story of Graceland on Columbus northside, below.... The seduction today is at Target, health club, shops and restaurants in Graceland Shopping Center in north Columbus.  Clintonville?   Clintonville or perhaps the neighborhood is  Sharon Heights, part of the Clintonville area! Clintonville does not have fixed borders, where Clintonville starts and ends is subjective.

Where Graceland is today was farmland in Sharon Township in the 30s, 40s and 1950s.....

The land was developed into a shopping center in the 1950s.

Without further ado.... The Other Paper says:

"In the 1930s, the Graceland Shopping Center-where Clintonville-ites now work out, bank and are seduced by the latest Target fashions-once was a horse farm belonging to Patrick Murnam, a gambling man whose mistress, Grace Backenstoe, operated a famous brothel Downtown, according to local historians. Police shut down the operation and the building eventually was sold to the Lazarus family, but that didn't stop ol' Grace from working at home, according to lore.

"In 1952, investors purchased (the farm) and Graceland Shoppers' Mart was developed by Don Casto, who had played there as a youth," said Shirley Hyatt, author of the book Clintonville and Beechwold (Images of America).

The May 2011 article by Lyndsey Teter of The Other Paper was about a new business moving to Clintonville.  A business owned by Larry Flynt.  Did you know the infamous Cincinnatian owned a business on Gay Street in downtown Columbus? That was long, long ago.   I heard that story at City Hop this fall....

The story of Graceland

How Graceland got it's name

Graceland's name... would you buy this story? 

Graceland a colorful story in black and white

Graceland Shopping Center - 2010

Graceland Shopping Center

The photo of the sign on the land that was a horse farm but would soon be a place for people in Clintonville and Worthington to shop is Don O'Brien's taken for the Worthington News, a newspaper in 1953.   O'Brien shared the photo with a Creative Commons license.

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

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Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

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Graceland...who is Graceland named after?  Would you buy this story?

Graceland is in north Columbus.  Today it is called Graceland Shopping Center.  Graceland has a Target, a Kroger,  an Urban Active, an Applebees, an OfficeMax and more... 

When the mall was developed by Don M. Casto and Don M. Casto Jr.  it was named Graceland Shoppers Mart... or the sign on the land called the future shopping center, Graceland Shoppers Mart in 1953. The shopping center opened in 1954.

I think I first read about the "Madam" who turns out to be named "Grace" on Don O'Brien's Flickr photostream with this picture of the sign on the land in 1953.  O'Brien took this photo for the Worthington News.   On Flickr on his photo of the remains of the house on the farm called "Graceland" and the sign announcing the new shopping center, named Graceland, O'Brien quotes the Graceland site of George Campbell about the story of the name:

"Graceland was built on a former horse farm, named "Graceland", that was co-owned by a Columbus Bookmaker and his wife, a Madam. When the property came up for sale, the Casto and Gibson families purchased it for $100,000."

Yes Graceland is named after Grace but would  you buy this story?

Graceland the shopping area is named after Graceland the horse farm...  named after someone named Grace... see 'How Graceland got it's name' and 'Graceland a Colorful History in Black and White' links below... 

The Other Paper in May 2011 offered this story about who the Columbus shopping center is named after, quoting Clintonville Historian Shirley Hyatt, Lyndsey Teter wrote:

"Casto says it is named after his mother, not the Madam," but that story is commonly rejected, Hyatt said. Plus, that version "is just not as much fun."

More of the story of Graceland....

How Graceland got it's name

Graceland a Colorful History in Black and White

Graceland Shopping Center - 2010

Graceland Shopping Center  (a photo of remains of the "Madam's house" at the Graceland horse farm before the Graceland Shopping Center was developed)  

Photo Credit:  Don O'Brien's photo of the Graceland sign from the 1950s is licensed with a Creative Commons license.  He grew up in the Worthington area and has great Columbus and Worthington photos from the 1930s on, on his Flickr photostream.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/ / CC BY 2.0 I believe this is one of the photos he took for the Worthington News.

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Columbus mls online

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

Non Member comments occasionally closed due to heavy spam! 

 

How Graceland in Columbus, Ohio got it's name.

The Grace of Graceland was a woman...

Grace Murnan?  Did she marry Pat Murnan,  a colorful Columbus Ohio businessman?  Mike Murnan left a comment on a post about Graceland the shopping center we know today and referred to Grace as "Grace Murnan (nee: Grace Backenstow)

Murnan went on to sat Grace: "was the Madam owner of a brothel located at Front and Broad, in the 1920's. "

How Graceland in Columbus got it's name

Just a little bit different version.   Or... was she "Grace Backenstoe"?    According to Doral Chenoweth (the Grumpy Gourmet) that's how Grace's last name was spelled and she was "a very, good friend" of Pat Murnane who owned a gambling establishment in downtown Columbus.

Here's the way the Grumpy Gourmet tells the story of Grace of Graceland....  The Grace who's name graces Graceland, a shopping center since the mid 1950s. Doral Chenoweth's  Columbus Chef's site about long ago restaurants in downtown Columbus mentions Pat Murnan's "gambling operation."  Referring to Maurice Patrick (Pat ) Murnan's downtown office and gambling operation, Chenoweth says:

"Downtown Office of Graceland Stock Farm – Yep, that was the name of Pat Murnan’s wide open gambling operation. Booze, numbers, the works if you wanted to place a bet. The Graceland name came from Murnan’s very good friend, Grace Backenstoe, who owned the farm where Graceland Shopping Center now stands. It was Murnan who engineered the sale of Graceland property to the late Don M. Casto. She had refused many offers until Casto, one evening over a few hard beverages in the Backenstoe manse, sealed the deal by telling her “Grace, you sell it to me and I’ll name it after you.” 

Mike Murnan wrote:

"Maurice Patrick (Pat) Murnan trained his thoroughbred horses at this farm where he lived with his wife "Grace."  Pat also ran a gaming house at Broad & High during the 1920's & 1930's.  Pat dies in 1937 at the age of 76. 

Before he died, Pat named the farm on North High after Grace."

And the shopping area was named after the farm.... which was named after Grace.

At City Hop last week a volunteer who knew a lot of Columbus history called Grace, Pat Murnan's  friend or girl friend too.  Or perhaps she said Grace was his "mistress."

Graceland Shopping Center 

Graceland a Colorful History in Black & White

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Columbus mls online

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

Non Member comments occasionally closed due to heavy spam! 

 

Graceland - a colorful history, of colorful Columbusites.   A colorful Columbus couple gave Graceland Shopping Center it's name.

In a  comment on a post, about Graceland Shopping Center  I wondered where the name "Graceland" came from:

"Maureen McCabe wonders what "Graceland" means.  Let me tell some history of this place.

Maurice Patrick (Pat) Murnan trained his thoroughbred horses at this farm where he lived with his wife "Grace."  Pat also ran a gaming house at Broad & High during the 1920's & 1930's.  Pat dies in 1937 at the age of 76. 

Grace Murnan (nee: Grace Backenstow) was the Madam owner of a brothel located at Front and Broad, in the 1920's.  Before he died, Pat named the farm on North High after Grace.  

Pat raised his horses some distance away at his 700 acre stock farm off West Broad Street at "Murnan Road" abour 10 miles West of Broad & High. 

Advise questions.

Mike Murnan"

Mike Murnan?  A descendent of Maurice Patrick Murnan?

The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus Memory site has a series of 21 black and white photos of Graceland the horse farm and mentions the connection to the colorful Columbus characters, the bookie named Pat Murnan: 

Columbus Metropolitan Library - Columbus Memory - Graceland Stock Farm

You can see the chimney left standing in O'Brien's photo in the house photos.  

The photo above of the remains of the house on the horse farm is Don O'Brien's from the 1950s.  He took the photo for the Worthington News the year before Graceland was developed into a shopping center. 

Graceland - 1953   On Flickr Don O'Brien quoted George Campbell of Worthington about the colorful Columbus characters:

"Graceland was built on a former horse farm, named "Graceland", that was co-owned by a Columbus Bookmaker and his wife, a Madam. When the property came up for sale, the Casto and Gibson families purchased it for $100,000. The center opened in 1954, and had a good run through the 1980's.",

Don O'Brien's photo is licensed with a Creative Commons license.  He has great Columbus and Worthington photos from the 1930s on, on his Flickr photostream.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/ / CC BY 2.0

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Columbus mls online

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

Non Member comments occasionally closed due to heavy spam! 

 

Graceland Shopping Center

Today at Graceland Shopping Center there is a

• Kroger Marketplace
• Target 
• Two fitness centers
• Qdoba
• Applebees
• Sears Appliance & Hardware
• OfficeMax

and way, way more...

A home owner near Graceland Shopping Center said of the shopping area earlier this decade:

"Graceland Shopping Center had an 80% vacancy rate and was in disrepair. There was no Target, or Kroger, or other shopping facilities, but only empty eyesore buildings." 

I believe that the home owner was referring to 2001 or 2002.

In the 70s or 80's HER Realtors (now Real Living HER... brokerage I am affiliated with)  had a Graceland office! In the shopping center?  Or just nearby?  I suppose I could ask, at least one of the agents in my office started out in the HER Realtors, Graceland office .

There was a movie theater at Graceland!

I remember discovering Graceland in the early 1990s.  I worked in Worthington... lived west of the Olentangy River but  I loved the J.C. Penny furniture store that was at Graceland.  There was a large sporting goods store?  Jack's Pets and Aquarium??

In the beginning Graceland Shopping Center 

I love Don O'Brien's pictures from the year before  was built.  George Campbell's site has some great photos of Graceland over the years!

Nearby residential neighborhoods include  Beechwold, Chaseland, Delawanda Park, Old Beechwold, Sharon Heights, Tremont Gardens, Zooland and more... I have friends in Worthington who shop at the Graceland Kroger rather than the Worthington Mall Kroger (the Worthington Mall store is a very nice store, recently remodeled.)

Edit September 2011 to add the tag "Graceland" so I can find this post!

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Columbus mls online

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

Non Member comments occasionally closed due to heavy spam! 

 

Graceland Shopping Center Columbus Ohio 43214 -  Map

The picture of the remains of an old house and a sign proclaiming Graceland Shopping Center is part of Don O'Brien (DOK1's)  photostream on Flickr.

Actually the sign calls it Graceland Shoppers Mart.  I wonder if Graceland was called that at first? 

The sign promising the shopping area for Christmas 1954 says the shopping area developed by Don M. Casto Jr. would  be "ONE OF THE NATIONS FINEST SHOPPING CENTERS."

More 1953 Graceland Shopping Center photos from Don O'Brien:

Future Graceland Shopping Center Site: 1953

December 1953 Graceland Signs.

On the photo of the remains of the house, O'Brien quotes the Graceland site of George Campbell about Graceland Shopping Center history:

"Graceland was built on a former horse farm, named "Graceland", that was co-owned by a Columbus Bookmaker and his wife, a Madam. When the property came up for sale, the Casto and Gibson families purchased it for $100,000. The center opened in 1954, and had a good run through the 1980's."

I'd remembered the bookie and the Madam for some reason.  I must have read that on Campbell's site.

The map at the top shows where the Graceland Shopping Center is in north Columbus just south of Worthington.  I wonder if the Graceland area was annexed into the City of Columbus in the 1950's or if it was in an unincorporated area of Franklin County, Sharon Township. 

The Graceland area is part of the Clintonville Beechwold area today. The Columbus Chaseland neighborhood was nearly annexed to Worthington in 1954.

Where does Clinonville begin or end?

Anyone who reads my Worthington Old and News site knows I love Don O'Brien's historic pictures of Worthington.  O'Brien grew up just north of Worthington on W. Wilson Bridge Rd.  W. Wilson Bridge Road was in Sharon Township in the 1930s and 1940s. Assuming the Graceland Shoppin Center is in the City of Columbus, a few streets in the area are or were until quite recently still in Sharon Township, not annexed to the City of Columbus.

Don O'Brien took this photo for the Worthington News, the newspaper in Worthington back in the day.

O'Brien added some great old Christmas photos while I was doing my 2009 Christmas shopping, if you like old photos be sure and visit his Flickr Photostream.

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER

Contact 614.388.8249

Website: MaureenMcCabe.com

Search Columbus mls online

email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com   @

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

Non Member comments occasionally closed due to heavy spam!