Demolition of Downtown Columbus arc lights

Photograph of employees of the C. W. Bryant Rigging & Moving Company removing the arc lights from downtown Columbus, Ohio, along West Broad Street, ca. 1912. The High Street arches were a well-known Columbus attraction, initially installed for the Northwest Territory centennial celebration in 1888 and expanded in the 1890s. They were all removed by 1916, but were reinstalled beginning in 2002 and are now a recognizable feature of the Short North arts district in Columbus. Charles William Bryant Jr. was born in Dayton in 1882, and from his start as a farmhand with a 3rd grade education would go on to become a prominent African American businessman, self-taught engineer, and owner of one of Columbus’ largest construction firms. The C. W. Bryant Rigging & Moving Co. was involved in major projects throughout Columbus, including the construction of a temporary Broad Street bridge following the 1913 flood, the removal of lighting arcs from High Street, and dismantling Hanford Village in 1962 for the construction of I-71. Bryant faced racial discrimination in his personal and professional life, including the refusal of local steelworkers’ unions to admit Bryant’s black employees, which forced Bryant Co. out of steel construction in the 1950s. He nonetheless expanded into other areas, including ownership of Bryco gas stations, a coal and oil company, the Litchford and Macon hotels, and the Ohio Malt Beverage Co.-the first African American distributor in Columbus