Yeah hopefully it lasts as about as long as the Amshack or the Bombay Bicycle Club building.

 

"Well that building didn't last very long" is a real Dad Thing to Say, isn't it?

Exterior work wrapping up

16 minutes ago, sono4315 said:

Exterior work wrapping up

It’s so damn boring 

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

It’s so damn boring 

But with extra wires!

5 hours ago, Pablo said:

But with extra wires!

Grant Ave could definitely use a makeover through downtown. Buried wires,trees,planters, benches. 

Really wish Ohio Health would’ve gone all in and started a campus revision with this building. They could really prime themselves as what they are and that’s one of two level 1 trauma centers for our region.
 

I understand the investment in their largest facility; but they also take up a large portion of downtown with Grant. They could’ve put forward a Cleveland Clinic-esque plan to transform that area and redo the campus as a whole over the past 10-20, even 30 years at this point. But what we're left with is hodgepodge of buildings.

7 hours ago, wpcc88 said:

Really wish Ohio Health would’ve gone all in and started a campus revision with this building. They could really prime themselves as what they are and that’s one of two level 1 trauma centers for our region.
 

I understand the investment in their largest facility; but they also take up a large portion of downtown with Grant. They could’ve put forward a Cleveland Clinic-esque plan to transform that area and redo the campus as a whole over the past 10-20, even 30 years at this point. But what we're left with is hodgepodge of buildings.

Not to mention the downtown commission bowed down to Ohio Health and approved  permanently closing another city street, cutting off more of the downtown street grid. 

5 minutes ago, sono4315 said:

Not to mention the downtown commission bowed down to Ohio Health and approved  permanently closing another city street, cutting off more of the downtown street grid. 

Yeah, there is no reason to bow down because I doubt Ohio health would just back out of building.

 

My worry is that they will continue down state st and will demo the only buildings with any character along State. I’m happy someone stepped in and is renovating the old brick building. 

Edited February 6Feb 6 by VintageLife

Sure can afford more stuff... https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/big-lots-aiming-to-sell-columbus-hq-to-ohiohealth-for-36-million-records-show/ar-AA1yTJhh?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=e19c475b2d424135e777c0dc2c9a4d44&ei=9

The question was never whether they could afford to built something bigger and more remarkable. It's whether or not the need was there and sure it sucks for urban development nerds, but that isn't and shouldn't be a factor in building medical care facilities otherwise they would have been spending to spend for stuff Grant doesn't need.  A hospital isn't going to drastically overbuild for the sake of aesthetics to a bunch of forum junkies. There has to be viable economic argument and I assure you there are lots of smart people who analyze what is needed and viable from a medical and demand perspective. 

 

13 minutes ago, DTCL11 said:

The question was never whether they could afford to built something bigger and more remarkable. It's whether or not the need was there and sure it sucks for urban development nerds, but that isn't and shouldn't be a factor in building medical care facilities otherwise they would have been spending to spend for stuff Grant doesn't need.  A hospital isn't going to drastically overbuild for the sake of aesthetics to a bunch of forum junkies. There has to be viable economic argument and I assure you there are lots of smart people who analyze what is needed and viable from a medical and demand perspective. 

 

City needs to say clean up your act or move. They already have created a giant noise machine. They need to give a little too

2 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

City needs to say clean up your act or move. They already have created a giant noise machine. They need to give a little too

 

So because OhioHealth is blocking off a street that was mainly used for ambulance access or Hospital employees walking from one building to another, the city should tell their centrally located Level 1 Trauma Center and major downtown employer to take a hike? That seems reasonable. 

 

If anything, their expansion is improving the urban fabric of the hospital campus. They got rid of a surface lot and built medical offices along Grant Ave., further densifying the street. They are also demolishing a parking garage along Town and replacing it with a taller hospital building which will expand the hospital's operations, create more jobs, and bring more activity to Town Street. Could they have improved various aspects of the expansion? Of course. But they are running a hospital here. They should be doing their best to build in a way that conforms to the local development guidelines but also allows them to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

1 minute ago, cbussoccer said:

 

So because OhioHealth is blocking off a street that was mainly used for ambulance access or Hospital employees walking from one building to another, the city should tell their centrally located Level 1 Trauma Center and major downtown employer to take a hike? That seems reasonable. 

 

If anything, their expansion is improving the urban fabric of the hospital campus. They got rid of a surface lot and built medical offices along Grant Ave., further densifying the street. They are also demolishing a parking garage along Town and replacing it with a taller hospital building which will expand the hospital's operations, create more jobs, and bring more activity to Town Street. Could they have improved various aspects of the expansion? Of course. But they are running a hospital here. They should be doing their best to build in a way that conforms to the local development guidelines but also allows them to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

My point has been and always will be that parcel should not be a hospital. Put it closer to a highway and away from residential. Especially putting it across from the library. It's an unsightly mess and does nothing to activate the street in a positive manner. 

3 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

My point has been and always will be that parcel should not be a hospital. Put it closer to a highway and away from residential. Especially putting it across from the library. It's an unsightly mess and does nothing to activate the street in a positive manner. 

 

So you want the city to demand that Ohio Health moves an entire hospital a few blocks away? 

6 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

So you want the city to demand that Ohio Health moves an entire hospital a few blocks away? 

No, but I think squeezing them will force their hand a bit.

It's interesting to me that people now don't want any (or very little) hospital activity Downtown. When I was a kid the vast majority of medical activity was Downtown. I am including Children's even though technically it is outside of Downtown. OSU Hospital was way smaller at the time. Maybe your PCP was in a suburb. Mine's main office wasn't. Now if you or someone in your family needs a lot of care it is an EPCOT-like Suburb Showcase as you parade to doctor's offices located in each. If you ask me it was better when most of it was Downtown IF you don't live in Dublin-Worthington-Westerville. Those people seldom have to leave their own suburbs for tasks such as that these days.

One thing that happened to push doctors out to the suburbs was the Americans With Disabilities Act. Before that doctors' offices were usually small with lots of close quarters, tons of stairs, levels and again, in the cities. The ADA hits and seemingly all at once doctors' offices move to big square open 1-2 story suburban buildings with hidden stairs and teal and purple everywhere. If you want an example of what doctor's offices were like before the ADA visit Play It's new location in Clintonville.

 

You should have seen my pediatrician's building. It was about 400 E. Rich. In order to even stay on the same floor you were on you had to go up and down 6-7 stairs.

Edited February 12Feb 12 by GCrites

This is a ridiculous argument. The hospital's been there for over 100 years, folks moving in know what they're getting in to. It's like moving next to the airport and then complaining about the noise. When my Dad was hospitalized there I would visit the library as a reprieve from the stress.

^This. It's a downtown. It's a city.

 

You know exactly what noises to expect. What about those of us in Old North? We deal with airplanes and medical helicopters nearly 24/7. Time to move CMH to Zanesville and OSU to Circleville so we dont have to hear the noise? Know how many times I get asked if the police are coming to take me away due to daily sirens during zoom meetings?  And when I visit other bigger cities, it's the same thing. 

 

It's ridiculous to think that Grant needs to move for helicopter noise when Nationwide has one in an arguably more residential area that also impacts noise levels across 70 when helicopters are headed in and out. So yes, let's be super serious about helicopter noise for expensive downtown residences but lower income neighborhoods? Nah? What about the CPD heliport in Hilltop?  They're up and down all day too. 

 

Ever been to Central Park on a nice day? Upper East or West Side? Helicopters can end up hovering for hours at a time which was one of the biggest surprises to me in my visits. The helicopters traffic in and out of Hudson Yards for non medical reasons? Insane. Does that stop Central Park or those neighborhoods from being insanely popular and expensive? 

 

And with Mt Carmel leaving and OSU east... static... the presence of a downtown hospital is as critical as ever and moving them a few blocks for... Sim City fantasies... is annoying at best. Asking the city to pressure them to the same is... 

 

NEXT UP, BUS TRAFFIC NOISE! 

 

Anyway. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Pablo said:

This is a ridiculous argument. The hospital's been there for over 100 years, folks moving in know what they're getting in to. It's like moving next to the airport and then complaining about the noise. When my Dad was hospitalized there I would visit the library as a reprieve from the stress.

So much this. We just moved downtown, not even a full block away from Grant. It's been less than a week and already the helicopter noise has faded into the background. It's no worse than the occasional siren, or the hiss of brakes from a bus, or somebody just driving by in their hoopty with an old Folger's can for a muffler.

We understood the neighborhood we were moving in to. We knew there would be some new noises, but we're fine with it, the cats are fine with it, and I'm happy to have the extra street presence of OH workers on their way in and out of the facility. Honestly, Grant can expand away as much as it likes --- hopefully with enough extra employees combined with the new residences coming online we'll draw some more restaurants and shops to the area. A little bodega a block or two over would be a perfect little addition to my new urban life.

3 hours ago, Zordon Shumway said:

So much this. We just moved downtown, not even a full block away from Grant. It's been less than a week and already the helicopter noise has faded into the background. It's no worse than the occasional siren, or the hiss of brakes from a bus, or somebody just driving by in their hoopty with an old Folger's can for a muffler.

We understood the neighborhood we were moving in to. We knew there would be some new noises, but we're fine with it, the cats are fine with it, and I'm happy to have the extra street presence of OH workers on their way in and out of the facility. Honestly, Grant can expand away as much as it likes --- hopefully with enough extra employees combined with the new residences coming online we'll draw some more restaurants and shops to the area. A little bodega a block or two over would be a perfect little addition to my new urban life.

Bodega's are what we need, badly

First phase of OhioHealth’s $400M Grant Medical Center expansion opens with work to begin on new tower

 

The opening of the first phase in OhioHealth Grant Medical Center's $400 million expansion clears the path for step two.

 

Demolition is set to begin this month for the former family practice office and "blue" parking garage at Town and 6th streets in downtown Columbus – the future site of a critical care inpatient tower and expanded emergency room expected to open in three years.

 

OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine opened Monday in its new home, a 33,000-square-foot medical office at 332 E. State St., with a new 520-space parking garage attached. Across Grant Avenue from Columbus Metropolitan Library's main branch, the new building has 50 treatment and procedure rooms as well as community education space.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/03/03/ohiohealth-grant-expansion-first-phase-open.html

 

First Phase of Grant Medical Center Expansion Complete

 

Today is opening day for patients at the new OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine building Downtown.

 

The new building, at 332 E. State St., represents the first phase of the planned $400 million expansion of Grant Medical Center. A 520-space parking garage next door, also part of the first phase, is now open as well.

 

The new medical office building and parking garage, which were approved by the Downtown Commission in 2023, are located on what used to be a surface parking lot.

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/first-phase-of-grant-medical-center-expansion-complete-bw1/

 

Grant keeping the momentum going and prepping for the next round. 

 

Early demo work ahead of Phase 2 at Grant

 

 

 

Demo work ramping up at Grant as part of Phase 2

 

 

 

 

Wonder if they'll blow it up like the Baldwin Tower in 2004.

https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/p16802coll28/id/4456

 

 

Got an interesting view of the crane over at Grant today. 

16 hours ago, Zordon Shumway said:

Got an interesting view of the crane over at Grant today. 

Cool perspective of the skyline from that angle.

 

Phase 2 demo work at Grant

 

 

Demo at Grant

That's a very surgical demolition! 😅

5 hours ago, Pablo said:

That's a very surgical demolition! 😅

Honestly this whole thing makes 0 sense. Parking is expensive to build.

45 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

Honestly this whole thing makes 0 sense. Parking is expensive to build.

It’s a hospital, they basically are their own bank and money is not really a problem.

54 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

Honestly this whole thing makes 0 sense. Parking is expensive to build.

Perhaps the garage being demolished had reached the end of its serviceable life. It was built in the 1960s I believe.

It did have doctors' offices too. I had my wisdom teeth removed in there so great memories of the building. It had been remodeled at least once so it didn't look that old inside.

4 hours ago, GCrites said:

It did have doctors' offices too. I had my wisdom teeth removed in there so great memories of the building. It had been remodeled at least once so it didn't look that old inside.

Hey! I had my wisdom teeth pulled there too! Maybe in 1980?

You guys are old!

Demo continues at Grant as part of phase 2

State's busiest trauma center building 7-story addition 'in a closet'

The downtown Columbus site for the replacement of the state's busiest trauma center is so tight, the seven-story hospital addition will be built around its construction crane.

The $400 million expansion of OhioHealth Grant Medical Center requires a delicate dance with nearby offices, busy traffic, a growing number of downtown residents – and no interruption to care at the system's second-largest hospital.

"We're building in a closet," Grant President Jean Halpin told Columbus Business First. "We have neighbors 5 feet away from our property line."

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/06/06/ohiohealth-grant-medical-expansion-downtown.html

Among other qualms, I still think the city allowing them to permanently close off 6th street is a huge mistake

It’s not uncommon to build around a tower crane. The floor slabs are designed to leave a stacked opening that is filled in when the crane is removed. The concrete crane foundation is left in place.

On 6/7/2025 at 8:46 AM, Pablo said:

It’s not uncommon to build around a tower crane. The floor slabs are designed to leave a stacked opening that is filled in when the crane is removed. The concrete crane foundation is left in place.

Right, that whole article read like an ad for the hospital. Every challenge they’re facing is faced by anyone building in any downtown anywhere (except maybe the helicopters).