THEN AND NOW: TREMONT CENTER

Submitted by Karen Williams. Edited by Kristin Greenberg.

where is this?

Ordinance 911 on September 3, 1946 (current location of Tremont Library) and Ordinance 1017 on August 3, 1948 (including current location of Tremont Elem. School and Tremont Center) were two major land acquisitions that continued Upper Arlington’s northward expansion. As Upper Arlington grew, the community realized the need for more local shopping. Tremont Center was developed by King Thompson Company and was dedicated on December 8, 1951. Along with the shopping center, Tremont Elementary School opened on September 4, 1952. This ushered in a new era for the community.

The cars have sure changed… but that Shoe Repair logo endures the decades of time!

the original tremont center.

If you have lived in Upper Arlington long enough, Tremont Pharmacy, The Goodie Shoppe, and Chef-o-Nette are places that hold sentimental value for a good reason; they have been in business since the early days of the shopping center. Tremont Pharmacy and Chef-o-Nette still anchor the west and east ends of the Center.

Note the Tremont Public Library in this 1957 listing of store above. The Library opened a branch at Tremont Center in 1955 until it opened its stand-along location at the corner of Northam and Tremont roads in 1959.

The iconic Tremont Clock.

According to a Dispatch article from November 19, 2019, the Tremont Clock was originally commissioned by jeweler H.J. Heimberger and built in the 1920s. It was moved from its downtown Columbus location to Tremont Center in 1954. This four-faced Seth Thomas clock, one of the few originals remaining in Ohio, weighs well over 1000 pounds and was maintained for over 25 years by Tremont Center merchant and jeweler, James Proicou.

After standing for 65 years, in 2019 the clock was temporarily removed for a major renovation, including a conversion from manual to electric. After five months of repairs, this symbol of the Center (and of the UA Historical Society!) returned to watch over the parking lot once again.

A partial listing of stores / organizations that were present in Tremont Center in 1970:

Tremont Pharmacy
Tom Tarpy’s
Tremont Hardware
Tremont 5 & 10
House of Fashion
Proicou Jewelers
Happy House
Goodie Shoppe
Tremont Cleaners
Brown Shoes
Chef-o-Nette

And the change continues.

Tom Tarpy’s market moved from the Mallway to Tremont Center in 1952 and served the community until 1986. Huffman’s market was then a UA staple for over 30 years. That store was sold in 2018 and became the UA Market, closing its doors permanently in early 2022.

Littleton’s is now under construction. The new market will be contain 15,000 square feet of seafood, meat, produce, wine and beer. There will be a larger prepared-foods section, as well as, an in-store café. The most visible difference in Littleton’s transformation is the addition of a 3-season outdoor pavilion.