A hardworking history—with heart.
Originally built in 1920, this two-story brick building at 1949 Parsons Avenue was in the heart of the Steelton industrial district. Here, steel manufacturing employees, railroad employees, and residents of the nearby Hungarian neighborhood could do all their shopping and socializing. The building was originally owned by an immigrant and Columbus resident named George Tosheff. Tosheff ran a restaurant, jeweler, barber, grocery, and men’s clothing store on the first floor. On the second floor he operated a hotel called the South End Hotel, which opened in 1924 and would remain open until at least 1974. Given its historical significance, the building is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2022, a two-year renovation was completed, and the building was re-opened as the South End Hotel Apartments (SEHA). On the first floor, where once there was a restaurant, now there is a coffee shop called South End Café, operated by the Community Development for All People. Where there was once a grocery store, there is now a lounge exclusively for residents of SEHA. On the second floor, where once there were hotel rooms, now there are efficiency apartments that offer everything you need and nothing you don’t.
