History

Private Property

The area where Lou Berliner Sports Park now sits was private property and farmland. A stretch of land along the river and the area where diamonds 26-31 are today, was acquired by the city in 1920. The rest of the land that Lou Berliner Sports Park sits on was acquired in 1946.

Greenlawn Avenue Village

Utilizing the newly acquired land, the city built inexpensive housing for returning veterans of World War II and more than 300 families called this area home.

As Southern Columbus continued to develop, the Recreation Commission saw a need for more recreational space. Beginning in 1948, the Commission worked with City Council to add athletic facilities to the Greenlawn Playfield, including tennis courts and softball/baseball fields. Between 1949-1950, the city began the process of bidding out for a shelter house and caretaker’s house costing $50,000. The land was renamed Southview Park.

I-71 Construction

The construction of the new I-71 highway from Cincinnati to Cleveland cut right through Southview Park, dividing it in two. Park land to the east of the highway remained Southview Park; land to the west was named McCoy Park.

Major Redevelopment

After the last housing units were demolished in 1961, the park was expanded to the south and new athletic space was added including ball diamonds and fields.

Athletic Complex

As the city grew, indoor athletic complexes—with four high school basketball and volleyball courts—were added to five parks around the city. Southview Park became the home to one of these complexes and it remains in use today. For more information, please visit our Indoor Facilities.

Renaming

To honor the legacy of one of Columbus’ longtime supporters of youth and amateur athletes, Southview Park was dedicated and renamed to Lou Berliner Park. Lou Berliner covered high school and amateur sports for over 40 years during his career as a sports columnist and reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. According to Woody Hayes, former Ohio State University football coach, Lou helped give many young athletes the boost they needed to get started in sports.

Complex 1 Concession Stand Renovation

In 1988, the concession stand at diamonds 1, 4 and 5 was demolished and replaced. The stand, which was built with $45,000.00 in donated materials and labor, is still in use today.

Other projects completed during this time include: building an open-air pavilion near diamond 1, installing fencing on diamond 2, renovations to the Grounds Crew building and installing a playground and benches. By the end of 1989, the park had 11 lighted and 12 fenced diamonds.

General Improvements

Complex 3 Redesign

Complex 2 and Complex 3 Improvements

Complex 1 Improvements

Gary Ogle Complex Dedication

Complex 1 (diamonds 1, 4 and 5) was dedicated to Gary Ogle, the former Sports Administrative Coordinator for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and former President of BATS for his countless years serving the sports community of Columbus.

Synthetic Turf Foul Lines

Major Renovations

Singletrack

In 2020 Columbus Recreation and Parks, through a partnership with Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization, put in 2.6 miles of mountain bike trails that run the length of the park from Greenlawn Ave. to SR-104. Click to learn more.

Complex 4

Starting in 2021 and continuing into 2022, Columbus Recreation and Parks is working to extend electricity, water and sewer utilities to Complex 4 (fields 18–25). This expansion provides the opportunity for semi-permanent restrooms and concession facilities in an underutilized area of the park. This project will also bring electric to each backstop in this area so live streaming will be available on these fields.