What’s in a name? Weinland: Columbus Short North neighborhood, park and school. But who was Weinland?

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“But who was Weinland?”, the title of this blog, is an easy find. Enter Weinland in the search field of Wikipedia on Google, scroll down to See also, and then click Weinland Park. Just who was Edgar L. Weinland? Based on the short one paragraph description provided, not even this “free online encyclopia” knows much about Edgar.

Despite having graduated from Otterbein University plus working there for 31 years, I had never heard of Edgar Lynn Weinland. Nor was I aware of a Columbus city park, neighborhood and school named Weinland. But while doing post-retirement volunteer scanning of historical material for Otterbein’s Digital Commons, I kept seeing the name. And so a search began.

Upon completing his program of study at Otterbein in 1891, Edgar Weinland attended law school at Ohio State University and was a member of its very first graduating class. Just who he was and what he accomplished over his lifetime are best described by the images that follow concluding with a biography written by his daughter. But briefly: he taught law classes at Franklin University and OSU, was later hired as Assistant Solicitor (attorney) of the City of Columbus, then promoted to Solicitor, and then became Special Council to the Attorney General of Ohio working well past retirement age into his late 80’s.

My blogging began several years ago with a focus on two separate areas: (1) local history and (2) the designs of the Columbus architectural firm Yost & Packard. While scrolling through microfilmed copies of the Westerville Public Opinion newspaper, I found an article about Frank Packard having designed a remodel of a room in Otterbein’s Towers Hall for the Philomathean Literary Society. Back then, literary societies were the norm at colleges and universities. These were the forerunner to what became fraternities and sororities. A young Packard was just beginning his career and Weinland, as Philomathean president, would have directed the project (the University let the societies fund and make their own decisions as to how to furnish their rooms). Later, Packard designed the Columbus home of Edgar and Grace Weinland. He also designed Otterbein’s Carnegie Library, the construction of which was overseen by Weinland. The association of these two men provided the perfect opportunity to combine my two interests into one and the same blog.

Why was a park named after Edgar Weinland? That was never stated in The Columbus Dispatch nor in any other research. It could be due to publicity generated by the displacement of a few disgruntled residents living in condemned housing located in what was to become the park. Due to the history uncovered, Weinland seems to have been quietly effective—civic-minded–humble…these may well be the more likely reasons.

Thank you to Stephen Grinch (Otterbein University Archivist) and William C. Hill, Jr. (great-grandson of Edgar and Grace) for their contributions to this blog.

Westerville Roots

Public Service Chronology

Connection to Architect Frank L. Packard

Return to Hometown Roots

Permanent Recognition

Brief biography of Edgar L. Weinland

Written in 1966 by daughter Ellen Weinland Heath for The Spirit of Otterbein, brief biographies of accomplished alumni. Photo credit: Otterbein Digital Commons.

11/2/2024 donfoster73@gmail.com