Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society

The first Rax franchised restaurant opened in the United States in 1978. At its peak in the 1980s, the Rax Roast Beef restaurant chain had grown to 504 locations in 38 states. The photo below, showing the building under construction at 1266 Dublin Road, is from a July 7, 1984 Columbus Dispatch article. The accompanying article stated that the 50,000-square-foot, two-story facility was being built at a cost of $5.5 million, according to Paul M. Savage, vice president of the restaurant chain at the time. Once completed, the building would accommodate all the headquarters personnel which were being housed in three buildings at the time. The other photo shows the completed headquarters at its opening on September 15, 1984. The Rax franchise subsequently faced a number of challenges that necessitated the closure of the Marble Cliff headquarters and sale of the property in 1990. The Church of Scientology of Central Ohio has owned the property at 1266 Dublin Road since 2008. The local Rax restaurant at 1724 W. 5th Avenue during the 1980’s was eventually sold to Wendy’s and is now the location of a Valvoline Instant Oil Change center. As of late 2025, there are only six Rax Roast Beef restaurants remaining in the United States.

The Columbus Soapbox Derby Grandview Connection
The Columbus Soap Box 2026 Spring Fever Rally and Test Drives have started this month. The All-American Soapbox Derby began in 1933 in Dayton, Ohio as a local race. Over the years local races were held throughout the U.S. to select the final group of racers that would compete in the national competition in Akron, Ohio. From the 1940’s through the early 1960’s the Columbus race took place on the Grandview Avenue hill from Mulford Road to Goodale Blvd. Competitors were kids in the 9-15 age range and the cars had to be constructed by the kids themselves. They ran in heats of three over the nearly 1000 feet course. In 1950, the race started a tradition of an adult celebrity race, called the Oil Can Trophy Race. Columbus Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner (pictured left) prepares for his heat in the 1955 Soapbox Derby. His opponent is Joe Wyman, who was the Columbus district shop superintendent. Wyman, who was substituting for Grandview Heights Mayor A.K. Pierce, would himself later become Grandview’s mayor. Wyman was the General Chairman of the local Soapbox Derby race. He won a second place trophy. Sensenbrenner joked that Wyman had a slight weight advantage!