Update 5/15/19: New video renderings (below) were added to this story, originally published on April 23, 2019.
The team behind the proposed 28-story Hilton hotel next to the Greater Columbus Convention Center presented the latest plans for the project to the Downtown Commission this morning.
The $220 million building was first announced in March of last year and has since grown in size, although the overall design has not changed drastically since January, when the commission got its first look at the building.
Daniel Thomas, Urban Design Manager for the City of Columbus, said that commissioners remain enthusiastic in their support for the project, and that most of the feedback received so far about the design has been positive.
A green roof is now planned for the shorter portion of the building, an element that will help the project achieve LEED Gold certification. The vegetation on the roof will be planted in a way that will mimic the curved design of the convention center roof.
An underground passageway connecting the new hotel with the existing Hilton across North High Street is now geared toward employees exclusively (hotel guests will be able to move between the two buildings using the existing above-ground walkway).
The commission also saw more details on the building’s interior and how it will interact with the street. Guests will enter the hotel’s primary lobby from Ohio Center Way – the existing loop road that provides drop-off access for vehicles from High Street – while a signature restaurant will anchor the corner of the building’s prominent southern corner.
The primary exterior material, apart from glass, is a terracotta-colored cast concrete that is meant to complement the brick exterior of the existing Hilton.
The building was reviewed conceptually, meaning that no vote was taken, but Thomas said it is likely to return to the commission either in May or June for a vote.
