Merchant Building

The Merchant Building is a 32-story skyscraper under construction in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The project formally began in 2016 when the city solicited design ideas; it selected a winning proposal in 2017. Construction began in 2023.

Merchant Building
May 2022 rendering of the completed tower beside North Market
General information
StatusUnder construction
LocationColumbus, Ohio
Coordinates39.971867°N 83.003848°W / 39.971867; -83.003848
Groundbreaking2022
Estimated completion2025
Technical details
Floor count32
Grounds1 acre (0.40 ha)
Design and construction
Architecture firmSchooley Caldwell, NBBJ
Website
www.merchantbuildingoffice.com

The building will be a mixed-use development with a hotel, residential units, office space, a restaurant, bar, private club, and space for an expansion of North Market.

Attributes
The building will replace a surface lot used by North Market

The one-acre (0.40 ha) site[1] is in the North Market Historic District, and is the historical site of North Market, the city's oldest surviving marketplace. The market currently occupies an adjacent building, with the project site utilized as a 130-space surface parking lot.[1]

The 32-story building will be a $292 million, 700,000-square-foot (65,000 m2) mixed-use development. It will include 174 residential units, event space, and 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of office space. Public spaces will include a cafe, retail spaces, a barber shop, 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2) for North Market, and 350 parking spaces.[2][3] The building's hotel, the Merchant Hotel, will have 162 guest rooms, the Trade Room and Bar, a courtyard, and restaurants.[4]

The building will also include a private social club, the Merchant Club, for people interested in wellness, arts, culture, and the club's programming. It will include 44 guest rooms with their own experience, along with a library bar, rooftop bar, and rooftop pool.[4]

The land is owned by the City of Columbus, which intends to transfer ownership to the developers at no cost. The development will pay the market to make up for the loss of its parking lot for every year in perpetuity, in a move that the city approves as directing funds directly into the market as opposed to the government.[5]

The market has been adorned with a large sign for years, on its east side. The sign features the market's mascot, "Rudy the Rooster". It was disassembled in 2023, to be moved to the southwest face of the building during the Merchant Building construction process.[6]

History
North End Market House
(1876-1948)
The second North Market
(1948-1995)

The site is in the North Market Historic District, and is the historical site of the first two buildings that housed North Market, the city's oldest surviving marketplace. The market currently occupies an adjacent building, with the project site utilized as a 130-space surface parking lot. The land for the market and parking lot were acquired by the city in 1992.[1]

In 2013, North Market's director floated ideas about redeveloping the market's parking lot, which led developers to approach market officials with ideas. The process to redevelop the space was first announced in September 2016, when the city held an architectural design contest to find a developer for the space.[1] Seven teams of developers presented ideas; the winning proposal, "Market Tower" by Wood Companies and Schiff Capital Group, was chosen in April 2017, over designs by the Pizzuti Companies, Nationwide Realty Investors, Kaufman Development, Flaherty & Collins, Casto, and Lifestyle Communities.[7]

The winning design was initially proposed to have 35 stories, with a square floorplan and an exterior predominantly made of tall glass panels. Parking would be both underground and inside the building, in an area with potential to convert to office space.[8] Schooley Caldwell was listed as the architect for the project, and later added NBBJ to assist in the design.[9] At the time the winning project was announced, it was proposed for construction to take place from 2018 to 2020 at a cost of $120 million.[10]

In July 2019, the project was renamed the "North Market Mixed-Use Project", the tower's height was reduced to 26-28 stories, with an added hotel, and a total cost of $192 million.[5][11][12] In September 2019, City Council approved an economic development agreement for the site and the project began review by the Columbus Downtown Commission and Historic Resources Commission.[13] In September 2021, changes were made to the project, including increasing the number of floors to 31, making it potentially the tallest building constructed in the city since 1990.[14] It was approved by the Downtown Commission in December 2021.[15]

The building worksite in April 2023

In May 2022, the structure was renamed "the Merchant Building", after the goods and produce merchants that have utilized North Market. Construction began in 2023 with an estimated completion date of 2025.[2]

In February 2023, as expected, archaeologists discovered the buried remains of 40 people in the site. The 1-acre property was part of the 10-acre North Graveyard, one of the original cemeteries created in Columbus. From 1813 to 1864, it was the primary cemetery for Columbus-area residents. A portion was removed in 1872, and the remainder was moved in 1881. All discovered remains will be reburied at Green Lawn Cemetery.[16][17]

See also

References
  1. Warren, Brent (2016-09-14). "City to Solicit Proposals for Developing North Market Parking Lot". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  2. Welker, Jim (2022-05-26). "North Market development has new name as construction nears". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  3. Meibers, Bonnie (2022-05-26). "North Market tower developers reveal new project name, renderings". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  4. Meibers, Bonnie (2022-05-26). "Rockbridge CEO: North Market's Merchant Building will be '700,000-square-foot vertical neighborhood'". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  5. Evans, Nick (22 July 2019). "City Council Takes up North Market Tower Proposal". WOSU News. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  6. "What to know as North Market starts $345 million Merchant Building development".
  7. Evans, Walker (2017-04-12). "The Six North Market Development Proposals That Won't Be Built". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  8. Warren, Brent (2017-04-12). "Plans Moving Forward to Build 35-Story Tower on North Market Parking Lot". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  9. "Market Tower — Schooley Caldwell". www.schooleycaldwell.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-05.
  10. Rose, JD Malone,Marla Matzer (April 12, 2017). "Revamped North Market to include 35-story tower as centerpiece". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-05-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Welker, Jim (2019-07-11). "New tower by North Market back in plans". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  12. Navera, Tristan (2019-09-24). "Developers update North Market tower plans: See how the project will change the neighborhood'". Columbus Business First. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  13. Warren, Brent (24 September 2019). "Commission Weighs in on North Market Proposal". Columbus Underground. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  14. "North Market project back on track, to boast tallest building in Columbus in 30 years". The Columbus Dispatch. September 1, 2021.
  15. Weiker, Jim (December 16, 2021). "North Market braces for major changes with new tower". The Columbus Dispatch.
  16. "North Graveyard in downtown Columbus to be excavated before Merchant Building constructed". 9 February 2023.
  17. "Archeologists Unearthed 40 Graves at North Market in 2022". Columbus Underground. February 7, 2023.
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