Will Columbus Commons be Columbus Ohio's equivalent of New York's Central Park? Green space in the city...
Today's Columbus Dispatch article "Goodbye City Center" by Mike Pramik and Marla Matzer Rose says farewell to City Center the downtown mall:
"A Downtown gem when it opened in 1989, the forlorn mall will be torn down by summer. The city wants to develop the land as a park, ringed by housing, restaurants, shops and offices -- all to be completed in five to 10 years."
and Hello to Columbus Commons:
"The city has dubbed the $165 million project Columbus Commons. It is seeking federal stimulus money to pay for the mall demolition and development of the park, which city officials expect to start this summer and complete within 18 months. The remainder of the project will take shape over the next five to 10 years, as the market dictates."
While I have always lived on the far north side of Columbus, when I moved to Columbus in 1990 my favorite place to shop was City Center before Tuttle, Polaris and Easton were built.
I was surprised by the news.
Downtown Columbus is a nice place to visit
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Doesn't surprise me, but then I'm paranoid.
Follow the money. What developer will benefit? What are the ties to the politicians in power?
Why could a fraction of that money be spent to bring the existing center up to "state of the art"?
Good Grief! If commercial centers have to be recycled every 20 years, there's something wrong with the original permits.
Sad, sad.
The mayor said something about City Center having been built to fail.
It's bizarre to me, downtown finally has residential at the same time the downtown retail fails. I was stuck downtown one morning last May with no stores to shop in. I toured the capital, walked around downtown. We go to events downtown, but I am NOT a downtown person.
I don't know though that a fraction of the money could be used to bring the center up to "state of the art." No one wanted to be there... not retail, not office.
The City Center always seemed a little out of date to me. But then again ...
When I would travel to Columbus my preferred area to shop in was always Easton. The layout and variety of stores to wander through is enticing - even when I was too broke to buy. Just the people watching was worth the trip.
City Center was new and shiny when I moved to Columbus in 1990 but very, very inside. I had been in retailing until 1986 and still was a mall shopper when I first moved to Columbus, having lived and worked very close to the Dayton Mall when I lived in the Dayton area.
It was amazing moving to Columbus how outdated Northland and Westland were. I am not sure I have ever been inside Eastland. In 1990 or 1991 my Dayton Realtor friend's came to town for shopping once... I remember going to The Continent because one of my friend's lived in Columbus during it's heyday. I was underwhelmed by it.
Trying to remember WHEN Tuttle opened. Mid 90's?
I am not a big mall person anymore. We went to a movie at Easton recently. Easton is OK ... We went to an event at Easton in the late summer or early fall... that is when Easton is fun for me. When you can hang out by the fountain.
I did some of my Christmas shopping at the Polaris Fashion Place this year... More time in the mall than in many years for me. The new "lifestyle center" at Polaris Fashion Place is open. Much closer for me than Easton.
Hi Maureen... I was living in Columbus when City Center opened in 1989. It was definitely shiny and new... and it linked to the old downtown Lazarus store that was a beautiful old department store that had been brough into the 90's. It featured a gorgeous Marshall Fields (I think the first one East of the Mississippi River) and many other famous name retailers and dining options. It brought life back to downtown Columbus at a time it was badly needed. But then again, everything in the world has a lifespan and I guess for City Center it was 20 years.
Steve said "(I think the first one East of the Mississippi River)" nope there were Marshall Fields in Milwaukee and Chicago, both east of the Missippi. Isn't Marshall Fields from Chicago? I used to know all that stuff. I used to care about retailing... Maybe the Jacobson's was the first one east of the Missippi? I don't t remember where Jacobsons was from. I don't believe I knew of them b4 City Center.
What they have done with the Lazarus building is wonderful.
20 years is awful short.