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Love of history drives area restoration

Business First of Columbus

by Jeff Bell, Business First

Friday, October 5, 2007

 

Pete Loscocco enjoys the sense of history he experiences every time he walks into the Alpha Building at the corner of Long and 17th streets in the King Lincoln Arts & Entertainment District.  He said that feeling is a big reason why he and his wife, Laurie, have taken on the renovation of a building that had fallen on hard times in an impoverished neighborhood long before they bought it three years ago.

 

"It really was a situation where my interest in history, old buildings and Columbus intersected," said Loscocco, a Columbus area resident and vice president with Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc.  "My interest first and foremost was restoring an old building with a lot of history and hopefully making it work as an investment as well."

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/10/07/story3.html

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    750 East Broad Apartment Building (7-3-21)   The Adelphi Quarter and East Long Street resurfacing / utility progress     1020 E Long St Building Renovation

Posted Images

http://www.urban-spirit.com/

 

That's going to be a coffeeshop/gallery. I drove by on Thursday on my way back from Creole Kitchen (delicious) and they had that website on the window.

  • 2 months later...

More about the coffee shop going into the Alpha Building at the corner of 17th and Long in the King-Lincoln District.  From the columbusunderground site:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11682

 

Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop opening soon in the King Lincoln District

January 17, 2008

 

Now residents on the Near East Side will not have to travel so far for a gourmet cup of coffee!  Nestled in what is known as Columbus' Cradle of Jazz, Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop, Ltd is a coffee shop and art gallery reminiscent of the bustling spirit of Long Street during the 1920's.

 

Discover Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop, at 893 E. Long Street, in the historic "Alpha Building" the site of the first African-American owned hospital in Columbus, Ohio.  This newly restored space on the corner of 17th and Long St. was formerly built and occupied by Dr. William A. Method, known as "Dean of Negro Physicians", thereby increasing its appeal.

 

Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop, Ltd. is scheduled to open on February 19th, 2008 in honor of Dr. Method's birthday.  Enjoy a Method Mocha and take a walk down memory lane, as you listen to the sounds of melodious jazz.  For more information about Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop, Ltd. please visit www.Urban-Spirit.com.  It is truly "The Taste of Innovation" TM.

 

 

 

I just got to this area for the first time Friday and was very impressed with the buildings stock and overall feel of the place.

More about the coffee shop going into the Alpha Building at the corner of 17th and Long in the King-Lincoln District.  From the columbusunderground site:

 

blah blah blah

 

truly "The Taste of Innovation" TM.

 

Fantastic!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

  • 3 weeks later...

Not sure if this is the same building we discussed earlier.  Sounds like a difference one.  But anyway here's some news from http://www.columbushomesblog.com/2008/02/03/more-long-street-corridor-improvement-coming/.

 

More Long Street Corridor Improvement Coming

February 3rd, 2008

 

This recently vacant apartment building at the corner of 17th and Long just began a major rehab.  The building has been owned, for nearly four years now, by the city of Columbus and was part of the city’s land bank program. 

 

Official records haven’t been changed yet to reflect the new ownership but I can tell you they have a big crew working on the tear-out of this building. 

 

jan-2007-2008-20002-small.jpg

 

 

  • 3 weeks later...

So, Urban Spirit opened this week. Had a small group from Columbus Underground meet up there on opening morning to try it out. I'm proud to say that my wife and I were the first customers to make a purchase! :D They even made me sign my $20 bill. ha!

 

Anyway, the renovations are impressive to say the least. Great amenity for this growing neighborhood. I look forward to the summer when it will be much easier for me to walk over there and sit out their outdoor sidewalk space to enjoy a drink and surf the net on their wifi. ;)

I am so sorry I couldn't make it (I was in Houston and I have photos to prove it!) but it sounds fantastic and what a great space to be in.  True urban pioneers!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Long-planned housing in King-Lincoln has yet to rise

Thursday,  February 28, 2008 - 3:14 AM

By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Two developments on the Near East Side intended to help revitalize the King-Lincoln District are struggling after almost two years. The city of Columbus has promised $364,000 for the 28-unit Whitney condominium development at 761 Mount Vernon Ave.  The project is to cost $6.4 million, and the developers are trying to get financing.  They hope to break ground this year.

 

Developers of the $1.8 million Monroe Cluster condominiums between N. Monroe Avenue and Talmadge Street north of E. Long Street remain in a holding pattern.  They've also had difficulty getting financing.  Architect Jeff Glavan, who's on the development team, said they might turn to the city for help.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/28/NEAREAST.ART_ART_02-28-08_C10_V59FUN8.html?sid=101

As long as these projects get done quicker than Jeffrey Place I won't complain too much.  ;)

 

The article also omits the neighborhood projects that are progressing... Hamilton Park Place, NoBo, Alpha Building, The Edna, etc. It just barely mentions the Lincoln Theater, where reconstruction recently kicked off.

 

Delayed development news on these two project would only worry me if I were looking to flip a neighborhood property over here in 2 years.

 

As long as these projects get done quicker than Jeffrey Place I won't complain too much.

 

The creation of the world was quicker than Jeffrey Place's construction timeline.

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

As long as these projects get done quicker than Jeffrey Place I won't complain too much.

 

The creation of the world was quicker than Jeffrey Place's construction timeline.

 

But it's still quicker than The Banks timeline!

But creation of the world only took 6 days.  :wink:

 

 

Near East Side to get its grocery

Friday,  February 29, 2008 - 3:08 AM

By Mark Ferenchik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A year after a deal to build a Near East Side grocery appeared dead, a Save-A-Lot discount store is taking shape along E. Main Street in a neighborhood desperate for a chain food store.  Save-A-Lot focuses on urban neighborhoods. With a limited number of national brands and its own store brands, it advertises prices up to 40 percent lower than other grocery chains. Customers select products out of cases and bag their own groceries.

 

The grocery is scheduled to open by July, the centerpiece of a 60,000-square-foot retail and commercial development called Heritage Square Marketplace.  Developer Casto is marketing the project, which will include a new 12,000-square-foot retail building on the southwest corner of E. Main Street and Wilson Avenue.

 

A fence surrounds the Save-A-Lot site, a former Salvation Army store at 1179 E. Main St. that once had been a Kroger.  Crews have been preparing the building for renovation. Jonathan Beard, president of the Columbus Compact Corp., the private, nonprofit developer that uses federal grants to revitalize the Near East Side, sued a Save-A-Lot franchisee, Lofino's Columbus Foods, when it withdrew from the deal last year. But Save-A-Lot is back on board and Lofino's is the licensee.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/29/SAVEALOT.ART_ART_02-29-08_C10_589GBKR.html?sid=101

Looks like someone has been going to the Creation Museum.  :wink:

LOL!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Coffee shop owner aiding in revival of historic King-Lincoln district

Business First of Columbus

By Dan Eaton Business First

Friday, March 7, 2008

 

Charity Martin-Via hopes her new coffee shop becomes not only a destination for a cup of joe, but also a shot for development along a stretch of Long Street on Columbus' Near East Side.  Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop Ltd. opened last month at 893 Long St. in the restored Alpha Building, which once was home to the first black-owned hospital in the city. Martin-Via, a former city employee, had been working on the shop since the fall.

 

"I'm a freelance artist at heart," she said.  "I leveraged my savings and stepped out on faith."  Columbus Compact Corporation and the Economic and Community Development Institute helped her get the space in place with training and financial support.  The coffee shop is east of Interstate 71 in the King-Lincoln district.

 

112738-120-0.jpg?rev=2

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/10/story8.html

 

Do the damn thing, sistah!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Charity is awesome for opening her business over here. Everyone in/around Columbus needs to try this place out! :D

I'll be back this week. I remember looking for outlets and this place is laptop-friendly along with an interior that will please any fan of exposed brick.

  • 2 months later...

Near East Side gets grocery after years without one

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 11:34 AM

By Sherri Williams, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Neighborhood and city leaders packed into the parking lot of the new Save-A-Lot on the East Side today to celebrate the opening of the discount grocery chain's latest Columbus location at 1170 E. Main St.  Neighbors shopped at the store in Heritage Square Market Place commercial development for the first time six years after the plan to put a store in there.

 

Some neighborhood leaders originally questioned the quality of the store's infrastructure in the planning stage.  While standing inside the store neighborhood activist Annette Whitesides of the Near East Area Commission today said she is satisfied with the store which is desperately needed.  Some residents in the economically-challenged neighborhood were taking buses and taxi-cabs to get groceries at stores outside of the neighborhood. The store, the former site of a Salvation Army store, is next to Simply Fashions, an affordable women's clothing store which also opened today.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/21/savalot.html?sid=101

Save-A-Lot, Simply Fashions open in Near East Side center

Business First of Columbus

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 12:58 PM EDT

 

The first tenants of a planned $4.1 million shopping center on Columbus' Near East Side are open, months ahead of the project's second phase development.  City officials and nonprofit developer Columbus Compact Corp. cut the ribbon Wednesday on Heritage Square Marketplace, going up a mile east of downtown.  The Main Street project is anchored by a 16,000-square-foot Save-A-Lot grocery store and discounter Simply Fashion Stores Ltd., both of which opened their doors Wednesday.

 

With the first 19,000-square-foot phase of Heritage Square completed, Columbus Compact expects to break ground this fall on an additional 12,000 square feet of commercial space east of the Save-A-Lot and Simply Fashions stores.  A vacant eight-unit apartment building on Wilson Avenue was demolished to make room for the expansion.  The project's total cost is estimated at $4.1 million, $2.4 million of which financed development of the Save-A-Lot.  About 1.6 acres are being redeveloped in the area.

 

The project is part of a larger effort to bring retail to underserved neighborhoods near downtown in the wake of the retail exodus from Columbus City Center.  Columbus Compact has said it hopes to bring more than 60,000 square feet of shopping and services, 200 jobs and a $2 million in annual payroll to the Near East Side.  The first leg of Heritage Square will generate an annual payroll of about $800,000.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/05/19/daily17.html

  • 1 month later...

Historic Lincoln Theatre improvements coming along nicely

WOSU News

Mandie Trimble

COLUMBUS, OH (2008-06-20)

 

The revitalization of the Lincoln Theatre on East Long Street is moving ahead as planned.  The 80 year-old-theatre is set to re-open in April next year.  The Lincoln will combine 21st Century amenities with its old-time style.  In it's heyday, the Lincoln Theatre played host to many jazz greats including Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Duke Ellington

 

For decades, the theatre and the East Side, for that matter, remained a Mecca for local black entertainment.  But the Lincoln quit having live acts and it became a movie theatre about 1970.  Eventually the Lincoln closed.  Some are hoping a multi-million dollar renovation of the theatre will put some life back into the East Side.  Columbus Association for the Performing Art's vice president of operations, Todd Bemis, said the Lincoln will be state-of-the-art but retain its original motif.

 

Construction workers put together frames for the 150 seats in the balcony.  This is one thing that is not original to the theatre.  "This theatre never had a balcony before.  The reason we know for sure it didn't have a balcony is that when we came into the theatre a few years ago we saw where the movie projection booth was and it was actually on the level that we're standing on right now.  So if there had been seats up here the projector would have been shooting into the back of the heads of everyone in the balcony," Bemis said.

 

Read more at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1303962

  • 3 weeks later...

Lincoln Theatre undergoing major renovations

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 - 2:34 PM

By Jim Fischer, This Week News

 

CAPA envisions the Lincoln Theatre as a once and future home for culture and the arts on Columbus' near east side. 

The "once" part is a given, sealed by the Lincoln's place at the heart of a neighborhood that was once "the place for jazz in Columbus," in the words of Todd Bemis, CAPA's vice president of theatre operations.

 

He said CAPA's intent is to fully restore the Egyptian-themed décor in the theatre's interior, "the goal being that it looks exactly as it did" in its heyday.  There are sufficient historical records, Bemis said, to make this possible, even though virtually none of those design elements remained usable at the start of the renovation.

 

The one significant difference will be the addition of a balcony, which will take the theatre's capacity to about 570.  Bemis said this will meet a market demand for that size of facility -- CAPA's Southern and the Capitol Theatre at the Riffe Center seat approximately 1,000, while the Riffe Center's Studio Theatre's seat 250 and 150.

 

Video of the Lincoln Theatre renovations at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/video/index.html

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/bexley/stories/2008/07/02/0703melincolntheatre_ln.html?sid=104

 

now that is some very good news!

Crowning the King-Lincoln

By John Ross, Columbus Alive

July 3, 2008

 

Opened in 1928 as the Ogden Theater & Dance Hall, the 60,000-square-foot theater is set to reopen in April 2009.  The building, located on Long Street just east of I-71, has been closed since the early 1970s.  Aware of the structure's historic importance and the need to bring it up to code, the Columbus Association of Performing Arts, which is at the helm of the $12.8-million project, is trying to strike a balance between traditional charm and modern convenience.

 

Todd Bemis, CAPA's vice president of theater operations, said he wants it to look like it did during the 1950s but offer better concessions, bathrooms, lighting, sound and disability access. "It's a delicate balance of old and new," he said.

 

Read more here:

http://columbusalive.com/?sec=upfront&story=alive/2008/0703/u-city.html

  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for posting those!

 

Oh, and one other update: I got an email from Zanzibar about the bar, and they said they were going to try to have it up and running before the end of the year and it would definitely have a "MoJoe Lounge" feel to the place. They'd have some live music on some nights as well.

 

:D

Zanzibar Brews now open in the King Lincoln District

Jul 24th, 2008

 

A second coffee shop called Zanzibar Brews just opened on Long Street in the King Lincoln District, a mere five months after the first coffee shop (Urban Spirit) opened just a few blocks away.  Is this up-and-coming neighborhood ready to support two independent coffee shops?

 

MORE: http://www.walkerevanseffect.com/blog/zanzibar-brews-now-open-in-the-king-lincoln-district/

The Book Suite coming in September to King Lincoln District

Jul 25th, 2008

 

I just received word this morning via email that another new business will be opening up on Long Street soon in the up-and-coming King Lincoln District.  The Book Suite is scheduled to open the first week of September at 887 East Long Street, next door to the Urban Spirit Coffee Shop.

 

MORE: http://www.walkerevanseffect.com/blog/the-book-suite-coming-in-september-to-king-lincoln-district/

From here: http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=752

 

<b>Who wants to be our neighbor? #10</b>

 

Hooray! My 10th installment of "Who wants to be our neighbor"! If you're just joining us, you can click <a href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?cat=29">here</a> to find all the past installments of this ongoing series. I'm not a realtor or anything (I recommend <a href="http://www.columbushomesblog.com/">Joe Peffer</a>). I'd just love to see more people moving over here to the King Lincoln District on the Near East Side and rehabbing some beautiful old homes within a very short walk of Downtown. We've been living over here for nearly a year and love it! Anyway... on to the findings:

 

<a href="http://www.kingthompson.com/property/propertydetails.aspx?property=38c192dc-227c-4d8c-a7ee-c3ffa56ce239&WT.mc_ID=061810000000000"><img src="http://img.nrtwebservices.com/CBKT/Properties/239/38c192dc-227c-4d8c-a7ee-c3ffa56ce239.jpg" align="right" width="135" /></a><a href="http://www.kingthompson.com/property/propertydetails.aspx?property=38c192dc-227c-4d8c-a7ee-c3ffa56ce239&WT.mc_ID=061810000000000">

226 North 17th Street</a>

$39,900

6 br  2 ba

Size: 2720 sqft

Price per sqft: $15

 

<a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/1064028150-80-N-Monroe-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203"><img src="http://thumbs.trulia.com/pictures/thumbs_big/3910/1064063910_1373405403-80-N-Monroe-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203.jpg" align="right" /></a><a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/1064028150-80-N-Monroe-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203">

80 North Monroe Avenue</a>

$285,000

3,494 sqft

Multi-Family Home

Price/sqft: $82

 

<a href="http://www.kingthompson.com/property/propertydetails.aspx?property=05287a20-116d-4d4b-bcd6-9cefafa7786a&WT.mc_ID=061810000000000"><img src="http://thumbs.trulia.com/pictures/thumbs_big/2275/1063782275_1265202700-109-Winner-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203.jpg" align="right" /></a><a href="http://www.kingthompson.com/property/propertydetails.aspx?property=05287a20-116d-4d4b-bcd6-9cefafa7786a&WT.mc_ID=061810000000000">

109 Winner Avenue</a>

$49,000

4 br  1 ba

Size: 2184 sqft

Price per sqft: $23

 

<a href="http://www.realestatebook.com/homes/listing/101-538115446/refer=trul"><img src="http://thumbs.trulia.com/pictures/thumbs_big/4167/1063784167_1354261469-84-Hamilton-Park-Columbus-OH-43203.jpg" align="right" /></a><a href="http://www.realestatebook.com/homes/listing/101-538115446/refer=trul">

84 Hamilton Park</a>

$249,800

5 br  2 ½ ba

Size: 2,520 sqft

Price/sqft: $99

 

<a href="http://www.trulia.com/property/1063764658-360-N-Garfield-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203">360 North Garfield Avenue (No Photo)</a>

$29,500

Multi-Family Home

2,460 sqft

Price/sqft: $12

 

<a href="http://www.trulia.com/foreclosure/2002112607--N-Monroe-Ave-Columbus-OH-43203">North Monroe Avenue (No Photo)</a>

$111,000

4 br  2 ba  2,474 sqft

Single-Family Home

Year Built: 2002

Price/sqft: $45

  • 2 weeks later...

Wasn't sure if this was in here or not:

 

Got some info about this new East-Side Condo Development via email yesterday (thanks <a href="http://firestonehouse.wordpress.com/">Jessica</a>!) called <a href="http://www.shermanoakcondominiums.com/">Sherman Oak Condominiums</a>. This development was actually mentioned in a <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14964">conversation on CU</a> about two months ago. Good to see that they're still progressing well and that the final result sounds like it will be highly affordable. Units range between 820 sq ft and 1200 sq ft and run between $70k and $160k. Not too shabby.  Here's a rendering from the website:

 

<img src="http://www.shermanoakcondominiums.com/image/img_exterior_home.jpg">

That looks like something out of the 1920s or 1930s. Very nice.

  • 4 weeks later...

Stopped by the Sherman-Oak condos.

 

13922232.jpg

  • 1 month later...

Grant boosts theater project

Friday, October 24, 2008 - 3:13 AM

By Jeffrey Sheban

The Columbus Dispatch

 

A $500,000 grant will help keep the Lincoln Theatre restoration on track for completion in the spring. The Lincoln Theatre Association said it has obtained the grant from the Kresge Foundation to help renovate the historic Near East Side theater, which is expected to reopen in May.  The association must raise an equal amount by August to receive the money.

 

Matching donations will be sought from individuals and corporations, said Sarah Rogers, vice president of advancement for the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, which will help manage the theater. "We have a plan and a timeline," she said, adding that the prestige of being awarded a Kresge grant should help generate donor interest.  "In the nonprofit world, Kresge is considered the Good Housekeeping seal of approval," Rogers said.

 

Read more at http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/10/24/1A_LINCOLN_THEATRE.ART_ART_10-24-08_D4_MHBMF9S.html?sid=101

 

  • 3 months later...

Renovation funding to get closer look

Request for $2.3 million to finish Lincoln Theatre criticized

Saturday, January 31, 2009 - 3:05 AM

By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Columbus City Council wants to scrutinize the city's request for $2.3 million to complete the renovation of the Lincoln Theatre and won't take up the issue at Monday's meeting as the city had hoped.  The Columbus Department of Development recently recommended that the council approve the request, which would complete the build-out of the historic performance hall in the King-Lincoln District.

 

But council wanted time to scrutinize the request, council member Andrew Ginther said yesterday.  "We've got a number of questions and due diligence to do on the funding request before it's going to get on the agenda for consideration," said Ginther, who leads the council's development committee.  The money would be in addition to $4 million the city already has committed to renovation of the Lincoln, which was built in 1928 and had been an artistic center for the city's black community.  It was last used as a theater in the early 1970s.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/01/31/Lincoln_folo.ART_ART_01-31-09_B5_HPCOH74.html?sid=101

  • 2 weeks later...

Lincoln Theater Construction Update Photos

By Walker Evans, ColumbusUnderground.com

February 11, 2009 - 11:45am

 

The rebirth of the historic Lincoln Theater has been years in the making, but the end is finally in sight.  In three short months, the final construction will be completed for a grand opening scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend.

 

The 574-seat theater is being beautifully restored and updated with a larger stage, modern sound and lighting equipment, and a grand new entrance on the side of the building that includes an overlooking balcony reception area.

 

The second floor houses a rehearsal/reception area that will host both public and private events.  This space includes another overlooking balcony, second small stage, and bar area.  It will be available for booking private events such as wedding receptions, fundraisers and galas.

 

The third floor is home to the new Jazz Academy, a one-of-a-kind instructional and educational space that will host music workshops, provide music recording opportunities, and classes aimed a variety of skill levels and age groups.

 

lincoln3.jpg

 

lincoln5.jpg

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/lincoln-theater-construction-update-photos

 

 

WOW!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Shouldn't this be NoBro? I guess it would probably be misleading given Columbus's demographics, and might even be considered discriminatory.

 

Oh and nice theater.

Theater reborn as feast for eyes near Downtown

Lincoln Theatre's restoration nears end ahead of opening in May; project-cost gap is concern

 

Its renovation is about 80 percent complete.  The project, originally budgeted at $11 million, now is to cost $13.5 million, and the city recently proposed that it cover a $2.3 million shortfall.

Renovation funding to get closer look

Request for $2.3 million to finish Lincoln Theatre criticized

Saturday, January 31, 2009

 

A last night's meeting, Columbus City Council approved the additional $2.3 million to cover overruns and design changes for the Lincoln Theatre renovation project.

I'll go to a show to help bridge the gap. Of course, the split cost a billion more than originally expected, but that's OK.  ::)

Seeking salvation: Historic but crumbling Near East Side church faces uncertain future

Monday, February 23, 2009 - 3:14 AM

By Sherri Williams, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

White boards cover the windows at Centenary United Methodist Church.  A fence guards a hole where bricks and shingles have fallen.  A broken marquee sign stands in front.  But down the block on Long Street, the new Urban-Spirit Cafe bustles with customers, Zanzibar Brews is open for business and a neon sign illuminates the nearly restored Lincoln Theatre.

 

Neighbors hope that some of the reinvestment in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood on the Near East Side will move down the block to the church at 928 E. Long St.  Centenary, a massive brick building with ornate spires, has been vacant for years.  Its owner, nearby Second Baptist Church at 186 N. 17th St., has been cited for various code violations, including a dilapidated roof and crumbling bricks.  Second Baptist Church, which acquired Centenary in 2003 when the congregation moved, faces a May 28 hearing in Environmental Court. 

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/02/23/SAVECHURCH.ART_ART_02-23-09_B1_UQD05CC.html?sid=101

  • 3 weeks later...

<b>Welcome to the Greenest House in the Midwest</b>

By Walker | March 16, 2009

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/greenhome.jpg">

 

A newly built residence located at 258 N. 21st Street, in the NoBo development area of the King Lincoln District, was just awarded its LEED Platinum certification by the USGBC. <b>That makes it the first LEED Platinum residential home not only in the state of Ohio, but in the entire Midwest.</b>

 

Several weeks ago I was invited to tour the home by Roger Beck, a local Technology Education teacher at Worthington Kilbourne High School who helped to build the home along with students of the college preparatory Home B.A.S.E. (Building Academic Skills and Experiences) class.

 

It was on Sunday, March 1st when I walked over to take a look at this new home. I remember the morning well as it a mere 20 degrees outside, yet quite sunny. It made for a chilly 10 minute walk, but the stroll down a forgotten section of brick-laid East Spring Street through the middle of the King Lincoln District was otherwise rather pleasant.

 

At first glance, 258 N. 21st looks quite similar to the other new new NoBo homes recently built along this beautiful street. In fact, two doors down there’s a home built with the same base floorplan. The difference is entirely in the details.

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/welcome-to-the-greenest-house-in-the-midwest

Oh Wow!  That is great!  What a wonderful combination of traditional styling and cutting edge technology.  Thanks for sharing this.

Awesome!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Keep in mind that there is a community open house is scheduled for Thursday, May 21st for anyone who wants to take a peek for themselves.

 

:D

  • 3 weeks later...

This is so cool. Hopefully these kind of events continue to flourish as the Lincoln Theater is reborn and new investment continues to renew the area:

 

Cultural Rebirth

New Near East Side social event adopts hip urban attitude

Saturday,  April 4, 2009 3:02 AM

By Kevin Joy THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

On an unseasonably warm night in early March, a smiling Donna Marbury stood outside the Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop on the Near East Side as well-dressed professionals strolled along the block and jazz music wafted from an upstairs window. To the 27-year-old, the scene seemed almost nostalgic. "Back in the day, it was jumpin' on Long Street," said Marbury, a North Side resident who owns a public-relations company.

 

"It's a revival. I'm excited to see it." The catalyst for her enthusiasm: a budding event called the BRUSH Experience (Black Renaissance Urban Sophisticated Hip), whose social palette blends art, music, cocktails and conversation. Seeking an art-focused nighttime alternative, graphic designer Marshall Shorts founded the monthly BRUSH in February.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/04/04/1_BRUSH.ART_ART_04-04-09_D1_6FDDNPS.html?sid=101

This is so cool. Hopefully these kind of events continue to flourish as the Lincoln Theater is reborn and new investment continues to renew the area:

 

Cultural Rebirth

New Near East Side social event adopts hip urban attitude

Saturday,  April 4, 2009 3:02 AM

By Kevin Joy, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/04/04/1_BRUSH.ART_ART_04-04-09_D1_6FDDNPS.html?sid=101

 

This is great to hear about.  It might be kind of small now, but how many people showed up for the first Short North Gallery Hop 25 years ago?

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