Architecture

1940 home influenced by Wright in danger

Saturday,  December 6, 2008 2:58 AM

By Jeffrey Sheban

The Columbus Dispatch

 

Preservationists are racing to save an important example of Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture on the Far East Side.

 

A commercial developer has made an offer for the secluded house at 7495 E. Broad St. in the Blacklick neighborhood -- which has been for sale for three years and vacant for two.

 

[email protected]

 

http://dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/12/06/1A_BLACKLICK_HOUSE.ART_ART_12-06-08_D1_QDC554J.html?sid=101

I haven't seen this particular house by architect Van Fossen.  But I do know of the more famous Rush Creek development he designed in Worthington.  Columbus Landmarks Foundation had a guided tour of the Rush Creek homes a few years ago. 

 

Both Rush Creek and this East Broad house are hidden gems.  Quite literally hidden because they are so well integrated with the landscape that they are difficult to find.  They are modest yet beautiful places to live.  The Rush Creek homes are based on the 1950's Usonian-type Wright designs.  This East Broad home looks to be more influenced by Fallingwater given its 1940's vintage.

Link to the Columbus Landmarks website about the Gunning House:

http://www.columbuslandmarks.org/preservation/gunning.php

 

The website also contains additional photos and history on the house.

 

 

 

Also a 28-photo tour of the house and property:

http://www.columbuslandmarks.org/preservation/gunninghouse_tour.pdf

If the Firestone mansion in gentrifying, preservation-minded Olde Towne East didn't stand a chance, I don't think this one out in disposable sprawl land will either.

what a cool home & setting. that would be a suburban treasure most anywhere else. a shame.

 

it's going for cheap so hopefully somebody looking for a labor of love will pick it up. who knows? its a buyers market these days. keep us posted.

Hopeful update about this from CU.  Lots of lots of photos at the link:

 

 

The Gunning House Removed From Most Endangered Buildings List

By Anne Evans, Columbus Underground

June 25, 2014 - 7:45 am

 

The Gunning House, also known as Glenbrow, can finally be removed from the list of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites, assembled by Preservation Ohio.  The home has been on the list since 2009.  Last week, the new owners, Dorri Steinhoff and Joe Kuspan closed on the property at a purchase price of $185,000.  Less than the 2008 asking price of $275,000.  Most recently, as a commercial property, the listed price was $297,500.

(. . .)

The 2,144 square-foot home had not been inhabited since 2005 and had languished on the market.  After the death of the home’s owner in 2012, the home was taken off the market and became ensnared in estate issues.  Then it was being offered as a commercial sale of the property which would most certainly mean demolition and the loss of an historic piece of architecture.

(. . .)

Now, the plan is for the home to be the personal residence of Steinhoff and Kuspan and their two children.  The goal is to move in by Summer of 2016.  It is certainly an ambitious goal and a huge undertaking, but fitting for this couple, who enjoy taking properties that have become a shadow of their former selves and restoring them to luster.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-gunning-house-removed-from-most-endangered-buildings-list

 

Donations to help preserve original Port Columbus terminal

By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

Friday, May 15, 2015 - 7:34 AM

 

The original Port Columbus terminal might not be on a list of Columbus’ endangered buildings for much longer.  Columbus Regional Airport Authority officials have agreed to donate $17,000 to a group that has been raising money to put a new roof on the historic building, remove mold and clean out the interior.  That will give the Columbus Airport Terminal Stabilization Fund the $50,000 needed to earn a matching $50,000 grant from the Columbus Foundation.

( . . . )

Robin Holderman, chief asset and development officer for the airport authority, said he hopes the work can begin this month on the building at 4920 E. 5th Avenue on the southeastern edge of Port Columbus.  The authority will work with the terminal-stabilization fund, a preservation group, to find tenants, he said.  The preservation group had raised $33,000 before the airport authority stepped up, said George O’Donnel, a member of the group and statutory agent for the fund.

 

The building opened on July 8, 1929, and served as the airport terminal until the current one opened in 1958.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/05/15/donations-to-help-preserve-original-port-columbus-terminal.html

Follow-up to the previous story about the Port Columbus 1929 terminal building.  Apparently, a companion building - the 1929 hanger - might also be included in the planned restoration of the original terminal.  Below is a view of the hanger building (which is still being used by the airport for storage and is in better condition than the terminal building) and a location map for both buildings:

 

 

 

Restoration of original Port Columbus might include hangar

By Maria DeVito, The Columbus Dispatch

Friday, June 5, 2015 - 2:39 AM

 

Port Columbus’ first airplane hangar might be restored to its former glory soon.  A prospective tenant looking into leasing the original Port Columbus Terminal from the Columbus Regional Airport Authority is now considering leasing the hangar as well.

 

George O’Donnel, a member of the Columbus Airport Terminal Stabilization Fund and statutory agent for the fund, would not disclose the name of the potential tenant.  The deal is in the early stages, said Robin Holderman, chief asset and development officer for the airport authority.  The cost of repairing the 86-year-old buildings has not been estimated.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/06/05/taking-off-again.html

:clap:

 

Port Columbus' original terminal to see new life as bank headquarters

 

 

The original Port Columbus International Airport terminal will have life once again.

 

Heartland Bank plans to move its headquarters from a longtime home on North Hamilton Road in Gahanna to the historic building opened in 1929. It has stood vacant since 2007 and has been the target of discussion for demolition, although preservationists have been advocating for saving it.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/07/28/port-columbus-original-terminal-to-see-new-life-as.html

That is some great news for the former terminal building and the hanger building.  CU has something about this as well at http://www.columbusunderground.com/heartland-bank-relocating-from-gahanna-to-old-airport-terminal

FIRST LOOK: Inside Port Columbus' original terminal and why Heartland Bank is moving there (slideshow - 18 photos)

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/08/first-look-inside-port-columbus-original-terminal.html

COOL!

Port Columbus' original terminal to see new life as bank headquarters

 

 

The original Port Columbus International Airport terminal will have life once again.

 

Heartland Bank plans to move its headquarters from a longtime home on North Hamilton Road in Gahanna to the historic building opened in 1929.  It has stood vacant since 2007 and has been the target of discussion for demolition, although preservationists have been advocating for saving it.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/07/28/port-columbus-original-terminal-to-see-new-life-as.html

 

Moved some posts about the original Port Columbus airport terminal building (including the above article) from the Columbus Projects & Construction section over here because it looks like the planned renovation of it has fallen through:

 

Heartland Bank scrapping HQ plans at original Port Columbus terminal:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/12/03/heartland-bank-scrapping-hq-plans-at-original-port.html

 

114-year-old downtown office building recommended for National Register of Historic Places

By Evan Weese, Staff Reporter - Columbus Business First

September 27, 2016, 4:38pm EDT

 

A 114-year-old office building in downtown Columbus is being recommended to the National Register of Historic Places.  The Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board has voted to recognize the Del Monte building at 341-345 S. Third St. for its local significance.

 

It was built in 1902 at the northwest corner of Third and Mound streets. ... Originally an 18-unit apartment complex, the three-story building now is used for executive and attorneys' offices.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/09/27/114-year-old-downtown-office-building-recommended.html

93-year-old downtown building nominated for National Register of Historic Places

 

 

A 93-year-old building just off Capitol Square may be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The eight-story Empire Building at 150 E. Broad St. has been nominated for the sought-after designation by the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/03/28/93-year-old-downtown-building-nominated-for.html

Dispatch building, Franklinton Engine House land state historic tax credits

 

Renovation projects to restore two historic buildings in Columbus are among the latest recipients of Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

 

The Ohio Development Services Agency on Wednesday announced $35 million in credits awarded to 30 applicants around the state, including projects to restore the former home of The Columbus Dispatch on Capitol Square and the Engine House No. 6 on West Broad Street in Franklinton.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/06/28/dispatch-building-franklinton-engine-house-land.html

 

The original Port Columbus Airport Terminal, built in 1929, needs your help to be restored back to its former glory and make it into a Center of New Business Development for Startups & for The Community. Originally sited by Aviator & Entrepreneur Charles Lindbergh to be a hub on the Transcontinental Air Transport system, the building was converted to offices and has slowly degraded due to years of unoccupancy and neglect.

 

The Original Port Columbus Administration and Terminal building was stabilized in 2016 with a new roof and the tear-out of the rotted interior. The next phase is a $2.1 million renovation. We need to raise $800,0000 to activate a combination of grants, tax credits, and debt financing to restore the building and install a business development center and interactive museum that honors the entrepreneurial spirit of Lindbergh and creates new and exciting innovations in aerospace and transportation.  Our stretch goal of $1.8 million would completely fund the project without additional outside support and create an endowment to support the maintenance of the building for the foreseeable future.

 

Your tax-deductible donation will insure the survival of this iconic building and bring resources to a new generation of innovators that will drive the future of new companies, new products, and new jobs.  In this new space, we will bring an integrated and interactive learning experience for those that visit, and event venue to host private and public functions, and a business development center with offices, shared spaces and other amenities of a modern incubator and accelerator space.

 

You can find more information at sundownfoundation dot org

Thank you for this!

 

Area south of Ohio State pursues historic designation

By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

Updated: October 6, 2017 at 6:11 AM

 

A new townhouse development on King Avenue is a key reason that David Murchie became part of an effort to create Columbus’ 19th historic district.  Many in the neighborhood, just south of the University District, opposed the 48-unit, $10 million development, marketed to students.  Neighbors said it was too dense and detracted from the neighborhood of single-family brick homes, many dating to the 19th century.

 

The area is west of North High Street, which is undergoing a building boom, and southeast of Ohio State’s growing Wexner Medical Center.  The historic district would include three neighborhoods: Dennison Place, The Circles and NECKO: the Neil-Eighth-Cannon-King Organization.

 

Murchie and others began discussing a historic district, which helps protect neighborhoods by requiring approval of exterior renovations and new projects in addition to demolitions. ... The group plans to gather signatures of property owners in those areas, hoping to persuade at least 75 percent of them to support a district.  That would help persuade the Historic Resources Commission, and then the Columbus City Council, to support it.

 

The proposed district’s oldest homes, near High Street, date to 1875, and the newer ones were built in the 1920s.  The Circles neighborhood was platted about 1890 as an exclusive community.  The property was owned by Anne Neil Dennison, the daughter of wealthy businessman William Neil.  His farm later became the Ohio State University campus.  She was the wife of a former governor of Ohio, William Dennison Jr.  One name being considered for the district: the McMillen-Dennison Historic District, named for William Neil’s two daughters, Anne Neil Dennison and Elizabeth J. McMillen.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20171005/area-south-of-ohio-state-pursues-historic-designation

 

The Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Gunning House, also know as Glenbrow, has been restored by local couple Joe Kuspan and Dorri Steinhoff.  The formerly endangered 2,144 square-foot home was built in 1940 with walls of sandstone that had been quarried on-site.

 

The Glenbrow / Gunning House was designed by Tony Smith, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, along with Laurence Cuneo and Theodore van Fossen (who later went on to design 48 Wrightian-inspired homes in the Rush Creek Village neighborhood of Worthington - separate thread about this at https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,10046.0.html).

 

CU has an extensive photo thread of the restored home at the link below:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/home-tour-historic-glenbrow-home-revived

 

 

 

Another article about the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house on the far East Side purchased by Dorri Steinhoff and her husband, Joe Kuspan, a Columbus architect.  Steinhoff and Kuspan were recognized for their efforts when they received the 2018 Outstanding Persons Award from Columbus Landmarks, which in 2014 had included the Gunning House on its first list of endangered properties:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20180513/couple-rehab-architecturally-important-reynoldsburg-house-labeled-at-risk-in-2014

 

 

 

http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20180514/palace-theatre-closes-for-renovation

 

The Palace Theatre is closed until November while the historic venue undergoes $6.5 million in renovations.  The main-hall makeover will include repair of damaged plaster, new paint, installation of new first-floor seats and the cleaning, repainting and reupholstering of balcony seats.  The project will reduce theater capacity from 2,837 to 2,691.

 

The Palace Theatre opened at 34 W. Broad Street in 1926 and operated as a movie theater until 1975.  It reopened as a multi-purpose concert venue in 1980, after theater owner (and owner of the adjacent LeVeque Tower) Katherine LeVeque invested $3 million into the venue.  LeVeque gave the theater to the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) in 1989.

 

This historic downtown movie house is only surpassed by the even more ornate Ohio Theatre that opened in 1928 one block south at 55 E. State Street and is also owned and operated by CAPA.  Below is a video showing the existing interior conditions prior to this $6.5 million renovation project:

 

 

Another couple of articles (along with a much brighter interior photo) about the Palace Theatre renovation.  The Columbus Navigator article focuses on one aspect of the renovation - the replacement of all the main floor seating.  The big (so to speak) reason for the seat replacement is that 21st-century Americans are larger than our 1920’s ancestors.  This impacts customer comfort - and they've got the Yelp reviews to prove it:

 

https://www.columbusunderground.com/palace-theatre-closing-for-six-months-of-renovations-tm1

 

https://www.columbusnavigator.com/palace-theatre-renovations/

Dispatch article marking the 40th anniversary of the Cultural Arts Center in the former State Arsenal in Downtown Columbus:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20180603/cultural-arts-center-marks-40th-year-of-community-building

 

---

In 1861, the State Arsenal was built at what is now 139 W. Main Street.  A gun room was installed on the first floor, with a roofless stable later housing horses and artillery pieces.  By the 1970's, the Arsenal had fallen into disuse by the State.  However, as part city’s celebration of the national bicentennial in 1976, a new riverfront park was being built across the street from the former State Arsenal, to be called Bicentennial Park.

 

It was then that Mel Dodge (then director of the City’s Recreation and Parks Department) went over to talk to former Columbus Mayor (and then Ohio Governor) James Rhodes to do something about the former State Arsenal building.  Rhodes had the State work out a 99-year lease at $1 a year with the City Recreation and Parks Department.  As of 2018, fifty-nine years remain on the lease.

 

After a $1.4 million renovation, largely funded by a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the former 38,500 square foot State Arsenal was re-dedicated on June 11, 1978, as the Cultural Arts Center.

 

 

At the corner of the brick wall surrounding the building at Main Street and Civic Center Drive are an eagle and shield that once adorned the battleship USS Ohio.  In the late 1980's, the brick-clad Waterford Tower 19-story condo building was built just west of the Cultural Arts Center.  Just further west, the Miranova development - featuring the 26-story condo tower seen in this photo and a 12-story office tower (not seen in this photo) - was built in the late 1990's:

 

This aerial shows the Cultural Arts Center (139 West Main Street) in the lower left portion of the image.  The Waterford Tower condo building is immediately to the west and Bicentennial Park is immediately north across Main Street from the Cultural Arts Center.  This aerial shows the latest iteration of Bicentennial Park, after a recently completed redo that included a narrowed Scioto River through downtown which created additional riverfront parkland called The Scioto Mile:

 

For more information about the Cultural Arts Center:  https://www.culturalartscenteronline.org/

 

Curtain rises on the latest renovation of the Palace Theatre

 

Todd Bemis, CAPA’s vice president of operations, can’t wait to show off the auditorium’s new paint (chosen to match original colors), repaired decorative plaster, upgraded seats and LED lighting.  The work represents the first major renovation of the theater in 34 years. “It’s brighter and brings a richness to the theater that was missing,” Bemis said. “The work is much more respectful of what the theater looked like when the Palace opened in 1926.”

 

The recent makeover continues the organization’s ongoing $6.5 million capital campaign to fund a full theater renovation, which began in mid-2017 with a new roof and heating system.  Over the past three years CAPA has raised more than $5 million — including nearly $1 million in federal tax credits — to fund the renovations.  The group plans to raise the remaining $1.5 million in the coming months to replace the front doors, enhance security and remodel the mezzanine-level men’s bathrooms and concession area.

 

MORE:  https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20181101/curtain-rises-on-latest-renovation-of-palace-theatre

Another article and slideshow of the refurbished Palace Theatre from Business First:

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/11/01/take-a-look-inside-the-newly-refinished-palace.html

See inside a renovated 1929 theater on Ohio Dominican University's campus

 

 

A 90-year-old theater on Ohio Dominican University’s campus will officially reopen this weekend after a $1 million renovation.

 

Matesich Theatre, named after former Sister Mary Andrew Matesich, a former ODU president, will celebrate its grand reopening Saturday with a performance by ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

 

The five-year renovation of the 549-seat theater included restoring its intricate wood and plaster work; strengthening its exterior walls and roof; installing new stage lighting, audio and visual components; and refinishing the curtain, carpet and seats.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/10/11/see-inside-a-renovated-1929-theater-on-ohio.html

These historic building restoration projects are seeking tax credits

 

Columbus' development boom has led to more than a few old buildings coming down, but the latest round of historic tax credit seekers are hoping to keep a few from meeting the same fate.

 

Five developers have submitted applications for nine buildings in this fall's round of Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits, which could provide crucial financing for the revival of some of the oldest properties in Central Ohio.

 

Five of the properties in question are in downtown Columbus, although a handful of outlying and suburban properties are also in the mix.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/10/16/slideshow-these-historic-columbus-building.html

 

 

Nonprofit to spend $2M to transform original Port Columbus terminal into HQ, educational center

 

An Ohio nonprofit that aims to celebrate the state’s air and space pioneers announced that it has secured a long-term lease to create its future headquarters at the original Port Columbus terminal.

 

The Ohio Air and Space Hall of Fame and Museum is planning to spend $2 million to renovate the 12,000-square-foot space at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

 

The terminal, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was dedicated in 1929 and served until 1958, when a modern terminal was built nearby, according to the group.  There have been several plans to redevelop the space over the years, but they have fallen through, including a 2015 idea from Heartland Bank to turn it into its new headquarters.

 

MORE:  https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/10/01/port-columbus-terminal-renovation.html

More about the original Port Columbus Terminal building from Columbus Landmarks:

 

https://www.columbuslandmarks.org/port-columbus-terminal/

 

ORIGINAL PORT COLUMBUS TERMINAL (1928)

FYI:  Moved multiple 2015 posts about saving the original Port Columbus Terminal building from the Demolition Watch thread into this Historic Preservation thread, since it looks like that project is on again.

Columbus Landmarks launches new funds to save historic architecture

 

"We want to stop the demolition of these buildings, and this is a tool that will help us be able to intervene when the traditional market hasn't worked."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/12/03/two-funds-to-preserve-historic-columbus-buildings.html

 

Mansion, Car Dealership Both Land Historic Tax Credits

 

Plans to renovate a Frank Packard-designed mansion in Marble Cliff and a historic car dealership on the Near East Side both got a significant boost today.

 

The projects were the only two from Central Ohio to be awarded Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits from the Ohio Development Services Agency.

 

The tax credits, which are awarded by the state twice a year, are used by developers to help close funding gaps for historic renovation projects that would otherwise prove challenging to complete.

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/mansion-car-dealership-both-land-historic-tax-credits-bw1

 

Good, glad they saved the Lanman-Ingraham House on 5th in Marble Cliff. Looks like it's getting the Bush Mansion treatment with more residential in front.

Edited December 17, 20204 yr by GCrites80s

On 12/17/2020 at 3:36 PM, GCrites80s said:

Good, glad they saved the Lanman-Ingraham House on 5th in Marble Cliff. Looks like it's getting the Bush Mansion treatment with more residential in front.

 

Here's more about the mansion redevelopment project from the Dispatch with a current rendering of the project:

 

Marble Cliff mansion redevelopment boosted by tax credits

 

The Marble Cliff Gateway Mansion has been approved for state historic tax credits, allowing the 112-year-old landmark on W. 5th Avenue to be redeveloped.  The owner, a group of developers called The Packard in Marble Cliff, is proposing a $13 million residential complex on the 1.25-acre site that would incorporate the renovated mansion.

 

The development would include 30 new condominiums behind the mansion, five carriage house condominiums in front and four apartments and community rooms in the 15,240-square-foot mansion itself.  The new buildings would continue the mansion's Tudor Revival style. 

 

MORE:  https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/business/2020/12/17/marble-cliff-mansion-renovated-into-residential-complex/3931163001/

 

That's better than the 2018 renderings that mostly obscured the house behind new buildings. The Bush mansion got almost completely obscured when it was redeveloped.

• https://www.columbusnavigator.com/ohio-theatre-renovation-2021/
• https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/02/01/ohio-theatre-renovations-capa.html
• https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/02/01/private-donations-state-capital-funds-mean-theater-gets-some-updates/4340361001/

The 93-year-old Ohio Theatre in Downtown Columbus will be getting an upgrade, thanks to a combination of state funds and private donations.  Work has begun on replacing the upper balcony seating in the 2,791-seat theater.  Installation of these new upper balcony seats will also include reconstruction of the aisle steps in the balcony, plus the installation of new handrails, railings and new carpeting in the balcony.

I remember going in there as a kid and being terrified at how low the railing on the upper deck was. I guess a lot of stuff was built like that in the old days. Like how the railing at the Old Cincinnati Library was like 2 feet high.

As a huge local aviation enthusiast, I can't be more excited for this reuse of the old Port Columbus terminal (not sure if this can be cross-posted into the CMH thread in the Aviation subsection?):

 

 

Here’s what original Port Columbus terminal could look like after $2M-plus renovation (slideshow)

By Hayleigh Colombo  –  Staff reporter, Columbus Business First

Mar 15, 2021, 3:00pm EDT

 

Efforts to transform the old Port Columbus terminal into the Ohio Air and Space Hall of Fame and Museum are progressing.

 

An Ohio nonprofit that has secured a long-term lease on the facility and plans to renovate the site shared new renderings and a "fly-through view" of the project on Monday in hopes of spurring additional donations needed to start.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/03/15/original-port-columbus-terminal-renovation.html

Edited March 18, 20214 yr by CMHOhio

The organization's website:

 

https://ohioairandspace.org/

 

The video of the proposed renovations and museum:

 

 

On 3/15/2021 at 9:12 PM, Columbo said:

The 93-year-old Ohio Theatre in Downtown Columbus will be getting an upgrade, thanks to a combination of state funds and private donations.  Work has begun on replacing the upper balcony seating in the 2,791-seat theater.  Installation of these new upper balcony seats will also include reconstruction of the aisle steps in the balcony, plus the installation of new handrails, railings and new carpeting in the balcony.

 

The upper balcony renovation project at the wonderful Ohio Theatre is now finished.  The Columbus Symphony held the first post-renovation performance in the Ohio Theatre last weekend.  Below is a beautiful photo spread of the upper balcony renovations from the below linked article at Columbus Navigator:

 

https://www.columbusnavigator.com/ohio-theatre-renovations/

 

 

 

 

And to think that was almost demolished...

3 minutes ago, ink said:

And to think that was almost demolished...

 

It was?! 😲

^Indeed. You can read about it here:

 

https://www.columbusmonthly.com/entertainment/20190611/saving-ohio-theatre 

 

 

1 hour ago, ink said:

^Indeed. You can read about it here:

 

https://www.columbusmonthly.com/entertainment/20190611/saving-ohio-theatre 

 

 

 

So Columbus saved the Crew (twice) and the Ohio Theater. Nice!

The owners of downtown's historic Lazarus House are ready to show off their renovation

 

A grand Town Street home that once was owned by the Lazarus family has been given a new lease on life.

 

The Lazarus family used to live in the brick mansion at 380 E. Town St. – not too far from the Lazarus department store along Town and High streets.

 

Mark Sweeney and his partner Abigail McLean bought the house in 2020 from their now neighbors, who had previously saved the home from demolition. Sweeney and McLean began working on plans to renovate the house in April 2021.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/10/05/lazarus-house-downtown-columbus-renovations-histor.html

 

This isn’t 100% development related, but I feel like any renovation of historic properties downtown are awesome. 
 

The owners of downtown's historic Lazarus House are ready to show off their renovation

 

 

The house was split up into three different dwellings when Sweeney and McLean bought it. The first floor is a luxury apartment unit, while the second and third floors of the house serve as a four-bedroom, four-bathroom living area for Sweeney, McLean and their two children. There is also an addition on the back of the house, added in the 1940s, that is being rented out as an apartment unit.

Both additional dwelling units are now occupied and the family has been living in the main residence since last fall.

 

In total, the house spans more than 7,000 square feet.

 

Through the renovation, the couple preserved the original floors and restored the fireplaces, stripping layers or years-old paint from the fireplaces to reveal stone mantels.

Many of the windows in the home are restored and original to the house.

Edited October 6, 20231 yr by VintageLife

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

This isn’t 100% development related, but I feel like any renovation of historic properties downtown are awesome. 
 

The owners of downtown's historic Lazarus House are ready to show off their renovation

 

 

The house was split up into three different dwellings when Sweeney and McLean bought it. The first floor is a luxury apartment unit, while the second and third floors of the house serve as a four-bedroom, four-bathroom living area for Sweeney, McLean and their two children. There is also an addition on the back of the house, added in the 1940s, that is being rented out as an apartment unit.

Both additional dwelling units are now occupied and the family has been living in the main residence since last fall.

 

In total, the house spans more than 7,000 square feet.

 

Through the renovation, the couple preserved the original floors and restored the fireplaces, stripping layers or years-old paint from the fireplaces to reveal stone mantels.

Many of the windows in the home are restored and original to the house.

I think they did an amazing job adding modern touches but preserving the historic charm. Whoever was the architect on that project is brilliant.

So many of these grand old E. Town and E. Broad houses have been turned into offices and split up. On one hand that means they aren't original use or layout. You almost want to see them restored to full originality. On the other, just two or so people per 7000 square foot house with yards in an otherwise dense area is kind of a waste of space and even quite decadent.

1 hour ago, GCrites said:

So many of these grand old E. Town and E. Broad houses have been turned into offices and split up. On one hand that means they aren't original use or layout. You almost want to see them restored to full originality. On the other, just two or so people per 7000 square foot house with yards in an otherwise dense area is kind of a waste of space and even quite decadent.

The first floor is an apartment and addition in the back will be rented also. Not sure how many sqft the first floor is, but they aren’t using the entire 7000 sqft. I am fine with people wanting to live in the entire house if they have the means. It brings more people into downtown that will spend money downtown.