Features| Published on September 20, 2009 6:00 pm

At Home: In Franklinton

By: Anne


Chris Sherman wasn’t really looking to call Franklinton home when he came across a unique property a few years ago. At the time, he was working his construction business and had a garage, a shop and an apartment spread out in Olde Towne East and the Short North. When he found the nearly 3,000 square foot space in Franklinton, he knew he would be able to consolidate everything and make his life much easier. The area was a much better and more convenient location to many of his clients and to downtown and nightlife. The space was pretty raw and he has converted it into a workspace and a living space. His ultra-modern, contemporary minimal style fits the space well. He finds much of his design inspiration from his work, and from magazines such as Metropolis and Dwell.

The very open living space is about 2,700 square feet, one bedroom, an office and two baths. The workspace in the back adds another 1,200 square feet and he has a rooftop patio as well which provides great views of downtown. The building has all of the original windows. While they do not let in much light, Chris has done a good job compensating for that with the lighting fixtures.

Much of his furniture is found items and things he built or reused and refabricated from past construction jobs. He built his dining room table. The railing along the upper floor balcony and staircase is a reworked piece from Axis Nightclub. He has a Herman Miller chair he found.

He has a pretty nice art collection, mixing things he has created himself, and pieces others have created along with things such as manhole covers and casts from hydraulic pumps from the now closed Chase Foundry.

He never thought he would make his home in Franklinton, but now that he has, he figures he will never leave. “I love it here,” he says. He is very active in the community, contributing to getting the Franklinton Arts District (FAD) off the ground with Jim Sweeney and Bart Overly. He has also worked with Urban Scrawl and other events in the neighborhood. There are always things to work on around his place and Chris dreams about purchasing the property next door and having real yard space and perhaps a pool.

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Author: Anne Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for TheMetropreneur and ColumbusUnderground. She also regularly contributes to both sites with features focusing on living (At Home) and working (At Work) in urban areas and creative spaces. She enjoys scrapbooking, parties, her family and restoring a 100+ year old home close to Downtown Columbus.

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