April 27, 201015 yr Wonder Bread bakery sliced up for artists Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Friday, April 23, 2010 Real estate investors have joined with a new nonprofit organization to create an eclectic mix of arts-oriented retail, exhibition, office and rehearsal space at the former Wonder Bread bakery in Columbus’ Italian Village. Kevin Lykens and Chris Schnetzler led the March purchase of the former bakery for $800,000 – less than half the original asking price of $1.7 million. Records show Lykens and Schnetzler’s real estate affiliate, LS Development Systems LLC, financed $350,000 of the deal through Italian Village Breadbasket LLC, a consortium of other Columbus investors. The discounted acquisition cost will help get the project moving. “I think it was a great price for the building. We’re trying to keep the (rental) price right for our future tenants.”, Lykens said. Arts entrepreneur Adam Brouillette formed Wonderland Columbus to serve as the master tenant that will go about filling the 64,600-square-foot building that was abandoned last year. Brouillette said he expects to sign arts organizations and individual artists, including those wanting to hone their retail and business skills. The developing business plan also calls for musicians and performing artists to share rehearsal space as well as host workshops at the building. But the project will require about $2.5 million in renovations before artists and their businesses can sign leases at artist-friendly rates. “(The goal) is to become financially profitable,” Brouillette said, “so we don’t have to rely on grants for the long-term.” MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/04/26/story2.html
April 27, 201015 yr Maps, photos and images of the former Wonder Bread Building from the previously posted Business First article and the Franklin County Auditor's GIS website: Parcel Map (Auditor's website) Wonder Bread Building - Fourth & Warren - 7-24-08 (Auditor's website) Wonder Bread Building - Fourth Street elevation
April 29, 201015 yr From the Columbus Underground thread: Wonderland Launch Party 4/23/10 pics from the event! http://s526.photobucket.com/albums/cc349/coreroc/ Some more pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebarbashphotos/sets/72157623928712800/
May 9, 201015 yr A report on the Wonderland meeting from Columbus Alive: Artscape: What's new at Wonderland? Thursday, April 29, 2010 By Chris DeVille, Columbus Alive An estimated crowd of nearly 1,000 people filtered into the former Wonder Bread factory in Italian Village last Friday for the first public look at Wonderland, the multipurpose creative facility set to open in the space later this year. The event primarily functioned as a fundraiser and pep rally for Wonderland, which is projected to include artists' studios, rehearsal rooms, a boutique mall, a state-of-the-art recording facility, shared and private office space, a midsized performance venue, a yoga studio and other amenities. Wonderland managers Adam Brouillette, Andrew Dodson, Josh Quinn and investor Kevin Lykens hopped on a makeshift stage to solicit funds, unveil a new address plate emblazoned with the Wonderland logo and walk the crowd through a slideshow of proposed architectural adjustments. They invited an architect from BBCO Design on stage to show some artist renderings of proposed layouts for the space. Among the proposed adjustments: • A mezzanine level will be added for art studios, with a playground-style tube slide as one way to return to ground level. • The roof will be transformed into a public deck area. • Blocked-up windows will be reopened to improve natural lighting. • Hallways will be curved, not straight, to increase anticipation. Rendering of exterior entrance and canopy Rendering of interior with new mezzanine level and tube slide Full article: http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2010/04/29/artscape-whats-new-at-wonderland.html?sid=108
June 30, 201014 yr Wonder Bread plant gets preservation tax credit Business First of Columbus Friday, June 25, 2010 The former downtown-area Wonder Bread plant being developed into an artists’ haven is getting $597,000 in historic preservation funding from the state. Gov. Ted Strickland’s office on Friday announced $28.3 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit awards to 13 projects, one of which is the Wonder Bread building. The latest announcement is the fourth and final preservation award under the state’s $1.57 billion job creation stimulus package, which set aside $120 million for such credits. Full article: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/06/21/daily45.html
September 15, 201014 yr The Wonderland Columbus website now has a pretty detailed set of plans, elevations and renderings for the Wonder Bread Building renovation project. Here is the link: WONDERLAND PROJECT PLANS The project architect also has a set of renderings of the project at BBCO DESIGN.
September 22, 201014 yr News: Central City heading to Wonderland Thursday, August 26, 2010 By John Ross, Columbus Alive The location will change, but the mission and the music will remain the same. On Nov. 1, Central City Recording will vacate its storefront at 3335 N. High Street to begin building a bigger, better space inside Wonderland, the mixed-use arts complex taking shape in Italian Village. Central City President Andrew Dodson didn't have an exact date for when the new space would be up and running. In the meantime, he said, his staff would be able to pick up new projects on a case-by-case basis. Full article: http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2010/08/26/news-central-city-heading-to-wonderland.html?sid=108
October 10, 201014 yr From Columbus Underground: Wonderland Gets Exec. Director: Adam Brouillette By Walker | October 5, 2010 3:20pm Adam Brouillette, local artist, community organizer and one of the founders of Wonderland Columbus, has been chosen by Wonderlandʼs board of directors to lead the project in the role of Executive Director. The offer was made to Brouillette following a unanimous vote of confidence from the board. His agreement to accept the position was finalized in a meeting of the boardʼs executive committee on Thursday, September 30. Current construction plans call for the building to be open to the public at the beginning of 2012. Progress updates will be reported regularly at Wonderlandʼs website, www.wonderlandcolumbus.com, and via the projectʼs Facebook and Twitter pages. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/wonderland-gets-executive-director-adam-brouillette
December 28, 201014 yr Wonderland project lands $50K grant from Columbus Foundation Business First Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 2:14pm EST The organizers behind the artists’ colony going into the former Wonder Bread plant downtown have landed $50,000 to help their efforts. Wonderland Executive Director Adam Brouillette and Chairman Brady Konya said they received the grant from the Columbus Foundation, which put no restrictions on its use. Columbus Foundation CEO Doug Kridler said in a release that the grant was notable for its size going to a startup and for its flexibility, as Wonderland “can direct use of the capital based on greatest need, as determined by its board and staff.” This is the first major grant award for the nonprofit, although in June it also was approved for $597,000 in historic preservation funding from the state. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2010/12/22/wonderland-project-lands-50k-grant.html
January 10, 201114 yr Pretty comprehensive article from the Sunday Dispatch about the Wonderland redevelopment at the former Wonder Bread factory (697 N. Fourth Street in Italian Village). The article reviews the past history of the project, those involved with the project and gives a current status report. Full article and larger photos and renderings of the Wonderland project at the link below. Old bakery inspires rising hopes: Despite delays, planners enthusiastic about turning vacant building into creative multiuse space
January 11, 201114 yr I'm really looking forward to this. Yet another parallel between Columbus and Louisville (two cities one wouldn't think would have any parallels at all). They have something in Lou called the Mellwood Arts Center, which, like Wonderland, was an old food processing place, in this case a meatpacking plant and slaughterhouse (Fishers Meats, home of Mellwood hams and bacon), ..though I thnk this old Wonder Bread site is in a much better location vis a vis the city than the Mellwood site in Louisville. BTW, whatever happened to that Milo School art colony in Milo/Grogan. I thought that was going to be something similar to this? Or was that more a live/work thing?
January 11, 201114 yr Interesting info on the Mellwood Arts Center in Louisville. Thanks for the link. The Milo Arts Center - which has been operating since 1988 - does seem somewhat similar to the Wonderland idea. However, Milo is a live/work model and Wonderland is not. Plus, Wonderland is in a more desirable location then Milo. Also, it looks like Wonderland is going for a more well-funded professional type of management of their facility instead of the more shoestring management style at Milo. Here's a link to the most recent article about the Milo Arts Center in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood development: Artists' haven saved, perhaps now for good - October 18, 2010
January 11, 201114 yr Aside from the location, Wonderland is going to be a destination. Milo Arts *should* include a destination aspect in addition to the live/work model to increase interest/money in the program and the neighborhood which could use it. It's actually just down the street from Wonderland in the best quadrant of the neighborhood which provides quick, easy access to the Short North/IV. I'm hoping Wonderland will be the opposite of Milo Arts, which so far demonstrates how not to use art to revitalize an area. Case in point is their gallery page where they're about to announce the opening of a gallery (presumably open to the public) in the Summer/Fall...of 2004. Who knows? Maybe Wonderland will shift enough interest out east to the bordering section of M-G, due in part to there being lots of empty lots east of 4th in IV while existing infrastructure already exists just past the bridge.
January 28, 201114 yr Another encouraging sign for the Wonderland redevelopment: Wonderland hires theater building vet to lead project to construction Business First - by Brian R. Ball Friday, January 28, 2011, 6:00am EST Leaders in the Wonderland Columbus project in Italian Village have hired an owner’s representative who is anchored in the Columbus arts community to move the project toward construction. As owner's rep, Jay Panzer of Facility Strategies Ltd. will oversee hiring a construction manager as early as March to renovate the former Wonder Bread bakery at 697 N. Fourth Street. Panzer’s duties will include reviewing recently completed design documents and evaluating comments from the community that were gathered during a series of focus groups on the scope and impact of the project. He also will work with the construction manager on a budget. Wonderland Executive Director Adam Brouillette said Panzer put together the request for proposals that went out Jan. 21 to potential construction management companies. “Wonderland is doing something incredibly creative,” Panzer said in a news release, “and it’s exciting to be part of guiding the adaptation of an historic structure into such a unique purpose for the city of Columbus.” Panzer is a member of the American Society of Theatre Consultants and has worked nationally analyzing facility needs and creating strategies for nonprofit organizations. The client list includes the Columbus Foundation, King Arts Complex and Columbus Children’s Theatre. Prior to forming Facility Strategies, he spent more than 10 years as director of facility development for CAPA, the area’s arts facilities management organization, where he helped in the renovations of the historic Southern, Ohio and Palace theaters. Investors paid $800,000 in March 2010 for the 64,600-square-foot building on the edge of downtown. The bakery shut down in 2009. The redevelopment efforts received a $597,000 state historic tax credit in June. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/01/28/wonderland-hires-theater-building-vet.html
July 21, 201113 yr Well, this is disappointing. Wonderland abandons Wonder Bread factory BY JON THEISS, THE OTHER PAPER Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 8:03 pm Wonderland's ambitious plan to transform the site of Columbus's old Wonder Bread factory into a mixed-use Mecca for artists and musicians won't come to fruition. That's according to an email that Wonderland executive director Adam Brouillette sent to supporters -- that was then leaked to The Other Paper Wednesday afternoon. In a story published Feb. 24, Brouillette told TOP: "We're trying to ...drive home the point that Wonderland is a concept," adding, "If the building goes away, the project doesn't go away." READ MORE: http://www.theotherpaper.com/news/article_df3b90e6-b32d-11e0-928d-001cc4c03286.html Columbus Underground also published Wonderland's full press release: Wonderland Plans to Relocate from Wonder Bread Building
July 21, 201113 yr "Initial plans to locate the project within the former Wonder Bread factory in the Short North ultimately proved unfeasible, as the building could not be secured at a rate that would be fiscally defensible for a tax-exempt organization seeking public support," Brouillette wrote." The Rent Is Too Damn High Party's Jimmy McMillan at the NY Governor Debate
July 22, 201113 yr More about the Wonderland development from The Dispatch and Business First. Better information than TOP with interviews from the Wonderland arts initiative director and the owner/real estate developer of the Wonder Bread building. Wonder Bread factory no longer future home of Wonderland Updated: Thursday, July 21, 2011- 05:30 PM By Kevin Joy, The Columbus Dispatch The former Wonder Bread factory will no longer be the future home of Wonderland - an ambitious mixed-use project intended to house studio space for local artists, musicians, actors and entrepreneurs - but the dream will likely find new life elsewhere. Negotiations over the 64,000-square-foot Italian Village building, 697 N. 4th St., fell apart last week after Wonderland Columbus board members failed to secure feasible terms with real-estate developer Kevin Lykens. Lykens purchased the factory last year for $800,000, intending to lease the space to as many as 150 Wonderland tenants. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/07/21/wonderbread-factory.html?sid=101 BUSINESS FIRST: Arts initiative can’t seal deal for old Wonder Bread plant
November 11, 201113 yr The Wonderland concept has gone away from the former Wonder Bread Building in Italian Village. But it looks like the owner of the building, Kevin Lykens, is moving forward with a redevelopment plan of his own. His redevelopment plan for the building consists of 57 apartments along with a restaurant and reception hall venue space. Below is the text and a pdf link to the upcoming (Nov. 15) Italian Village Commission Agenda published by the City of Columbus Historic Preservation Office: From the published Italian Village Commission Agenda for its Tuesday, November 15, 2011 meeting: Item #6 / Application #11-10-14 697 North Fourth Street Kevin Lykens (Applicant/Owner) An application, site plan, and drawings have been submitted. Exterior Alterations • Fencing on west and north elevations. • Replace glass block with anodized aluminum industrial style windows. • Open previously closed windows and install new windows. • Install entry awnings. • Install a gated entry • Install additional window and door openings. • Signage change from Wonderland to a new name. Change of Use • Change of use from M – Manufacturing to Residential/Commercial • To include 39 one bedroom and 18 two bedroom apartments and restaurant and reception hall venue space. Parking Variance for Minimum Required Spaces • Proposed site plan to provide seventy-one (71) onsite parking spaces, including three (3) ADA spaces and one (1) loading dock. • Loading zones to be eliminated on Warren and Fourth streets, providing additional on street parking. • Some curb cuts on Warren Street are being eliminated providing additional on street parking.
November 11, 201113 yr It's good to see that the Wonderbread building is going to be put to good use afterall. The area along 4th has been somewhat unlucky since the whole Jeffery Place development ground to a halt. Hopefully this will spur other development in that giant empty field across the street.
November 19, 201113 yr Report about the Wonder Bread Building redevelopment proposal and its reception at last Tuesday's Italian Village Commission meeting from Columbus Business First: Apartments eyed at Wonder Bread, Fireproof Records sites in Italian Village By Brian R. Ball, Business First Staff reporter Date: Friday, November 18, 2011, 6:00am EST Short North developer Kevin Lykens wants to redevelop the former Wonder Bread bakery at 697 N. Fourth St. into a mix of 39 one- and 18 two-bedroom apartments. The new plan for the Wonder Bread building follows the July collapse of a proposal to transform the 64,600-square-foot complex into a center for arts businesses and organizations, to be dubbed Wonderland. Italian Village Commission members voiced support for an adaptive reuse of the building this month, but expressed concern about the number of one-bedroom apartments and the effect of redevelopment on parking in the neighborhood. Lykens said his real estate experiences in the Short North have told him tenants in one-bedroom apartments are less transient than those in two-bedroom units. Tenants in two-bedroom units stay an average of 14 months, he said, but those renting one-bedroom apartments typically stay for two years or longer. He said the project offers 71 on-site parking spots for residents, and eliminating loading zones around the former bakery would create 22 on-street parking spaces. He also has arranged for 100 off-site parking slots at a nearby property. Lykens’ plan also calls for a 2,000-square-foot retail space along North Fourth Street for a cafe or delicatessen and an event venue that could host up to 200 guests for wedding receptions and other gatherings. The commission voted to delay a decision on the project while Lykens works further on the plan. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/11/18/housing-eyed-at-italian-village-sites.html
February 3, 201213 yr There's a quirky little three-unit development being built in the Italian Village neighborhood of the Short North. It's located two blocks east of High Street at the southeast corner of Russell Street and Kerr Street. In an otherwise fully developed part of Italian Village sits a trapezoidal lot that was left over when I-670 was originally laid out. The lot is approx. 120' long x 45' at most wide to 20' at most narrow. This lot is now being divided into three lots and developed into three condos. Here is the website for the project: http://russellatkerr.com/ Below is an aerial photo and a site map for the existing lot at Russell and Kerr: The above aerial photo and site map show the trapezoidal lot divided into three lots for the three condos under construction at Russell and Kerr. Below is a site plan of the three condos from the Russell At Kerr website: Here is an elevation view from Russell Street and a perspective rendering view from Russell and Kerr: Here is a view of the project from the I-670 Freeway and a section thru the condo project showing its three levels:
February 3, 201213 yr I'm trying to remember what was there before. It was a historically significant building that survived 670.
February 3, 201213 yr I'm trying to remember what was there before. It was a historically significant building that survived 670. I don't think anything is there now. I'm thinking that area was a vacant lot used to have booths during the Italian Festival.
February 3, 201213 yr I'm talking '70s-'80s probably. I took at look at some aerial surveys from 1957 and 1971 and there was indeed a building there. In 1957, it looks like one large building, but by 1971 when 670 was there, most of it was gone and only the north and northwest portion remained. You can take a look at http://www.historicaerials.com/. Be forewarned, however. If you like urban density, some of those maps will just make you both sad and angry. The change from cohesive, dense neighborhoods to highways and surface parking lots between 1957 and 1971 is pretty staggering.
February 4, 201213 yr Looks like that's not it. But, now I wonder what the building you pointed out could have been. Did it just sit there as a mostly demolished ruin for years? If you want to see the 1957 historic aerials on paper, go to the map area of the Main Library. The book is 3'x3' and must weigh over 50 pounds.
May 23, 201213 yr The redevelopment of the former Wonder Bread factory building at 697 N. Fourth Street was approved by the Italian Village Commission in two separate meetings. Here are the approvals listed in the Italian Village Commission Minutes from December 20, 2011: 11-10-14a 697 North Fourth Street Kevin Lykens (Applicant/Owner) Following the presentation by the Applicant and ensuing discussion and review, a motion was made, vote taken, and results recorded as indicated. Request for recommendation for five (5) variances related to the renovation of the existing building at 697 North Fourth Street. 1) Change of Use (3363.01) • The Italian Village Commission (IVC) supports the change of use from Manufacturing to Mixed Use (residential/commercial). 2) Building Setback (3363.24) • The zero (0) setbacks on North Fourth Street and Warren Street conform to the Short North Design Guidelines for building setbacks (3.12). 3) Parking Setback (3312.27) • This is an existing parking lot that has been part of support for this building in the long term. Allowing the existing parking lot to remain enables the reuse of the historic building. 4) Stacked Parking (3312.29A) • The IVC has no objections to the five (5) stack parking spaces that will be designated for two-bedroom units. 5) Minimum Parking Spaces Required (3312.49C) • The IVC views the sixteen (16) space deficiency as related to the restaurant, which requires twenty-three (23) spaces. Generally, the IVC has advocated for at least one (1) parking space per dwelling unit, but has recommended approval of zero (0) spaces for restaurants based on the economic advantage a restaurant brings to the neighborhood. In addition, while they are not part of the project, new on-street parking spaces may be available adjacent to the building. MOTION: Sudy/Boyer (4-0-0) RECOMMENDED 11-10-14b Exterior Alterations Following the presentation by the Applicant and ensuing discussion and review, a motion was made, vote taken, and results recorded as indicated. Approve Application #11-10-14b, 697 North Fourth Street, as submitted, with all clarifications noted: • Replace existing glass block with anodized aluminum industrial style windows. • Open previously closed windows and install new windows. • Install additional window and door openings. (Cut sheets for all new windows/doors to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Install new aluminum storefront entry systems and entry awnings. (Cut sheets for lighting fixtures beneath the awnings to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Infill existing loading dock on west elevation, and install new fencing. Install new fencing on the north elevation. (Cut sheet for fencing to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Install new wrought iron gate on the north elevation. (Cut sheet for gate to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Install new overhead garage doors on the north elevation. (Cut sheet for overhead doors to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Install new goose neck light over doorway on the north elevation. (Cut sheet for light fixture to be submitted to Historic Preservation Office staff for final review and approval, in consultation with the Italian Village Commission, prior to installation.) • Install new cut steel numbers “697” over doorway on north elevation canopy. • All work to be completed per the submitted drawings, stamped and dated December 20, 2011 by the Historic Preservation Office. • No windows, doors, or other details are approved at this time for the storefront for the venue/entertainment space on the south elevation or for the interior elevations facing onto the courtyard. Applicant is to return to a future Italian Village Commission hearing for further review and approval of all details and finishes on these elevations. MOTION: Cooke/Sudy (4-0-0) APPROVED The December meeting took care of the majority of the approvals for the Wonder Bread building redevelopment. The itialicized portion above notes that the IVC wanted the venue/entertainment space approvals to return to the IVC for futher approval. The project developer returned to their February meeting. Below are the approvals issued for the venue/entertainment space from the Italian Village Commission Minutes from February 21, 2012: 11-10-14c 697 North Fourth Street Kevin Lykens (Applicant/Owner) Following the presentation of the Applicant and ensuing discussion and review, a motion was made, vote taken, and results recorded as indicated. Approve Application #11-10-14c, 697 North Fourth Street, as submitted, with all clarifications as indicated: Exterior Alterations • Complete exterior alterations on the interior courtyard elevations and the south elevation of the venue, per the submitted drawings. • The existing “Wonder Bread” wall sign at the corner of East Lincoln and North Fourth streets and the pole sign at the corner of Warren and Hamlet streets are to remain, as is. Any maintenance of the signs is to return to the Italian Village Commission for review. • Any/all new signage is to return to the Italian Village Commission for review. Remove Existing Sidewalks and Install New Sidewalks • Remove any/all damaged and deteriorated, concrete public and service sidewalks, and dispose of all debris in accordance with Columbus City Code. • Install new concrete in the exact same location and of the exact same dimension, as necessary. • All work to be in accordance with industry standards and all applicable City Building Codes. • Maintain any/all existing sandstone curbs, and repair, as necessary, in accordance with all applicable industry standards, and/or replace with like sandstone curbing. Landscaping • The placement of new street trees is to be generally as shown on the submitted drawings. • New trees should be significantly sized and planted in a substantial tree pit. MOTION: Sudy/Clark (4-0-1) [Cooke] APPROVED The five zoning code variances approved at the December IVC meeting still needed to be approved by the City's Board of Zoning Adjustment. I don't have the minutes for the BZA meeting - but it looks like that approval was also granted because construction and renovation work has begun this month at the former Wonder Bread factory building. (More about that in the following article.)
May 23, 201213 yr Wonder Bread Lofts will be Home to Mixed-Use Redevelopment By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on May 18, 2012 - 7:00 am Three years ago, Wonder Bread closed their Columbus bakery located at 697 North Fourth Street in Italian Village. For a time it looked like the proposed Wonderland art studio redevelopment project would be located in this space, but those plans fell through last summer. Since then, rumors have circulated that property owner Lykens Companies would be rehabbing the building to make way for a new residential development, and today we’ve confirmed that this project is moving forward. The 70,000 square foot Wonder Bread building will be converted into 56 apartment units dubbed “Wonder Bread Lofts”. The building will also be home to a 2,500 square foot restaurant space, a 7,000 square foot event venue space, and the site will contain dedicated parking spaces for both residents and guests. ... Work on the building began several days ago, signaling the start of a new era for this historic property. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/wonder-bread-lofts-will-be-home-to-mixed-use-redevelopment
June 30, 201212 yr ‘Wonder Bread’ complex gets under construction Business First by Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Date: Friday, June 22, 2012, 6:00am EDT Redevelopment of the shuttered Wonder Bread bakery at 697 N. Fourth St. in Columbus has advanced to the construction stage. Developer Kevin Lykens began demolition in May and will begin the $5 million reconstruction project in late this month. The 56 apartments dubbed the Wonder Bread Lofts should be completed by spring 2013. (. . .) Lykens and an investment partner paid $800,000 for the former bakery building in 2010. Back then, the developer had a tentative deal to turn the old bakery into a collection of arts-oriented workspace and retail outlets under the Wonderland Columbus banner. That effort collapsed in mid-2011, when Lykens and a master tenant couldn’t agree to terms of a real estate deal. Lykens said he has hired real estate agent Randy Sokol of Smith Realty Partners to market a 2,400-square-foot space in the development for a restaurant or cafe. Sokol also will market a 7,000-square-foot event area to catering companies and event operators. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2012/06/22/wonder-bread-complex-gets-under.html
July 12, 201212 yr Two construction photos of the Wonder Bread Lofts (aka renovation of the former Wonder Bread bakery building) from the June Construction Roundup at Columbus Underground:
July 31, 201212 yr There's been alot reported about the renovation of the former Wonder Bread factory into apartment units with some mixed-use in the Italian Village neighborhood of the Short North. So much so that it has its own thread. But it's not the only construction project going on in the area. A church that occupies the same city block with the Wonder Bread building is undergoing a transformation as well. The 114-year-old St. John the Baptist Church is located at the northeast corner of Hamlet & Lincoln Streets - immediately west of the Wonder Bread building. St. John's is currently in the middle of replacing the main entrance stairway to the church. The replacement of the main entrance stairway is the first project of a three phase renovation project for the historic church. This first phase is slated for completion before the church hosts the Columbus Italian Festival on October 5-7. The new entrance will feature granite steps with engravable risers as well as a piazza of engravable granite pavers. After the festival, the second phase - restoration of a side entrance - will start. The third phase will involve replacing a courtyard between the church and a two-story office/meeting annex building with a glass-ceilinged atrium structure. The timing of this third phase is dependent on fundraising. Below is a recent article from the Columbus Dispatch which describes this project and how the church membership is funding it. Also below are photos of St. John's previous entrance stairway, construction photos of the stairway replacement project, and a elevation/plan composite of the new entrance stairway with the future glass-ceilinged atrium from the website of the project architect - Meleca Architecture and their facebook page: Dispatch: Ensuring church is ready for next generation - Parishioners have donated money to renovate 114-year-old St. John’s
July 31, 201212 yr ^ I don't understand, what was wrong with their front entrance? Those front steps in your first pic look architecturally appropriate, really nice. The "improvements" in the drawing actually look kind of dangerous.
July 31, 201212 yr ^ I agree with you on the previous stairway. Nothing aesthetically inappropriate. I don't know enough about the project to answer definatively. Perhaps the old concrete steps were deteriorating and they wanted to upgrade to granite. Perhaps they wanted a stairway that looked more like the original stairway to the church (there is a photo of the original stairway at the Dispatch link). By the way, according to the article, the project architect David Meleca is also a member of the church. So he'd better not make the new stair dangerous!
August 22, 201212 yr The redevelopment of the former Wonder Bread Building was one of the projects featured by U.S. News & World Report in their look at historical icons being redeveloped across the country. Below is the link: U.S. NEWS: Redevelopment Projects Give Historical Icons a Second Life
October 26, 201212 yr Business First had an article about the development occurring on a 0.1-acre, wedge-shaped property at the intersection of Kerr and Russell Streets, in Italian Village. The micro-sized property was left over from an expansion of I-670 between the Short North and Downtown. Here's the recap of that project from some pages back in this thread. Currently, one of the three 3-story residential units planned for the property has been built. But the article also talked about another micro-type development parcel near I-670 in the Short North. Below is an excerpt from the Business First article - Sliver of land along I-670 sprouts house - and a location map of the property labeled "Giannopolous": "It turns out Klema has some company in developing on odd-shaped, leftover land along the section of I-670 that cuts across the downtown and the Short North. Developer and investor Stelios Giannopoulos of Giannopoulos Properties just received clearance from the Victorian Village Commission to build on a 0.2-acre site on West Poplar Avenue behind the Cap at Union Station over I-670 on High Street." "Giannopoulos plans a three-story project anchored with commercial office or retail on the ground floor and three apartments on each of the top two floors. He has owned the property, which has served as surface parking for the North High commercial corridor, for 10 years. Giannopoulos said construction could begin next year after the city completes utility work in the area serving his site and developer Pizzuti Cos.’ office building and public parking garage around the corner on North High."
January 15, 201312 yr Before last year ended, the Seventh Son Brewing Company opened at the corner of 4th & 4th in Italian Village. That's 1101 N. 4th St. - which is the southwest corner of North Fourth Street and East Fourth Avenue. Seventh Son renovated a former auto repair shop at the corner. It's across the street from the beautiful Budd Dairy Co. Building and one block north of the long-time local watering hole, St. James Tavern. Seventh Son Brewing Co. Now Open By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on December 19, 2012 - 6:00 pm After over a year in the works and going through a name change, the Seventh Son Brewing Company officially opened their doors for the first time last weekend for a soft launch party. The new business boasts 4,500 square feet of rentable event and entertainment space divided into two indoor areas and a beer garden patio out back. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/seventh-son-brewing-co-now-open More interior and exterior photos from CU: First Look: Seventh Son Brewing Co.
February 12, 201312 yr More about the first of a proposed trio of tall & skinny townhomes on the Italian Village side of the Short North. Previously posted here, the three townhomes would go on a sliver of land left over from when the I-670 freeway was built. Below the Business First article is a photo of the first townhome that was built and a rendering of all three townhomes planned for the property. House overlooking I-670 sold, clearing way for 2 more By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Jan 29, 2013, 2:49pm EST That tall, skinny house overlooking Interstate 670 east of the High Street cap has been sold, with expectations two more homes could get built next door this year. Short North developer Connie Klema’s Kerr Street Place Ltd. affiliate sold the three-level, 1,600-square-foot home at Kerr and East Russell streets Jan. 22 for $375,000, not far from the $385,000 she sought. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/01/house-overlooking-i-670-sold-clearing.html
September 23, 201311 yr Two reports about the Wonder Bread Building being redeveloped into the Wonder Bread Lofts. Report on the first phase opening from Columbus Underground and then a report from the Dispatch about the second phase of the Wonder Bread Lofts opening this month: Columbus Underground: Wonder Bread Lofts Nearing Completion Columbus Dispatch: Second phase of units to open in old Wonder Bread factory
September 23, 201311 yr Late July photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-2013 More photos of the Wonder Bread Lofts renovation from Heartland Bank: Heartland Bank provides the “DOUGH” for the renovation of the historic Wonder Bread Building
February 16, 201411 yr Time for some Short North projects updates. First, the four-unit Burwell Apartments that are replacing a vacant lot at Mt. Pleasant and Fourth Avenue. Below is the previous update - followed by a late December 2013 construction photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-december-2013 Project #2: The Burwell Apartments Location: 42-48 E. Fourth Avenue Type of Construction: New Building Type: Multi-Unit Residential Status: Under Construction The Burwell Apartments is a four-unit townhome project being built on a former vacant lot at the northeast corner of Mt. Pleasant and Fourth Avenue. This project is being developed by the same developer of the much larger Jackson Condos Building located one block away on High Street. It is also being built as a LEED for Homes project. More about the Burwell project from Columbus Underground at http://www.columbusunderground.com/burwell-townhomes-under-construction-in-short-north-bw1 and from the project website at http://burwellshortnorth.com/. Below is a rendering of the building and a CU construction photo from late August.
February 16, 201411 yr Project #15: Kerr Street Place Location: Southeast corner of Russell Street and Kerr Street Type of Construction: New Building Type: Multi-Unit Residential Status: Under Construction Kerr Street Place is a series of three individual 3-story condo units to be built on a narrow trapezoidal lot that was left over when I-670 was originally laid out. Each condo unit is being built as a separate building. The first building was completed last year and sold this year. The developer has now begun construction on the other two buildings. The latest update for this project in this thread is here. The second of the three narrow 3-story condos on the very small I-670 adjacent lot at Russell and Kerr has gone vertical. Photo below from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-november-2013-part-2
April 30, 201411 yr They are kind of crazy. the land is so small I probably would have never thought it was a buildable lot, but there will end up being 3 of these houses on it. Here are some shots for a few weeks ago from the other side.
April 30, 201411 yr ^ That's the 1st of the 3 homes to be built for this site. Then to the right (westward) the 2nd one currently under construction. Then to the right of that one (westward again) the 3rd and last one yet to be built. So its not windowless because of an adjacent unit. My guess is that its windowless for building code issues - the interior stairwell is located inside. If its not code related, then its simply a designers choice.
June 9, 201411 yr Kevin Lykens, the developer of the former Wonder Bread bakery at 697 N. Fourth Street that was turned into 66 apartments, has purchased a two-story, 25,000 sq. ft. warehouse building at 174 Detroit Avenue in Italian Village. The oldest portion of the building at the corner of Detroit Avenue and Hamlet Street dates to 1900. Here is a link to a Google Streetview image from this corner: http://goo.gl/maps/c0vym According to the Business First article about the purchase, Lykens has yet to decide whether to redevelop it for residential or office space. In the meantime, the developer will use up to $99,750 from the City's Green Columbus Fund for a phase one review of the property’s industrial history and initial testing for any possible environmental hazards: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/04/wonder-bread-lofts-developer-buys-industrial-site.html
July 4, 201410 yr "Construct new five-story, wood framed building wrapped with a tall, single story retail frontage adjacent to the Fifth Avenue and Summit Street..." JULY 20, 2014 ITALIAN VILLAGE COMMISSION MEETING (PDF)
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