Carver Heights

E. E. Farley came to Columbus to direct the Army YMCA during World War II, and became a realtor in 1948. In 1940, he planned and marketed Carver Heights, the first Columbus middle-class subdivision created for African American residents. The hills of the new suburb quickly filled with 1950s Ranch Houses occupied by professionals. Farley’s early death in 1956 probably changed the development of the neighborhood. The subdivision’s name and part of its cachet stemmed from its proximity to the projected Carver High School. Originally an elementary school site, it became a junior high in 1954. Adding a grade each year, it evolved into a senior high. The old school, worn by time, was razed in 2010, and a new, state-of-the-art George Washington Carver High School—a STEM (science, technology, and engineering magnet) school—built on the same site “on the hill,” opened in 2012. Its prominent site and a commitment by school alumni and area residents make the school a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. Today, a neighborhood improvement association is working with city officials and community organizations to revitalize the area and promote pride in the Carver Heights community.