HILLTOP BUSINESS HISTORY
We collected data on business listings from 1915-2005 in the two main commercial corridors in the Hilltop focus area: 1400-3000 Sullivant and 1700-3000 W Broad.
Hilltop Businesses by Category, 1915-2005
Examples of business types in each category:
Auto-Related
gas station
tire sales/service
auto repair/supply
garage
auto sales/rental
auto body/paint shop
Bar/
Restaurant/
Venue
billiards
theater
restaurant/café
club/bar
social club
bowling alley
DJ/master of ceremonies
Commercial/
Industry/
Wholesale
construction company
graphic production
commercial printer
dry goods
ice/fuel supply
moving/storage
food supply
manufacturing
telephone company
appliance sales/services
trucking
office supply
publishing
home improvement sales/services
Institutional/
Community/
Government
church
school
hospital
nonprofit/community organization
fraternal organization
cemetery
state government
library
veterans organization
post office
medical clinic/services
childcare
career services
recreation center
police station
social service & welfare organization
Retail
shoe store/repair
pharmacy/drug store
barber shop/salon
department store
grocery/market
tailor
clothes cleaners/laundromat
florist
hardware store
butcher/meat
confectionery
bakery
specialty/hobby shop
discount/used goods
carry out/liquor
dry goods
convenience store
Professional Office
funeral services
physician/healthcare practitioner
carpenter
real estate/realtor services
financial services
plumber
general contractor
electrician
veterinarian
legal services
laboratory
insurance agency/company
employment agency
photography
Hilltop Population & Business Change, 1940-2017
Above are 2346-48 W Broad, which both appear to be vacant in this June 2018 image. This building has been home to many different small businesses, and between the 1960s and 80s it was additional space for Beaver Press, a prominent Hilltop business from the 1950s until the 80s.
2550 Sullivant was home to the Ritz Theatre from the late 1920's until 1960, when it closed for repairs and never re-opened. Most recently it was St. Matthew's Fire Baptized Holiness Church, but St. Matthew's decided to relocate and the building was sold in November 2018.
2700 W Broad was home to the US Postal Service for over fifty years, from the 1950's until sometime after 2005. It is a mixed-use building, with the second floor containing apartment units. It was built in the mid-1940's and originally contained seven apartment units in addition to the retail space on the first floor.
1945 W Broad is a multi-family residence with a small retail space along the street. The retail space was home to a confectionery, a carpenter, and a florist shop until it became vacant in the late 1960's/early 1970's and has stayed that way since. The attached residence, however, is currently occupied.
2904 W Broad was originally a gas station, operating as such from the 1930's until the 1980's, when it was converted into office space. It has since been home to Hilltop Land Title and Elleman & Newcome attorneys.
1580 Sullivant has been home to a wide variety of businesses since the 1930's, such as dry cleaners, alarm system sales, and, most recently, Oldaker Doors Sales Inc.
Hilltop Business Listings, 1915-2005
Below is a data table showing all the business listings in the Hilltop between 1915 and 2005. It shows the year of the listing, the address and name of the business, as well its business type. Many of the business types were discovered by searching for information about them in the Columbus Dispatch archives. If you are familiar with any of these businesses and we incorrectly categorized something, please let us know! We want this list to be as accurate as possible.
Hilltop Business Listing Interactive Map
Use the interactive map below to look at what businesses were on Broad and Sullivant in any of the 10 years available. Use the double arrow button in the top-left corner of the map to expand the legend, then select each year using the checkbox next to it. Then you can click on the dots to reveal the data associated with it: the name of the business, the type, and the address.
Have questions? Give us a call at 614-221-5001 or email hilltop@columbusndc.org.