Waldo Tyler, son of the late Ralph Tyler, opens the Community Pharmacy at Long and Hamilton. The Tyler family lives at 175 South Champion, and the Tyler name will become well known in future generations. Dana Tyler will become a popular TV news anchor in Columbus in the 1980s before moving to New York.
Columbus Timeline
Celebrated folk artist Elijah Pierce arrives in Columbus to marry his second wife, Cornelia Houeston, who is from the city. He works as a barber and will eventually have his own shop on East Long Street. Pierce is also a minister, and his work is closely tied to Bibical themes and stories. Not “discovered” by the outside art world until the 1970s, he will be given recognition by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of fifteen master artists in America in 1982.
Lois Deppe, singer and sax player who will later claim Columbus as his home, becomes one of the first African Americans to be recorded by early studios. Much later, he will become part of the original cast of “Showboat” on Broadway. Here he sings “Motherless Child.”
In an effort to market their restaurants and lounges, the Deshler Hotel at Broad and High will routinely book popular black entertainers and bands because they draw a crowd. Black entertainers are not allowed to stay in the hotel. They will return to the Near East Side for accommodations, often playing late night sets in black clubs or at the St. Clair or Macon hotels, drawing both black and white audiences.
On Thanksgiving Day the Ogden Theater opens with great fanfare. Ushers were dressed in Egyptian style pantaloons to accentuate the Egyptian Revival theater decor. Built by African American entrepreneur Al Jackson and designed by architect Carl Anderson, the venue will be renamed the Lincoln Theatre in 1939.
The Ohio Penitentiary fire kills 322 prisoners. The prison has a capacity for 1500 prisoners. At the time of the fire, it holds over 4000 inmates.
White Castle Headquarters established. In 2018 the company will be a major under-writers for the annual National Urban League Conference held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.