TOLEDO, Ohio — As you are leaving downtown Toledo on Broadway Street, you probably noticed a new arch giving you a warm welcome to the Old South End.
The Gateway Arch is located on Broadway Street just southwest of the I-75 overpass. It’s a project of the Broadway Corridor Coalition and was funded by the City of Toledo District Improvement Project.
The Arch is brand new and was installed a few days ago. The Historic South Initiative said Ohio governor Mike DeWine will visit Toledo on Wednesday to dedicate The Arch at 2 p.m.
To The Arch's developer's recognition of the city's history is paramount.
"[The purpose of the arch is] so that when you're coming up from the Zoo, that when you're coming up from River Road to Broadway, that when you go underneath the railroad viaduct, you're also entering the Old South End," Chris Amato, president of the Historic South Initiative said.
According the Toledo's "Old South End Master Plan," which began development and conceptualization in 2017, the neighborhood is among Toledo's oldest: it was first established in the mid 1840s, just a few years after Toledo's founding in 1837.
"It's a very, very historic neighborhood with a lot of great history," Amato said.
This is all apart of neighborhood revitalization, a project that focuses on the Old South End - a Toledo neighborhood that has a strong and memorable history. The goal is to restore it to its former position as a vibrant and attractive neighborhood for families and businesses.