Central Avenue was once Miami Avenue

In the 1818 plat map of Sandusky, the street we now call Central Avenue was known as Miami Avenue. By the 1890s, Miami Avenue was renamed Central Avenue. This street runs diagonally from  the west side of Washington Park to Monroe Street, and then at Monroe Street it runs in a north-south direction to north of North Depot Street. For many decades, local residents have found that Central Avenue provides an efficient route to get from downtown Sandusky to key places on Sandusky’s near western side. 

If you take Central Avenue to West Osborne Street, you will soon find yourself at Osborne School.

                   

If you take Central Avenue south to North Depot Street, after you turn right, you will come to Sandusky’s Amtrak Station.

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, there was a fire station located at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Osborne Street, known as Fire Station Number 4. This fire station was razed about 1930.

Two churches are located on Central Avenue. St. Mary’s Catholic Church was established to meet the needs of Sandusky’s Catholic residents of German heritage. The current parish was built in the 1870s, and is the largest church building in the city of Sandusky.

             

Before moving to its current location at Mills Street, St. Paul Lutheran Church was at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Tyler Street. A number of other Protestant churches have met at this location in recent years.

       

A previous Sandusky History blog post featured a picture of horse racing on Central Avenue.

Now primarily residential, Central Avenue continues to be a vital thoroughfare for area residents. Visit Sandusky Library to view historical Sandusky city directories to learn more about our community’s past residents, businesses, and cultural institutions.