This page highlights all significant, canceled development proposals and ideas. It includes information on how they came about, details on the scope of the projects themselves, and how and why they were eventually canceled. The projects are ordered chronologically by the year they were first proposed.
**Last Updated: 3/30/2024- Added 1 project to 1930-1939.
2020-2025
2021: 999 Bonham Avenue Apartment Complex
This project would’ve included 9 apartment buildings containing 204 apartments on a 10-acre site on the south side of Bonham Avenue in Linden. The project was said to be a threat to an adjacent recycling business that employed neighborhood residents, and ultimately that proved to be a convincing enough reason to deny approval of the project at the May 2021 meeting of the local area commission. A few months later, despite efforts by the developer to address concerns, project proponents came to the conclusion that they didn’t have the votes from the City and decided to cancel the proposal.
A rendering of one of the apartment buildings proposed for 999 Bonham Avenue.
2020-2022: The Mondrian
The Mondrian project was for 567-575 W. Broad Street in Franklinton in late 2020. The plan called for a 13-story mixed-use tower with up to 80 residential units and ground-floor retail. The design of the proposal changed a few times, and at one point in the spring of 2021, the height changed to a 15-story tower. However, perhaps due to the effects of the pandemic, no subsequent news followed. It was later discovered that the site had been quietly put back on the market, indicating the project was dead by 2022.
The 15-story Mondrian proposal rendering from Spring 2021.
2020-2021: Harmony Tower
Harmony Tower was first proposed over the summer of 2020. The $100-million, 30-story project by Schiff Capital Group was proposed for a vacant lot at 150 N. High Street, just north of the Atlas building. The project would’ve included retail, offices, a hotel and residential units. After the initial announcement, the project did not have further news. However, sometime in 2021, it was decided that the project would not be moving forward. The reasons why the project was canceled were not given, but financing issues is typically a big part of such large-project cancellations. Construction material costs were high due to mass shortages from the Covid-19 pandemic affecting supply chains, and labor shortages was another ongoing issue through 2020 and 2021. The site remains vacant, and it’s very possible it will see another proposal relatively soon.
Renderings of Harmony Tower.
2020-2021: Harrison House
222 W. Lane Avenue, 11 Stories
**Coming Soon**
2019-2021: 4th Street Boutique Hotel
In the fall of 2019, a proposal arose for the site of 1020 N. 4th Street. An existing building was proposed to be replaced with a 3-story “boutique” hotel with a parking lot in the rear. The project didn’t seem to progress very far, however. News about the site went dormant until the spring of 2021 when the proposal changed to a 5-story, mixed-use project with 53 apartments. While there was no official news on why the use of the project changed, it’s possible that the pandemic made hotel projects less desirable overall. There don’t seem to be any renderings for the original hotel proposal.
2019-2020: 602 East Town Street
A 2019 rendering of the 602 E. Town Street proposal.
First proposed in June of 2019, this 4-story, 54-Unit apartment building would’ve gone in the East Town Street Historic District. It was likely dead in the water given that there were two main strikes against it: 1. It proposed to demolish an existing 1932 apartment building that was considered a contributing historic structure, and 2. Was considered too tall for the neighborhood. It received pushback from the local commission and the public, and when the Covid pandemic economic crash hit, the proposal quickly died away.
2019-2020: 1100 Dennison Residential Conversion
Announced in 2019, this relatively small project would’ve converted a Short North office building into between 10-18 residential units, specifically for AirBnB use. This idea was canceled in August, 2020 due to Covid-19 decimating the local tourism industry that would’ve made the AirBnB use feasible. The developer has put forth no alternative to date.
The office building in 2019.
2016-2020: Cargominium
Originally thought to be a standard apartment building when it first popped up on City permit sites, the proposal for 1562 Old Leonard Avenue on the East Side would turn out to be something very different. The project was officially announced in October of 2016. Calling it the first of potentially many, the developer began construction on a 3-story, 25-unit residential building constructed with 54 shipping containers. Shipping containers had become something of a hot commodity by the mid-2010s for their potential reuse. Among those reuse ideas, affordable housing was perhaps the hottest of them all. Cargominium was supposed to be Columbus’ first such project, with a prototype single-family home also beginning construction on nearby Bassett Avenue. The main structure for both the apartment building and single-family home went up rapidly, and were completed by early 2017. However, work then abruptly halted. For more than 3 years, the projects sat unfinished before being unceremoniously demolished in in July, 2020. While the developer did not publicly give a reason why the buildings were torn down, it was learned soon after that the developer and designers cut corners during the rapid construction, and the result was that both had numerous quality and structural issues. A few weeks after the demolition, a new- and standard- apartment building was proposed for the site with a new developer.
A rendering of Cargominium from 2016.
2010-2019
2008-2019: SPARC at Cooper Stadium
In early May, 2008, it was announced that Arshot Investment Corp. was set to buy the 47-acre Cooper Stadium site for a race car complex, not so dissimilar from the previous motorcycle mecca proposal that had fallen through the year before. The proposal included a drag strip, half-mile racetrack, hotel and conference center. As 2009 and 2010 came and went, the project only expanded to include a mechanic’s school and auto technology center. 2010 also saw the first name for the proposal: Cooper Park.
Despite the heavy local opposition organized due to noise and traffic concerns, city and county leaders eventually approved the plan in 2011, and in 2012, Franklin County sold the stadium site to Arshot. The project then took on its final name: The Sports Pavilion and Automotive Research Center, or SPARC. The $40 million proposal had further expanded with the addition of a restaurant and exhibition space.
Construction on the project officially began in early 2013, with the partial demolition of Cooper Stadium. After that initial step, however, progress halted completely. Although there was sporadic news about it in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the site sat with no work being done, and the partial stadium deteriorated. By 2017, articles began emerging questioning the lack of progress, with Arshot dodging more questions than it answered, but otherwise insisting the project remained alive. Despite those assurances, it wasn’t until July, 2019 when it was officially announced that the project was dead. Arshot, which still owned the property, was now proposing a more “conventional” development, with apartments, offices and retail. Although initial renderings called for the full demolition of the remaining stadium portion, subsequent proposals have included it. Still, as of March 2024, the site remains abandoned.
Rending of SPARC in 2014.
2016-2018: Millennial Tower
Originally proposed in the May, 2016, Millennial Tower was to be a $150 million, 25-story, mixed-use tower with 100 apartments. Located in RiverSouth at the southwest intersection of Rich and Front Street, it would’ve been the largest residential tower built in the city since Miranova in 2001. Over the next few years, the project’s design and scope would gradually be altered, reaching a proposed height of 28 stories with 138 apartments in 2017. The final version of the tower, at that height, was approved by the Downtown Commission in January, 2018. The last official news was in November, 2018, with a few small updates to the design. Since then, the proposal has not gone back to the Downtown Commission. While this project was never officially canceled, the fact that there has been no news since the summer of 2020 and the developer has had major issues getting significant projects off the ground, one can safely surmise this one is canceled.
The final rendering of Millennial Tower from 2019.
2017: Grand Central
In August, 2017, Schottenstein Real Estate Group proposed a 33-acre, mixed-use development in the Arena District. Located on two large parcels bounded by railroad tracks, the proposal called for offices, retail and at least 2 residential towers. Within a month or 2, rumors began flying that Schottenstein had soured on the project partially because they did not actually own the land, and partially because the railroad tracks were proving difficult to work around. It was also rumored that the land owners had offered the site to then Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt to put a new soccer stadium there, but that idea was rejected. By November, just 3 short months later, Schottenstein officially announced that they were abandoning the project. Today, the site remains vacant and there have not been any new proposals.
Initial renderings of the southern portion of the project.
Grand Central’s proposed layout.
2017: 350 Broad Street
This project was first first proposed in August of 2017. The 6-story, 60-unit residential project was proposed for 350 E. Broad Street Downtown, and would’ve replaced an existing building on the site. There was immediate criticism of the proposal that the building height was too small, especially given that it was proposing to tear down an existing building of the same size. Furthermore, the proposal called for ground-floor parking and did not include any mixed-use elements such as retail or office space, thereby maintaining an existing dead zone on that section of Broad Street. Lastly, the proposed color scheme of was called tacky and garish. Regardless, after the initial proposal news, the project never actually went anywhere. Several years have gone by with no movement, indicating that this proposal is likely dead. The site is still owned by the same group, so it’s possible a new- and hopefully larger- proposal may arise at some point in the future
Photo of the 350 Broad project proposal in 2017.
2015-2016: Main Street Square
Originally proposed in Summer 2015, the site at 818 E. Main Street in Olde Towne East was to have a 110-unit, 3-story residential building with potential retail space facing Main. Once owned by boxer Buster Douglas, the site had been a vacant lot since the 1980s, and was one of the largest vacant lots in the entire Near East Side, so any redevelopment there could have been a significant local boost.
By November, 2015, however, there were already signs that the project may be in trouble. The project’s scope was reduced to 95 units after local residents- in an all too familiar story- expressed problems with the project’s density and design. The revised project was quickly approved.
The revised rendering of Main Street Square.
In May, 2016, it became known that the project had been canceled, seemingly due to financial considerations and continued objections from neighbors. The following year, the site was converted into a surface parking lot to handle overflow from Nationwide Children’s Hospital expansion projects. The site, however, continues to be owned by the same group that proposed the development, so it is conceivable that another proposal will come about when those other projects are completed.
2015-2016: Burwell Station
A 3-story, 4-unit mixed-use project was proposed as the 2nd phase of the Burwell series of developments near the corner of East 5th Avenue and Summit Street. Eventually, however, the 3rd phase of the project, Burwell Heights, became the dominant project and took over the space for Burwell Station.
Rendering of Burwell Station from 2015.
2014-2016: Pearl and Prescott
In 2014, a 6-story, 13-unit apartment building was proposed for a site at 848 N. Pearl Street. Later iterations called for 5 stories and 14 condos. By 2016, the project was proposed as only offices. After that, there was not much more that came out, and the project seems dead.
Rendering of the Pearl proposal from 2014.
A 2015 rendering of the Pearl project.
2012-2013: 15 W. Poplar Street
A 3-story, 3-apartment mixed-used project was proposed on the small sliver of land just off N. High Street behind the 670 Cap. As far as I know, the project never really moved beyond the basic proposal stage, as I have yet to find any information that it made it as far as concept or architectural review with the Victorian Village Commission. The proposal’s developer seems to have sold the property to a 15 W Poplar LLC in 2018, suggesting there may be movement on developing this highly desirable location at some point in the future.
2011-2013: Discovery Commons
Developer George Berardi proposed a 5-story, 102-unit apartment building at 273-283 E. Spring Street. The $11.5 million project was mentioned several times and was brought to Downtown Commission meetings for review all the way through 2013, but has since faded away. The older buildings located at 283 E Spring were demolished in 2017, and the project proponents still own the property, so it’s possible another proposal could eventually pop up.
Rendering from 2013 of Discovery Commons.
2006-2010: Ibiza
**Coming Soon**
The last Ibiza rendering.
2000-2009
2009: Garden Theater Residential Tower
**Coming Soon**
2008: Goodale Park Hotel Tower
**Coming Soon**
2008: Buggyworks Phase II
**Coming Soon**
400 W. Nationwide Boulevard, 23 Stories
2005-2007: Cooper Stadium Motorcycle Mecca
In 2004, a study on the feasibility of renovating the old Cooper Stadium site estimated a cost of $38 million. Instead, city leaders began to look at building a new stadium for the Clippers in the Arena District. As that moved forward, they began to look into ideas to redevelop the stadium once minor league baseball moved out. One of those ideas, first mentioned in 2005, was to create a “motorcycle mecca”. The plan, proposed by Franklinton’s A.D. Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson would’ve left the stadium intact while building a hotel, restaurant, dealership and motorcycle racetrack. However, after 2 years of negotiations with the county, the proposal fell through by the fall of 2007.
Other proposals briefly thrown about early in the process included a soccer academy, an auto mall and a business and industrial park.
2001- 70/71 Highway Cap Office Towers
Developer Jeff Edwards proposed building a pair of 10-story office towers with ground-floor retail to be built on caps straddling the I-70/I-71 trench at High Street. The two towers would have consisted of 316,000 square feet and included attached parking decks. Even with tax increment financing- TIF- in place by the city to help it move forward, there were several issues that ultimately killed the project. It could not move forward until a study on the planned reworking of the 70/71 split was completed in 2003. Second, a recession the following year created a tight financing market. Finally, a glut of office vancancies in the Downtown area made the project unnattractive to investors. The final nail would come when the State would’t work with the developer to allow the caps to be constructed. A decade later, the State finally approved a couple developable caps over the freeway, but this section of highway reconstruction won’t be finished for several more years. Whether the caps are ultimately built remains to be seen.
1990-1999
1997: Bicentennial Plaza Apartments
**Coming Soon**
71 W. Rich Street, 21 Stories
1994-1996: Soccer Stadium
**Coming Soon**
1990-1993: Capitol Place Tower
Capitol Place Tower rendering around 1990.
In 1990, the Columbus Dispatch, in partner with Galbreath Interests, proposed a $150 million, 42-story office tower for the parking lot at 50 S 3rd just south of the 34 S. 3rd Street Dispatch offices. Over the next few years, architectural designs were completed, financing was secured and a construction timetable called for groundbreaking in the fall of 1993. That summer, however, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of New York, the financiers, abruptly pulled out of the project. When no other financing partners stepped forward, the project was eventually canceled.
1990-1991: Pickaway Plains National Wildlife Refuge
While this was not in Columbus itself, it was in the metro area and was a very significant potential project, so I’m including it here. The proposal for this reserve, only the 2nd of its kind in Ohio at the time, was to be located along the Scioto River at Circleville south to the Ross County line. Up to 8,000 acres were to be included and would’ve helped restore wetlands along the river. The $8 million project included land purchases and initial infrastructure for public access, and was expected to open around 1993 or 1994. First proposed in the fall of 1990, the Ohio Division of Wildlife was backing the project. In January, 1991, the US Fish and Wildlife Service signed off on a study for the project’s feasibility, but the proposal was already meeting resistance from farmers who owned most of the land in the proposed area and were not willing to sell. By June, 6 different proposals had risen to attempt to appease critics and proponents of the original idea. A few of the proposals were significantly larger than the first- one was more than 20,000 acres and included land all the way to Franklin County and parts of the Big Darby watershed. Ultimately, however, it was the land itself, and not opposition, that killed the project. A study of the soil showed that, due to the abundance of gravel underneath, it drained too quickly to be useful for significant wetland restoration. The proposal was pulled in August, 1991.
1987-1992- Riverbend Place
In 1986, a parking garage was built at 40 N. Front Street. The garage was specifically designed and built to handle a multi-floor addition on top, and the following year, a 10-story, $23.5 million office building was proposed, making the entire building 19 stories in height. Originally, the city wanted to move some offices there, but when that plan fell through, other tenants were sought out. Midland Mutual was interested for a while, but that fell through as well. The project was supposed to open in 1988, but kept getting pushed back. In 1990, the LeVeque family became involved and pushed for a more mixed-use addition with 3 floors of condos, pushing the project to 20 stories and the price tag to near $40 million. The last mention I could find of this project was in 1991 when it was given a 50-50 chance of moving forward in 1992. It seemed either financing or a lack of potential tenants eventually killed this one. The garage still exists, and because it was built to handle more floors, a new proposal could one day still appear.
1980-1989
1988: Waterford Tower II
10 stories
**Coming Soon**
1987: Center Place
230 s. High Street, 27 Stories, $50 million
**Coming Soon**
1986- Ohio Penitentiary Mixed-Use Conversion
$110 Million, 400 units
**Coming Soon**
1980-1982- Inn on the Plaza Hotel
In the fall of 1980, Columbus developer John Kessler announced that he had partnered with the Stouffer’s hotel group to build a $40 million, 425-room hotel at the northwest corner of North High and Hickory streets Downtown. The site had been a parking lot since the 1960s and was being used by Nationwide at the time. The original plan by Kessler had been for a 12 to 14-story hotel on the site, but was later increased in size to 20 stories, with construction set to start in late 1981-early 1982 and finish sometime in 1983 or 1984.
In any case, due to the size increase, projected costs also increased significantly, and before long, Kessler and the Stouffer’s group were in disagreement about financing. By the end of 1982, it was clear a deal couldn’t be reached and Stouffer’s pulled out of the project. The proposal faded away after that. Eventually, Nationwide would build Three Nationwide Plaza on the site in 1987.
Rendering of the Inn on the Plaza Hotel in 1981.
1970-1979
1969-1974: One North High Street
On May 26, 1969, the American International Development Corp. incorporated in preparation to redevelop the northwest corner of Broad and High streets, site of the old Deshler Hotel. By early January, 1970, the plan was to build a 50-story, mixed-use building containing a 308-unit hotel, 411,000 square feet of offices a 47th-floor restaurant and ground-level commercial space, along with a 2,000-car parking garage immediately west of Veterans Memorial across the river on the Scioto Peninsula. Connecting the building and garage, a monorail system would exist, with long-term plans to expand the system through the rest of Downtown. Financing would eventually fall through and the site would remain unused aside from parking until Once Columbus Center was built in the mid-1980s.
Rendering of One North High.
1960-1969
1968-Unknown: Downtown Redevelopment Plan
On March 14, 1968, a $184 million Downtown redevelopment plan was announced that included multiple projects. The projects were:
1. A $28.7 million hotel and convention center on the block bounded by Town Street, High Street, 3rd Street and Rich Street.
2. A new state office tower “larger than LeVeque” at the northwest corner of High and State Street.
3. A $40 million “private development” on a site bounded by the Scioto River, High Street, Spring Street and Long Street.
4. A 900-unit low to middle-income housing development across 30 acres bounded by Rich Street, Mound Street, Front Street and the Scioto River, most of which is RiverSouth.
5. Redevelopment of the Ohio Penitentiary site- then still being used as a prison- into a “major employment center”.
6. A regional sports arena at the site of Union Station rail depot.
7. An elevated “minirail” transit line running north-south along alleyways between High and Front Street.
To some degree or another, most of these things did happen, but not necessarily in the sites originally chosen. The hotel and convention center were built north of what is now Nationwide Boulevard on the site of Union Station in the 1970s-1980s. The original location became City Center mall by 1989. The Riffe Center was built on the site of the state office tower in the 1980s. The Ohio Pen was eventually demolished and the whole area redeveloped into the Arena District in the late 1990s-early 2000s, which included the proposed regional sports arena. The other 3 developments never happened for various reasons, but RiverSouth did eventually see a lot of residential development, though not necessarily for low-income residents.
1967: Domed Sports Arena
A proposal for a 50,000 seat arena built within a rock quarry in Marble Cliff was floated after a study commissioned by the superintendent of the Columbus Recreation Department, Melvin Dodge, was completed. The study suggested that a large arena could be built inside an existing or tailor-made quarry site by building it on steel trusses and a double layer of inflatable plastic. While Dodge pushed City Council to explore the idea further, lack of interest, competition with existing city teams and infrastructure, and lack of financing prevented it from going much further.
1965: Bexley Apartment Tower
The Broad-Merkle Realty Co. proposed a 15-story, $4.2 million apartment building at 2877 E. Broad Street on the east side of Bexley. The company had originally proposed a development with 9 2-story apartment buildings, but changed it as it had recently become clear that Bexley needed to revive its tax base, allowing for an opportunity to go bigger than what would normally be approved. While Bexley leaders promised an “open mind” on the project, residents were opposed and worried that it would hurt property values. Eventually, the project was not approved and a much reduced 4-story development went in, known today as Bexley House.
1961: East Broad Luxury Hotel
**Coming Soon**
The proposed hotel.
1950-1959
1958: Pro Football Stadium
An early concept of the pro football stadium.
A 25,000-seat, all-purpose stadium was proposed for the Ohio State Fairgrounds where the race track used to be. The project was a collaboration between the State of Ohio and a private development company. NFL teams such as the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles were in talks with the group to hold exhibition games should a lease be worked out. The proposal broke down in May when the State rejected contract terms that would have only allowed the state to use the stadium one week per year and because no state money was available to build it. Small improvements were made to the existing racing stadium and a football field was installed for an exhibition game between the Bears and Eagles in August. The racing stadium lasted until the 1980s, when it was demolished to build the Celeste Center.
1953-1963: Columbus Village
A 1953 rendering of a building in Columbus Village.
Originally proposed in 1953, Columbus Village was a large public housing project planned by the City. The proposal called for 82 2-story brick buildings across 45 acres bounded by Woodland, Brentnell and Woodward avenues, as well as the railroad tracks to the west and south. Four types of building designs were planned across the 82 buildings, but for the most part, the project would’ve resembled Poindexter Village, which had been built in the early 1940s just to the southwest in King-Lincoln. The 524 units would’ve rented at an average monthly price of just $34.
Opposition to the project was fierce, and over the next decade, local residents and the City wrangled over the project’s details. Finally, a City Council referendum in August, 1963 on the zoning change required for the project was overwhelmingly defeated by voters, and it died immediately after.
1950: South Side YMCA
A YMCA branch was planned for the west side of Ohio Avenue between Thurman Avenue and Mithoff Street. The application was approved by the Board of Zoning in April 1950, but local residents organized enough opposition to eventually cause the YMCA’s Metropolitan Board to formally withdrawal the propose in early June.
1940-1949
The 1946-1948 Civic Center Expansion Proposal Projects
In 1946, Mayor James Rhodes announced a plan for the Downtown area that called for a massive expansion of the riverfront civic center concept that had begun in the 1920s. The plan included at least 16 new buildings and other infrastructure projects for various areas of Downtown, Franklinton and the Brewery District, few of which were actually built. Here are the projects that did not happen.
1. Whittier Peninsula Redevelopment
The garbage dump that occupied the Whittier Peninsula south of Downtown would’ve been redeveloped. The proposals included moving the Columbus Zoo to the peninsula, building a golf course and boat club and building a new city hospital, Navy Reserve Armory and new state arsenal.
Concept art for the Whittier Peninsula zoo and golf course.
2. New Scioto River Bridge
The new bridge would’ve continued Dennison Avenue, which at the time went all the way to Spring Street, across the river and connected to Starling Street on the Scioto Peninsula.
3. Multiple Government Buildings
New government buildings were proposed for the NW corner of Long and Front, the NW corner of Spring and Front, the NW corner of Chestnut and Front and the SW corner of Spring and Marconi.
4. Ohio Pen Demolition-Park Creation
The Civil-War era Ohio Penitentiary would’ve been demolished and 2/3rds of the site replaced by a large park.
5. Transit Terminals
A new bus terminal would’ve gone in at the SE corner of Dennison and Maple at the northern end of the Ohio Penitentiary site. An express terminal would’ve gone in on the west side of Dennison Avenue.
6. National Guard Armory
This building would’ve gone southwest of the express terminal west of Dennison Avenue.
7. State Government Buildings
More government buildings would’ve been built on the Sciot Peninsula along Starling Street. Central High School would’ve been converted into a state government building.
8. Railroad Track Removal
The railroad tracks that now run southwest from the Convention Center would’ve been removed entirely from what is now the Arena District and a new road created over the route.
9. Naval Reserve Armory
This building would’ve gone at the SE corner of Starling and Town Street.
10. “Temple of Good Will”
Proposed for the NW corner of Front and Main, this building was for the Ohio Council of Churches.
11. Public Housing Project
A large housing project was proposed for the area bounded by West Broad, Sandusky Street (now 315), Sullivant Avenue and McDowell Street. All buildings within this zone in Franklinton would’ve been demolished and replaced with a public housing complex.
Ultimately, these projects didn’t happen either because of a lack of funding, or in the case of the Ohio Pen and railroad tracks, opposition by either the State or the owners.
1930-1939
1930-?: Methodist Temple
In the January, 1930 issue of Columbus Today, a proposal for a 29-story Methodist Temple was announced. The temple, a $5 million project, was to be located at 180 E. Broad Street, which was at the time the site of the old Wesley Chapel, then known as the Central Methodist Episcopal Church. The building was to include at least two auditoriums with capacities of 1,000 and 2,500, a 300-person-capacity chapel, game rooms, offices and more. The proposal the result of a years-long survey looking at other projects that had incorporated religious instruction and for-profit business ventures.
In the fall of 1931, the Ohio Methodist Episcopal conference was held to discuss various ongoing problems with the organization. The battle to merge the Central M.E. Church with the First M.E. Church due to falling attendance was a prominent topic, and that issue, along with the state of the economy with the continuing depression, caused conference members to recommend either a reduction in the project’s scale or delaying the project until the economy improved. The church’s economic and attendance problems were never quite resolved, and the church at 180 E. Broad was eventually sold in 1935. It was subsequently demolished and replaced with a gas station and parking long. It’s unclear exactly when the temple plans were shelved entirely, but obviously sometime between late 1931 and 1935. Had the temple been built, it would’ve been by far one of the largest and certainly tallest such buildings in Columbus and Ohio, if not the US.
The Methodist Temple proposal from the January, 1930 article in Columbus Today.
I would like to thank Mike Feist for finding this project.
1920-1929
1922: East Broad Hotel
The Valerie Manor Company proposed a 6-story hotel-residence building at the northeast corner of East Broad and Parkwood Avenue. The building would have had 150 apartments and 600 rooms. Despite opposition and attempts to block the project with an ordinance to prevent hotels from being built in residential areas, a building permit was issued in April, 1922. The company promised that the project would start immediately after, but it never seems to have been started at all. 5 years later, the current apartments were built on the site.
1910-1919
1914: Scioto/Olentangy to Lake Erie Channel
**Coming Soon**
1900-1909
1908: Civic Center Plan
In 1908, the Columbus Plan Commission proposed a new Civic Center stretching from the Scioto Peninsula east through Capital Square. The ambitious plan called for a large central plaza surrounded by ornate government buildings and monuments. The plan was largely considered aspirational more than practical. In a 1910 article in The Ohio Architect Engineer and Builder , the Civic Center was described as such:
“The civic center as suggested in the Plan Commission may be only an ideal for the distant future, but every day shows the necessity for additional public buildings in our city, and the suggestions made in those plans can securely be used to excellent advantage.”
Although never built as proposed, the Civic Center idea would appear again in the years after the disastrous 1913 flood as a way to rebuild the riverfront. Out of those later plans, several buildings were eventually constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, including the police headquarters, the Ohio Supreme Court building, Central High School and the Downtown post office. None of the later plans were ever as grand as those of 1908.
The Civic Center proposal in 1908, looking west.
A general layout plan from the 1908 proposal.
Hundreds of projects that made it out of the proposal stages are found here.
