The View on Grant apartment development proposal went back in front of the Downtown Commission this morning with some new details on the project. Last month the design was updated to include a large cantilevered addition to the top of the building located at 358 Mt. Vernon Avenue, which would add three additional floors to the historic brick structure. Today, a more detailed view of the building was presented.
Several members of the Downtown Commission expressed concern with the cantilevered overhang, which would extend 10 feet away from the face of the existing building below.
“I think it’s appropriate and important — to us, this building is very much a profile building with this addition,” explained project architect Jonathan Barnes. “It is jarring, but that’s intentional. If it were only three feet, it would look like a mistake. If it’s ten feet, it looks intentional.”
Downtown Commissioner Bob Loversidge said that he didn’t have any objections with the overhang, but thought that the overall addition on the top of the building was too large.
“From a massing standpoint, it’s too heavy,” he stated. “The ten-foot overhang would be fine if it were a two story addition, and not three.”
Barnes countered that heaviness was also intentional.
“I think the design is pushing it, and that’s why I like it,” he stated. “It’s almost too heavy, but I wouldn’t have gone higher.”
The cantilever was approved unanimously by the Commission, with further project design review still pending final approval before the project moves forward. If approved, the project will add approximately 80 new apartment units to the Discovery District and will include a ground-floor cafe retail space, indoor parking and outdoor patio amenities on the top floors.
“This development will have a significant presence on the Eastern Gateway to the Discovery District,” said developer Mike Balakrishnan with Celmark Development Group. “Having the Columbus Museum of Art and CCAD in the neighborhood was the inspiration to create a something unique that will be appreciated by the young enterprising and artistic community that will be populating this area. Hopefully our building will act as a catalyst for others, bringing distinctive styles to future buildings.”
For more information on the project, visit theviewongrant.com.
Renderings via Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design.
