City officials are investigating a swastika painted on a boarded-up building on Cottage Avenue, an image that may have been on the brick building for more than five years.
A local resident who wished to remain anonymous, reported seeing the graffiti, which was painted on the old Vernco building on the east side of Cottage Avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets.
The building, which has broken out windows along with some that are boarded up, was once a location for plastic components manufacturing in the early 1900s.
Aida Ramirez, Columbus Human Rights Commission director, said the city’s first action will be to reach out to the owners of the building to determine how to get it removed. The property tax bill for the property goes to an out-of-state address in Ohio and the owners have not been reached yet, she said.
After making some checks made about the building, Ramirez said she believes the image may have been on the building for some time as it was picked up by Google mapping photography at the building’s address, 1804 22nd St., in 2014.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
