A proposal to build a 12-story, 170-room Hilton Garden Hotel at 77 East Nationwide Boulevard has run into resistance from the Downtown Commission. Indus Hotels brought plans to the commission’s May 26th meeting, having made changes to the design they first presented in January.
The latest proposal calls for reconstructing the brick facade of the existing two-story building onto the new hotel, much like Indus did with their Hampton Inn project at 501 North High Street.
The original building on Nationwide dates to 1910 and was recently included on Columbus Landmarks’ list of the most endangered buildings in Columbus. It was restored for office use in 1983 and was the first winner of the James B. Recchie Award for historic preservation.
Commissioner Mike Brown said that although he generally supports projects that add height and density to Downtown, “unfortunately, Columbus erased much of its architectural character decades ago, making it all the more important to protect landmark facades and buildings, especially those that are clearly not in danger of collapse or contaminated.”
Other concerns raised by commissioners include the lack of parking included in the development and a proposed curb cut on Nationwide, which would disrupt extensive landscaping and streetscape improvements completed late last year.
Representatives from Indus did not respond to requests for comment.
Although there is general agreement that more hotel beds are needed Downtown to accommodate bigger and better conventions, some interested parties have privately questioned whether this project is the right fit for that location.
Megumi Robinson from Experience Columbus, although not commenting specifically on this proposal, told Columbus Underground in January that that the real need her organization had identified was for a “1,000-room, full-service convention hotel and luxury hotel around the convention center.”
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