Update on Uptown Westerville Star

Previous Update (Dec. 1)

Thanks to exterior cameras at the Church of Messiah, we can now see when high winds toppled the Uptown Holiday Star. As you can see in this video, the Star falls on State St. at about 2:46 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, narrowly missing a moving vehicle.

Weather and high winds introduce risks we are not willing to take in the future. We determined that we need a place for the Star that is both safe and prominent.

We are grateful for the partnership of the Westerville Public Library, who agreed for the Star to be placed on their State St-facing roof during the holiday season beginning in 2026. This will be in the same place Hilda the Dragon is positioned every year for Halloween and Midnight Madness.

The Star is a treasured part of the season for so many in Westerville, and for City staff too. The Westerville Electric Division will continue to steward its care, overseeing its repair until late November next year when it will shine from atop its new home.

The History of the Uptown Westerville Star

Originally published and edited from the 2013 November/December Westerville Community Guide:

Each year following the Thanksgiving holiday, a traditional decoration takes its place over Main and State Streets in Uptown Westerville, signaling the holiday season for the entire month of December. The Westerville Holiday Star has a long history in our community, dating back to the mid-1930s when holiday spirit was much needed.

It was during the Great Depression that the Westerville Businessman's Association, led by Percy Yantis, started looking for a way to bring business to the Uptown area and to make the holidays seem brighter for a community that like the rest of the country was suffering tough economic times. Yantis went to Westerville City Manager Ross Windom with the idea of a large star which could hang over State St. in the main intersection of the shopping area.

Windom liked the idea and commissioned local tinsmith George Alexander to create the star. Alexander was known for both his tin work and musical talent, as he was also director of the Westerville Band. He created the star in his shop, located in Uptown off of College Ave. Alexander passed away in 1939 at the age of 55 after 35 years in the tinsmith business.

The community newspaper at the time, The Public Opinion, published an article in its December 5, 1935 edition that profiled the Star, saying "The business section of the village has taken on a holiday appearance with the erection of the Christmas decorations. A noteworthy addition this year is a huge star electrically lighted and hanging high over the street at the corner of State and Main Sts."

In 2008, the 40-watt incandescent lamps that light the Star were exchanged with two-watt LED lamps. Now instead of consuming enough electricity to power a home for one month, the 172 lights that illuminate the Star consume approximately the energy of a small refrigerator for the same one month period, without diminishing the beauty of this legacy ornament.

The Star's location was moved in 2021 to hang over State and Home Streets. This change was necessitated by structural issues with the older building facades at State and Main where the Star was traditionally hung.