City Soul - Adam

August 18, 1989, as my father was celebrating his 33rd birthday, City Center opened its doors for the first time. This 1.25 million sq ft three-level shopping center in the heart of Ohio’s capital city was a playground for all. Walkable to many attractions it appeared nothing could stop the joy that seemed to emanate from the city center mall out into the galaxy. But just barely inside the outer loop of the city a menacing billionaire with dreams of urban sprawl, parking lots, and highways had other plans. Nearly a decade to the day in June of 1999 Easton Town Center in northeast Columbus opened its door. This faux walkable downtown attempted to steal from the good people of Columbus what they had already enjoyed and loved for years and drop it into the white flight suburbs inches away from his beloved New Albany. After another decade of battle the slow steady march of “progress” killed Columbus’ beloved City Center. The mall was officially closed to all pedestrian traffic on Thursday March 5, 2009. The building lay dormant could the very thing that killed it, if given enough time, be the very thing that saves it?

In 2002 Mayor Coleman unveiled a plan for Columbus: 10,000 people living downtown within 10 years. For reference in 1950 downtown housed 30,000. Half a century later, that number was 3,500. While Coleman’s goal was not attained hitting only 6,322 residents the winds were changing. The center of the city was pushing back against this suburban billionaire’s plot of urban sprawl. The suburban dreams of the baby boomer were fading away as the recent college graduating millennials wanted a more walkable downtown lifestyle. As the years progressed more and more people moved into downtown Columbus. Something spectacular started happening. The Wonder Bread factory built in 1916 that had shut down was given new life in 2013 it was resurrected into Wonder Bread Lofts, some of the city's best looking apartments. The first brewery in the Brewery district was opened in 1836. Between 2010 and 2016 the Brewery district was renovated into one of the best areas of Columbus. In 1910 Oscar Lear built an automobile manufacturing building and in 2018 that factory was turned into Lear Block apartments which, in my opinion, are the best looking apartments in the city.

Buildings a century old discarded by white flight and urban decay were being revitalized and once again appreciated for their architecture and craftsmanship. All the while young adults wanted walkable nightlife with fun and community. Could this be it? Could the mall of our fathers rise like a phoenix and become the ultimate place for young professionals to come and enjoy their nights? City Center was an abandoned mall with over a million square feet. During this time 80’s nostalgia was rising to a fever pitch. Homage, the retro clothing store, could open a retail spot in the mall. 16-bit barcade could open with wall to wall arcade cabinets along with a Pins Mechanical Company with pinball machines. A Jeni’s Splendid ice cream near the third story Land Grant Brewery taproom. A Mikey’s Late Night Slice on the opposite end of the mall from the Condado’s Taco’s. Brunch spots for Sunday mornings and a Standard Hall location for Saturday nights. This once forgotten gem of the city now stirring envy from the coastal elites of the country all eyes upon this Midwest powerhouse as the City Center finds it’s grand purpose once more.

An indoor Retro Mall in the heart of a Midwest city. Patrons would no longer need to worry about weather when deciding wardrobe. No longer stress about rain or grey clouds. Every night is the perfect temperature in City Center. Finally February is back on the calendar, snow is once again beautiful scenery from the safety of the mall windows. But it was not meant to be. City Center was quickly and devastatingly leveled. Demolition of the mall was completed in March 2010. Columbus Commons, a 6-acre worthless piece of grass opened on May 26, 2011. They killed the mall and in her place put grass. A monoculture that is frozen and unenjoyable for 4 months out of the year. Grass that is rainy and muddy during another 4 months and unbearably hot under the scorching sun for the other 4 months. They placed a stage there so The Floorwalkers can perform for free there once a year. Not a forest in the city to find shade from the summer sun and delicious fruits, not a retro mall that was already there, but grass. Grass for the renters of nearby apartments to let their dogs pee.

But did downtown Columbus need a green space and stage for summer concerts and festivals? Bicentennial Park is a 4.66-acre park in downtown. It was renovated in July 2011, two months after Commons. The park was updated with three world-class elements that attract visitors by the thousands. First, a stunning 15,000-square-foot fountain with state-of-the-art lighting and effects; it does double-duty as a water playground in warmer months with over 1,000 jets shooting water as high as 75 feet in the air to the delight of families who come to the park from all over central Ohio. There is also Milestone 229, a restaurant that sits at the edge of Bicentennial Park. Milestone 229 offers indoor/outdoor seating so that diners can appreciate the beautiful surroundings. Finally, the park boasts an eye-catching band shell. Since the park's opening, it has hosted an eclectic array of touring artists, local musicians, and arts organizations during the Rhythm on the River series. This park overlooks the beautiful riverfront where people can kayak or paddle board. It’s steps away from The Main Street Bridge, the bridge’s unique inclined, single-rib-tied arch design, initially conceptualized by Spiro Pollalis, a Harvard professor of design technology, is the only one of its kind in the nation.




So Next time you’re freezing outside bar hopping on a Saturday night, or walking through the empty Columbus Commons under the unrelenting heat of the sun in the wide open grass shed a tear for what was the absolute soul and center of this city.




RIP City Center you never got the second act you deserved.