Columbus streetcar arches

Arches were first used on streets in Columbus in 1888. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), a national veterans organization, held its 22nd annual convention in the city that year, bringing about 250,000 people to the city that had held a population of about 90,000. Tent cities were put up around Columbus, so the city erected 25 wooden arches, gas-lit, to support their safety and security at night. The event also included a parade of 90,000 veterans down High Street, the largest for Union soldiers since the Civil War. The parade route passed under numerous of these arches on High Street. These were complemented by similar arches elsewhere in the city, including at the Lennox Town Center shopping complex. One arch remains from the metal series installed on High Street in 1896, intact on Second Street outside the Majestic Theatre in Chillicothe, Ohio. The theater owner purchased and installed the arch in 1907. ==Attributes==

The first arches, used to light areas during the Grand Army of the Republic convention, were made of wood and used gas lighting. The modern arches in the Short North line High Street from I-670 north to just past Fifth Avenue. They are 28 feet tall and 57 to 69 feet wide, depending on the street width. They have optical fibers to transmit lights to their glass globes, rather than using individual light bulbs. The modern method prevents individual burn-outs and allows for even lighting. ==References==