[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> LIKE MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPENING.

I THINK IT HELPS SOMETIMES.

YEAH.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> THERE ARE A LOT OF POPULAR PHRASES LINKED TO THE SUBJECT OF MONEY LIKE MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS, BUT CHARLENE, I'M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

I THINK IT HELPS SOMETIMES.

>> YEAH.

JUST TRY NOT HAVING ANY AND SEE HOW HAPPY YOU ARE OR WHAT ABOUT THIS PHRASE?

MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES.

>> I THINK I HEARD THAT A TIME OR TWO GROWING UP FOR SURE.

>> I'M SURE YOU DID, OR HOW ABOUT THE PHRASE MONEY TALKS?

WHICH IS KIND OF AN INTERESTING CONCEPT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

>> IT CERTAINLY IS, CHARLENE.

THAT'S A GREAT SUBJECT TO EXPLORE IN TODAY'S SHOW STARTING WITH THE TOUR OF AN OLD BANK THAT'S BEEN ADAPTED INTO A COOL LIVING SPACE.

LET'S FOLLOW THE MONEY.

>> ANOTHER GOOD ONE.

>> I TRY.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> COLUMBUS HAS SEASON A LOT OF RECENT INVESTMENT, REDOING OLDER BUILDINGS AND BUILDING NEW.

A LOT HAS HAPPENING DOWNTOWN BY FILLING UP PARKING LOTS AND REALLY BRINGING LIFE BACK TO THE CENTER CITY.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEVELOPERS DOING THIS WORK, AND A LOT OF IT IS INNOVATIVE AND TODAY WE'LL BE MEETING WITH ONE OF THEM AND DOING SOME REALLY INTERESTING PROJECTS.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> HI, JEFF.

>> HOW ARE YOU?

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> SO YOU HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, THESE DAYS.

>> TRYING AND I THINK YOU CONTROL, WHAT?

THREE CORNERS?

THREE OF THE FOUR CORNERS.

WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

YOU'VE HAD SOME NEW CONSTRUCTION ALONG WITH OTHER APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING THESE BUILDINGS HERE.

>> I REMEMBER THE BLOCK FROM GATES ARE LONG, AND THAT WAS THE PARKING LOT FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

>> DECADES.

SO YOU FILLEDED THAT IN.

YEAH, WE DID AND THAT'S APARTMENTS.

[ MUSIC ] >> AND THEN ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STREET OPPOSITE -- SOME PEOPLE REMEMBER THE OLD MADISON STORE.

>> SURE.

>> AND LANY JEWELERS IS THERE, GETTING REDONE.

>> THEY ARE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> SO THE BUILDINGS AREN'T THE ONLY THING YOU'VE BEEN UP TO.

THEY'RE A FAIRLY SIZEABLE SCULPTURE AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU COMMISSIONED?

>> IT WAS.

AND THEN DONATEDED IT.

>> JANET ECKELMAN IS THE ARTIST AND SHE'S FAMOUS FOR THESE TYPES OF INSTALLATIONS AND SCULPTURES AND WE THOUGHT WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD ESTABLISH THIS AS AN ART DISTRICT AND THERE ARE A HALF A DOZEN GALLERIES THAT WILL MOVE IN AND THEY'LL SET OFF THE AREA.

>> IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE PIECE OF WORK.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> WHAT WAS THE EARLIEST PROJECT HERE THAT YOU DID?

>> I THINK THE EARLIEST PROJECT WAS THE CITIZEN'S TRUST BUILDING AS YOU REMEMBER -- >> RIGHT.

RIGHT.

>> THAT BUILDING ON THE REGISTER, AND CREATED 63 APARTMENTS AND SOME RESTAURANT RETAIL SPACE AND NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING THOSE APARTMENTS AS CONDOMINIUMS WHICH HAVE BEEN POPULAR ALSO, TOO.

>> WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A LITTLE MORE, RIGHT?

LEAD THE WAY.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> I REMEMBER THIS SPACE BEING MODERNIZED.

I DON'T RECOGNIZE IT AT ALL, THANK GOODNESS.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> THERE ARE A LOT OF POPULAR PHRASES LINKED TO THE SUBJECT OF MONEY LIKE MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS, BUT CHARLENE, I'M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

I THINK IT HELPS SOMETIMES.

>> YEAH.

JUST TRY NOT HAVING ANY AND SEE HOW HAPPY YOU ARE OR WHAT ABOUT THIS PHRASE?

MONEY DOES NOT GROW TREES.

>> I THINK I HEARD THAT A TIME OR TWO GROWING UP.

>> I'M SURE YOU DID UPON.

OR NOW ABOUT THE PHRASE, MONEY TALKS WHICH IS AN INTERESTING CONCEPT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

>> IT CERTAINLY IS, CHARLENE AND THAT'S A GREAT SUBJECT TO EXPLORE IN TODAY'S STORE STARTING WITH A TOUR OF AN OLD BANK THAT'S BEEN ADAPTED INTO A REALLY COOL LIVING SPACE.

SO LET'S FOLLOW THE MONEY.

>> OH, ANOTHER GOOD ONE.

>> I TRY.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS HAS SEEN A LOT OF RECENT INVESTMENT, COMMERCIAL PROJECTIONS, RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AND RE-DOING OLDER BUILDINGS AND BUILDING NEW.

A LOT IS HAPPENING DOWNTOWN AND WE'RE FILLING UP PARKING LOTS AND BRINGING LIFE BACK TO THE CENTER CITY.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEVELOPERS DOING THIS WORK.

A LOT OF THEM ARE INNOVATIVE AND TODAY WE'LL BE MEETING WITH ONE OF THEM WHO IS DOING SOME REALLY INTERESTING PROJECTS.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> HI, JEFF.

>> HOW ARE YOU?

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> SO YOU ARE HAVING A BIG IMPACT ON DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, THESE DAYS.

>> TRYING.

I THINK YOU CONTROL, WHAT?

THREE CORNERS?

>> THREE OF THE FOUR CORNERS.

>> SO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE AT GANHIGH?

>> WE'VE HAD NEW CONSTRUCTION AS FAR AS APARTMENTS AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING THESE BUILDINGS HERE.

[ MUSIC ] >> I REMEMBER THE BLOCK FROM GATES AND LONG ON THE WEST SIDE OF HIGH.

THAT WAS A PARKING LOT FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

>> DECADES.

>> SO YOU FILLEDED THAT IN.

>> YEAH, WE DID.

THAT'S APARTMENT AND COMMERCIAL SPACE?

>> THAT'S APARTMENT AND COMMERCIAL SPACE.

[ MUSIC ] >> AND THEN ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STREET OPPOSITE THE OLD -- SOME PEOPLE REMEMBER THE OLD MADISON CLOTHING STORE.

>> SURE.

>> AND THEN ARCO AND LANY JEWELERS, AS I RECALL AND THOSE ARE ALL GETTING REDONE.

>> THEY ARE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> SO THE BUILDINGS AREN'T THE ONLY THINGS YOU'VE BEEN UP TO IF YOU'RE AT HIGH.

THERE WAS A SIZEABLE SCULPTURE THAT WAS INSTALLED?

>> YES.

>> THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU COMMISSIONED?

>> IT WAS AND THEN DONATED TO THE MUSEUM OF ARTS.

JANET ECKELMAN IS WORLDWIDE FAMOUS FOR THESE TYPES OF INSTALLATIONS AND SCULPTURES AND WE THOUGHT WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WERE GOING TO START TO ESTABLISH THIS AS AN ARTS DISTRICT AND WE HAVE HALF A DOZEN GALLERIES THAT WILL MOVE IN AND WILL SET OFF THE AREA TO HAVE THIS.

>> IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE PIECE OF WORK.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> WHAT WAS THE EARLIEST PROJECT HERE THAT YOU DID AT HIGH?

>> I THINK THE EARLIEST PROJECT WAS THE CITIZENS TRUST BUILDING THAT WE WORKED ON, AS YOU REMEMBER.

>> RIGHT.

>> PUT THAT BUILDING ON REGISTER AND CREATED 63 APARTMENTS AND RESTAURANT AND RETAIL SPACE AND NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING THOSE AMOUNTS AS CONDOMINIUMS WHICH HAVE BEEN POPULAR ALSO, TOO.

>> I'D LOVE TO SEE MORE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> LEAD THE WAY.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> I REMEMBER THIS SPACE BEING MODERNIZED.

I DON'T RECOGNIZE IT AT ALL, THANK GOODNESS.

>> YEAH.

>> IT WASN'T VERY NICE, TO BE HONEST.

>> NO, IT WASN'T AT ALL.

>> THIS IS THE ENTRY HALL TO THE 1912 CITIZENS BUILDING AND OVER THE YEARS IT GOT UPDATED.

SO WHAT DID YOU DO TO RESTORE IT TO THE CONDITION IT IS NOW IN.

>> YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THE ENTIRE CEILING IN THIS PARTICULAR LOBBY AREA HAD BEEN STUCCOED OVER AND WE KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING BELOW THE STUCCO AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO FIND THE CEILING PRETTY MUCH MORE INTACT THAN WE MIGHT HAVE GUESSED.

>> OF COURSE, IT LOOKS LIKE HAMMERED COPPER, BUT I SUSPECT IT'S PAINTED PLASTER.

EVEN IN HISTORIC TIMES THEY HAD SHORT CUTS.

>> THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

PAINTED PLASTER.

>> BOY T CAME OUT WELL.

>> IT DID.

>> THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL COLORS THAT WERE USED ON THE SURFACE.

>> I BELIEVE SO.

>> LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE YOU DID ON THE BUILDING.

>> GREAT.

LET'S GO UP AND LOOK AT THE BANK HALL.

>> WHAT A GREAT SPACE.

THIS IS GORGEOUS.

THE OLD BANKING LOBBY.

I REMEMBER THIS HAS BEEN ALTERED QUITE A BIT.

THE COLUMNS COVERED WITH MARBLE AND YOU COULDN'T SEE IT AT ALL.

WHAT ELSE DID YOU NEED TO REVERSE TO MAKE IT BETTER?

>> THE WHOLE MEZZANINE AT SOME POINT IN THE PAST, AS YOU MENTIONED THE MARBLE COLUMNS AND THEY WERE CLAD IN MARBLE WHICH WAS A REAL MESS GETTING OFF AND WE HAD TO COMPLETELY RE-DO ALL OF THE PLASTER.

>> THE OLD VAULT IS HERE.

THAT'S A SMALL SPACE.

>> THAT'S ACTUALLY OR MAIL ROOM.

THAT WORKED OUT GREAT.

>> THAT MAKES SENSE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A VAULT STILL BECAUSE MAILBOXES LOOK LIKE SECURITY DEPOSIT BOXES.

>> AND YOU CAN SEE THE VAULT DOOR.

>> THIS HAS BEEN TERRIFIC AND SEEING THESE PROJECTIONS YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT.

WHAT ELSE IS COMING DOWN THE LINE?

WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED?

>> AS WE SPOKE EARLIER, THERE ARE PROJECTS ON EAST HYDE STREET THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

>> RIGHT.

>> WE AILS HAVE THE RENOVATION OF THE PMC TOWER AND IT'S A MIXED USE BUILDING WITH APARTMENTS AND THAT'S NEARING COMPLETION RIGHT NOW.

>> THAT'S THE ONE WITH THE SUNKEN PLAZA.

>> I'LL HAVE TO HAVE A LOOK AT IT AT SOME POINT.

>> IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BRINGING PEOPLE BACK DOWNTOWN AND REPOPULATING THE PLACE AND MAKING IT BACK TO THE CITY IT ONCE WAS AND IT WENT THROUGH A LONG PERIOD IN THE 20th CENTURY WHERE IT REALLY WASN'T AS HEALTHY AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN AND IT JUST IS SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> WHAT SEEMS TO BE IMPORTANT TO YOU PERSONALLY?

THEY'RE NOT EASY.

>> THEY'RE NOT EASY, BUT LIKE YOU I'M AN OLD BUILDING BUFF OR HISTORY BUFF AND I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, AND THERE ISN'T AN EXAMPLE IN THE COUNTRY OF ANY PROSPEROUS CITY THAT DOESN'T ALSO HAVE A HEALTHY DOWNTOWN.

SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO PERSONALLY TO TRY MAKE THAT HAPPEN IS IMPORTANT.

>> I THINK IT REALLY IS HAPPENING AND IT IS THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE TOUR AND FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.

THANK YOU.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> SO A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, XAVIER?

>> THAT'S ANOTHER GREAT ONE, CHARLENE.

A PENNY WOULDN'T BUY YOU A THOUGHT, BUT AT ONE TIME YOU COULD PUT IT IN A SCALE TO TELL YOUR WEIGHT.

>> YOU WOULD SEE THIS IN POPULAR BUSINESS ESTABLISH AMS AND EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN ANTIQUATED TECHNOLOGY, THERE'S A MAN IN COLUMBUS WHO HAS COLLECTED PENNY SCALES THAT SPAN MORE THAN A CENTURY WITH THE OLDEST ONE DATING BACK TO 1891.

>> WE HAD THE CHANCE TO TOUR HIS COLLECTION AND LET'S JUST SAY IT'S WORK ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD.

>> DARN, I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT ONE!

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> I SAW MY FIRST PENNY SCALE AT THE COLUMBUS TRAIN STATION IN 1971 AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.

I STEPPED ON TO THE SCALE AND MY HEART STARTED POINTING AND I HEARD A VOICE SAY BUY ALL YOU CAN.

SO I WAS INTO MECHANISMS AND THESE ARE SOME VERY COMPLICATED, EXQUISITE MECHANISMS INSIDE THESE MACHINES AND THAT CAPTIVATED ME.

OVER THE YEARS, THE 50 YEARS OF COLLECTING I PURCHASED ABOUT 200.

SO THESE ARE THE TOP 100 HERE.

THIS IS THE ONLY SCALE IN THE COLLECTION, 1891, AND IT WAS OUT ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE ARCADE AT THE COLUMBUS DEPOT, THE TRAIN STATION.

THIS WAS OUTSIDE 75 YEARS WHEN I PURCHASED IT.

I WOULD SAY FROM 1890 TO 1950 WOULD BE THE BULK OF THE COLLECTION.

THERE ARE 30 SCALES OUT OF THESE HUNDRED THAT ARE RELATED IN OHIO AND TEN OF THEM WERE IN OPERATION IN COLUMBUS.

WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT IN 1885 THEY WERE CALLED NICKEL DROP DEVICES AND NICKEL DROP WEIGHING MACHINES SO THEY HAD TO PUT IN FIVE SEINES.

AT THE TIME THAT WOULD BUY YOU TWO LOAVES OF BREAD.

SO IT WAS A NEW TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE WERE EXCITED AND THEY WERE VERY ENTERTAINING AND ABOUT THREE YEARS LATER THEY WENT TO THE PENNY.

THE PEN RELEASES THE MECHANISM THAT INSTIGATES ANY KIND OF THEATRICAL EVENTS WITHIN THE MACHINE ITSELF.

SOME TALK TO YOU.

SOME GIVE OUT MOVIE STAR PICTURES.

SOME GIVE OUT HOROSCOPES AND SOME ASK YOU IF YOU CAN GUESS YOUR WEIGHT?

THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF GIMMICKS EMPLOYED TO GET YOU ON TO THAT SCALE AND IT WAS A PRIMARY WAY PEOPLE GOT WEIGHED UNTIL THE BATHROOM SCALE BECAME AFFORDABLE.

AND I PURCHASED MY FIRST SCALES OUT OF THE COLUMBUS TRAIN STATION, AND I HAVE ONE OVER HERE.

THERE WERE SIX SCALES IN THE MAIN CONCOURSE AND THE OPERATORS WERE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE WROTE HIM A LETTER AND HE RESPONDED THAT HE WAS COMING TO COLLECT THOSE SCALES, SO I MET HIM AND OUT OF THE SIX I BOUGHT THREE ANY THIS IS ONE OF THEM, AND IT'S JUST A PEERLESS JUNIOR.

SO -- QUICKLY, IT JUST GOES RIGHT UP TO YOUR WEIGHT.

THIS IS THE WEIGHT TELLER.

THAT WAS A FUNNY STORY.

I TRIED TO FIND THIS SCALE FOR MANY YEARS, AND I WAS IN L.A., AND I SAW THIS MUCH OF IT OVER THE TOP OF THE CAR ON MY WAY TO THE L.A. AIRPORT, AND I JUMPED OUT AND THE STORE WAS CLOSED, BUT I BOUGHT IT WHEN I LANDED IN ST. LOUIS AND THIS IS ALSO A KAILEY.

KAILEY BROTHERS AND THAT'S CALLED THE WEIGHT TELLER ABOUT 1905.

THIS IS QUITE AMAZING.

THE PEOPLE DID MAGNIFICENT WORK AND THIS IS PORCELAIN ENAMEL LIKE ON A BATHTUB, AND YOU'LL SEE THROUGHOUT THE COLLECTION, SOME AMAZING COLORS IN PORCELAIN.

THIS IS ABOUT 100 YEARS OLD.

>> OVER HERE, FINE EXAMPLES OF MECHANISMS THAT DO MORE THAN JUST GIVE YOU YOUR WEIGHT.

THEY ARE GUESSERS.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] SO THE IDEA BEHIND THESE IS YOU WOULD DIAL IN WHAT YOU THINK YOU WEIGH AND OVER THERE I WEIGHED 160.

SO I'M GOING TO PUT THIS ON 16 TO AND NOW I'LL PUT IN A PENNY.

THE ACT OF TURNING THIS SUPPLIES ALL THE POWER.

[ MUSIC ] >> SEE HOW THEY CAME ALL THE WAY TOGETHER?

AND THEN THAT OPENED THE DOOR TO BRING MY MONEY BACK INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT INTO THE CASH BOX.

AND INSIDE THERE IS QUITE AN AMAZING GROUP OF GEARS.

I AM JUST REALLY CAPTIVATED BY THE MECHANISMS.

>> OVER HERE, WE HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO GET A FREE, FAIR WAY.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING OF THE SCALES AND THIS IS CALLED AN ARCADE SCALE, AND I LOVE THE PUN, FAIR WAY AS IN GOLF.

SO YOU DROP YOUR COIN IN.

THE ACT OF GETTING ON ADVANCES THE COIN ON TO THE TEE AND THEN THE IDEA IS YOU TRY TO DRIVE OVER THE LAKE.

WOW -- THAT WAS LUCKY.

OVER HERE YOU HAVE ONE OF THE MOST CLASSIC AMERICAN SCALES AND THAT WAS IN EATON, OHIO IN THE CENTRAL HOUSE CAFE.

IT WAS MADE FAMOUS BY ROCKWELL ON "THE SATURDAY EVENING POST" ALL OF THESE HAVE GREAT OHIO HISTORY.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> THE TOLEDO HERE SHOWS THE INFLUENCE OF CLOTH AND THEN CAME ALONG THE INFLUENCE OF SKYSCRAPER ARCHITECTURE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> MR. PEANUT WAS AT THE BROAD AND HIGH PEANUT SHOP AND THEN HE MOVED UP THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PEANUT SHOP AND WHEN I ACQUIRED HIM HE WAS AT THE STATE AND HIGH PEANUT SHOP.

SO HE HAS DONE A LOT OF TRAVELING AND THE REAL STORY ABOUT MR. PEANUT IS HIS PATINA.

KIDS WOULD RUB HIS NOSE FOR GOOD LUCK AND THAT'S WHY HIS NOSE IS BARE.

MR. PEANUT IS A DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, OHIO, LEGEND.

DEFINITELY MY TOP THREE SCALES.

ONE OF THE TOP THREE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> CARRYING ON WITH THE BEAUTY OF PATINA AND THE STORY IT TELLS, YOU CAN SEE THE SHOP OWNER'S PALM PRINTS WHERE HE WOULD HOLD ON TO MR. PEANUT AND ROLL HIM OUT ON TO THE SIDEWALK AND DARE TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE SHOP.

THERE WERE ONLY 65 MADE.

ONE FOR EACH PLANTAR'S PEANUT SHOP.

>> MOVING ON TO OTHER MORE EXCITING SCALES ARE THE HOROSCOPE SCALES THAT WOULD LIVE YOU A CHANCE TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS.

THIS SCALE WAS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, IN THE BOWLING ALLEY UP ON THE MAIN FLOOR.

SO YOU COULD ASK, WHO STANDS IN MY WAY TO HAPPINESS AND HOW CAN I HOLD MY SWEETHEART, IS MY SWEETHEART TRUE?

AND THEN YOU WOULD DROP IN A PENNY.

THE WINDOW HAD OPENED, YES, WHILE YOU WERE TOGETHER.

SO HERE'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MECHANISMS IN THE COLLECTION.

YOU WOULD AGAIN, DIAL A QUESTION.

THERE COULD BE THREE ANSWERS TO THE SAME QUESTION.

WHERE IS MY HOPE?

I'M GOING TO TURN THE PENNY SO YOU CAN SEE IT OPEN THE DOOR, AND UP HERE IS THE ANSWER.

TIME WILL TELL.

SO THEY WOULD CHANGE THESE WHEELS AND ALSO BANDS THEY WOULD CHANGE SO THERE WOULD BE FRESH FORTUNES.

THIS SCALE, YOU WOULD PICK OUT THE MONTH YOU WERE BORN AND OUT WOULD COME ONE OF 16, I THINK IT IS, 16 DIFFERENT ANSWERS.

SO THIS WOULD CHOP OFF A TICKET.

SO YOU WOULD SEE A TICKET LIKE THIS AND THEY WOULD BAIT YOU INTO WANTING ANOTHER ONE.

YOU ARE FORTUNATE BECAUSE AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PUT IN ANOTHER PENNY TO FIND OUT WHY.

OVER HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER COLUMBUS SCALE AND THIS CAME OUT OF THE MEN'S ROOM AT THE DREXEL THEATER.

PORCELAIN ENAMEL, SIGNAGE, TILE AND THE MATERIALS THEY USED TO BUILD THESE ARE COST PROHIBITIVE TODAY.

IN THE '70s THERE WAS A PROBLEM STARTING TO OCCUR, VANDALISM, WHICH HAD NOT BEEN A PROBLEM AND I STARTED PICKING UP THE PACE OF MY ACQUISITIONS BECAUSE I WOULD COME BACK TO A SCALE I'D BE WATCHING AND IT WOULD BE BROKEN AND CHIPPED.

SO I STARTED GETTING AS MANY AS I BEING INTEREST SAFETY BEFORE ANY DAMAGE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> THIS IS A MODEL O PEERLESS TICKET SCALE.

I CARRIED THIS OUT OF THE BASEMENT OF THE LINCOLN THEATER, BUT ITS LAST KNOWN LOCATION WAS LONG DRUG AT 893 LONG STREET.

SO THIS IS A COLUMBUS, OHIO, SCALE AND IT WOULD HAND OUT A TICKET OF A MOVIE STAR ASK OUT IN THE BACK YOU WOULD GET PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT WOULD BE PAID MONEY TO COME UP WITH THESE FLATTERING WORDS.

PEOPLE WERE GETTING TIRED OF PEOPLE SEEING THEIR WEIGHT ON THE BIG DIALS.

SO THIS A MODEL 8 PEERLESS TICKET SCALE, AND IT WAS THE VERY FIRST ONE THEY CAME OUT WITH.

NOTICE I FLOATED DOWN AS I STOOD UP.

THAT JUST ENGAGED ALL OF THE MECHANISMS SO IT COULD WORK.

SO OUT COMES BIG PAL AND YOU ARE SURE TO SUCCEED IN LIFE FOR YOU REFUSE TO BE DISCOURAGED, AND ALSO A VERY BEAUTIFUL MECHANISM.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> IT WOULD HOLD A THOUSAND TICKETS.

[ MUSIC ] >> COLLECTING HAS BEEN A 50-YEAR EFFORT AND I REALLY DO BELIEVE DRIVEN BY A GUIDING VOICE OF SOME KIND.

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE YEARLY GOT ON THESE SCALES IN PUBLIC.

I HEAR STORIES BACK FROM PEOPLE WHO COME AND SEE THE COLLECTION.

I ALWAYS WEIGHED MYSELF ON THE SCALE IN THIS DRUGSTORE OR ON MY WAY TO THE SUBWAY.

I'M HOPING TO PASS THE BATON TO SOMEONE ELSE TO SAFEGUARD THIS NATIONAL TREASURE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO ENJOY AND STUDY.

IT'S HANDMADE, HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS BY MECHANICAL GENIUSES AND THE HISTORY IS RICH FOR ANYONE STUDYING 20th CENTURY COMMUNITY LIFE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >> WHEN I FIRST OPENED THE DOORS TO ANYONE COMING TO SEE THE COLLECTION THEY ALL PRETTY MUCH DROPPED THEIR JAWS WHICH MAKES ME FEEL REALLY GOOD BECAUSE THEY SEE WHAT I SEE.

AND I SEE AN AMAZING AMERICAN HISTORY OF INGENUITY AND DESIGN.

[ MUSIC ] >> I WOULD IMAGINE MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK WOULD BUY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING TO FEEL BETTER.

I KNOW I PROBABLY WOULD.

>> YEAH.

NOT ALWAYS A GREAT IDEA, THOUGH.

MAYBE THINK TWICE.

IF YOU FIND SOMETHING OVER THE COUNTER THAT SEEMS TO WORK, THOUGH, YOU TEND TO STICK WITH IT, RIGHT?

FROM THE LATE 19th TO MID-20th CENTURY, HORUNA WAS THE GO-TO MEDICINE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THE COMPANY HAD A FACTORY HERE IN COLUMBUS.

>> NEXT HISTORIAN SHARES A PHOTO OF THE FACTORY AND GIVES US THE BACKSTORY ON THIS MEDICINE EMPIRE.

[ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] >>> ALL RIGHT.

SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS THE PERUNA BUILDING THAT'S ON THE CORNER OF RICH AND THIRD STREET, AND THIS WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE PERUNA DRUG COMPANY.

PERUNA WAS CREATED BY DR. SAMUEL B. HARTMAN AND REALLY PUT COLUMBUS ON THE MAP NATIONWIDE BECAUSE THIS PRODUCT WAS ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING ELIXIRS AT THE TIME OF THE EARLY 20th SERVE RE, AND IT WAS A CURE-ALL TONIC.

IT KILLED EVERYTHING.

WHATEVER AILMENTS YOU HAD, CANCER, DEPRESSION, YOU COULDN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT.

DR. HARTMAN WOULD PRESCRIBE A BOTTLE OF PERUNA AND HE WOULD ASK YOU HOW YOU'RE DOING AND YOU WOULD SAY I FEEL CURED AND HE WOULD WRITE DOWN THE TESTIMONY AND SEND YOU HOME.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT LATER WAS THIS TONIC HAD 28% TO 30% ALCOHOL, SO BEING, ANYONE DRINKING A WHOLE BOTTLE OF IT WERE THINKING THEY WERE FEELING GREAT AND THEY WERE CURED.

IT WASN'T UNTIL THE 1906 PURE FOOD ANY DRUG ACT THAT DR. HARTMAN HAD TO DISCLOSE THAT IT CONTAINED THIS MUCH ALCOHOL, BUT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING OF THE HARTMAN PERUN ACCOMPANY.

PERUNA WAS SOLD FOR A DOLLAR A BOTTLE.

IN 1900 THAT IS PROBABLY $60, $70 BY TODAY'S INFLATION STANDARDS.

SO IT WASN'T CHEAP BACK THEN.

THIS BUILDING WAS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE.

IT WAS DECORATED WITH TIFFANY.

IN LATER YEARS IT FELL ON HARD TIMES AND THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO SAVE IT WITH THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BUILDINGS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, RIGHT AFTER IT WAS LISTED IT WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1973.

>> WOSU ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR REGION, ITS HISTORY AND ITS PEOPLE.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION COMES TO US FROM RYAN HUDSON.

I LIVE JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM MINERVA PARK, A VILLAGE ON COLUMBUS' NORTHEAST SIDE.

BRIAN SAYS IT DOESN'T LOOKER FEEL LIKE ANY OF THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ITS HISTORY.

TODAY MINERVA PARK IS A QUIET RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT IT WAS HOME TO A ROLLER COASTER, A WATER SLIDE AND A CASINO WHERE GAMBLING WAS PROHIBITED.

THE HISTORY CAN BE TRACED TO ONE MAN, GARY WALDO MEEKER.

AT A PUBLIC MEETING IN 1891 A GROUP OF RESIDENTS COMPLAINED ABOUT SPOTTY TRAIN SERVICE INTO COLUMBUS.

AT THAT MEETING, MEEKER SUGGESTED AN ELECTRIC RAIL LINE WITH SERVICE TO THE CITY.

FOUR YEARS LATER, MEEKER WAS SECRETARY AND TREASURER OF THE COLUMBUS CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY AND PILOTED IT WEST, IN AN EFFORT TO BOOST RIDERSHIP, HE THOUGHT UP AN IDEA OF AN AMUSEMENT PARK THAT WOULD DRIVE VISITORS UP FROM THE CITY.

ON JULY 13, 1895 WHEN THE PARK OPENED ITS GATES, THE WIFE JOHN SHEPARD.

AT THE TIME 15 CENTS WOULD GET YOU A ROUND-TRIP TICKET AND ADMISSION TO THE PARK.

THE 150-ACRE PARK WAS A SCENIC GETAWAY PERFECT FOR A QUIET PICNIC BY THE LAKE AND ALSO INCLUDED ATTRACTIONS SUCH AS A ROLLER COASTER, A BOWLING ALLEY, A MERRY-GO-ROUND, A PONY TRACK AND A SMALL ZOO WITH MONKEYS AND BEARS AND THE PARK'S BIGGEST DRAW WAS ITS CASINO.

DESPITE BEING CALLED A CASINO, GAMES OF CHANCE WERE PROHIBITED AND NO ALCOHOL WAS SERVED, BUT THE BUILDING DID HOUSE A 2500-SEAT THEATER THAT STAGED ELABORATE PRODUCTIONS AND HOSTED SOME OF THE BIGGEST VAUDEVILLE ACTS OF THE DAY.

THE SUCCESS OF THE PARK WAS SHORT LIVED, HOWEVER.

BY 1900, THE NEW PARK OPENED UP IN A MUCH MORE CONVENIENT LOCATION JUST A FEW MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN.

MINERVA PARK COULDN'T COMPETE AND WAS SHUDDERED IN 1902 AFTER SEASONS IN OPERATION.

AFTER THAT IT FELL INTO DES REPAIR AND BECAME AN OLD GRAVEYARD FOR STREET CARS.

GARY WALDO MEEKER GREETED CITY OFFICIALS AS A PUBLIC RESOURCE, BUT THAT NEVER CAME TO BE.

IT REMAINED QUIET UNTIL 1927 WHEN CONSTRUCTION BEGAN AND THE MINERVA SUBDIVISION WAS BORN.

IN AN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER HOMEOWNERS INCORPORATED IT AS A VILLAGE IN 1940.

THOSE ENSURED THAT THE SMALL LAKE THAT IMSWERS AND BOATERS ENJOYED OVER A CENTURY AGO REMAINS IN MINERVA PARK TODAY.

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