Moment in Time (originally submitted to ThisWeek News for publication May 20, 2009)

Razing the Urlin Mansion. The mansion of George and Alice Urlin was built on the hill overlooking the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers in 1890. George, one of the earliest residents of what is now Grandview Heights, was an influential businessman and entrepreneur in Columbus at the turn of the century, and was responsible for the platting and development of Grandview Heights. A 1994 residential planning handbook stated that builders in his Urlin Terrace Subdivision were not allowed to build their home closer to the street than this home. The mansion was a landmark in the community, visible from afar sitting high on the hill. An image of the home was included in an early logo of the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society. Urlin died in 1942, and the house was torn down several years later (this 1944 photo shows the home being razed.) The property was later acquired for the development of the Summit Chase residential tower.