Latest news with #SpaghettiWarehouse
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Development officials back plan for apartments on Spaghetti Warehouse site
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Plans to build apartments where Spaghetti Warehouse once stood are gaining support from Columbus development officials, including a commissioner who praised the design as 'one of the best I've seen.' The downtown commission's April 22 meeting included a review of the proposal, which calls for two seven-story buildings with 250 apartments to be constructed at 397 W. Broad St., the property home to Spaghetti Warehouse before it was demolished in February. Commissioners lauded the plans as 'an amazing step forward,' and said they're likely to be supportive moving forward. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the Spaghetti Warehouse in the video player above. How Ohio budget could impact local school funding Designed by Columbus architecture firm Moody Nolan, the complex will be named 'The Macklin' in honor of a 19th-century hotel that operated on the site until the 1950s. Once completed, the two buildings are meant to mimic two halves of a geode crystal that has been split. 'We have this brick outside, we pulled the building apart to kind of create an interior that's a little more industrial, like to have a subtle nod to the idea of crystals,' said Jon Guldenzopf, a Moody Nolan design leader. 'So, the outside's wrapped with brick and then exposes a sort of industrial inside that's both metal [and] industrial, but also has this crystallin undulating façade.' The development is also set to include a first-floor bar called Crystal, named after an ice manufacturing company built in 1891 that operated on the property for several decades. The first two floors will house the complex's 277-space parking garage and some amenities, like a fitness center and a co-working space. The third floor of each building will feature an 'amenity deck,' with the north building's deck home to an 'Ice Cube Amenity Lounge' and the south building's deck including a pool. The Macklin's upper residential floors will house 35 studio units at 465 square feet, 153 one-bedroom units at 596 square feet, and 62 two-bedroom units at 896 square feet. American comfort food concept to open downtown Reynoldsburg restaurant 'We obviously want this to be special, so we worked with the Moody Nolan team for over a year and different iterations of this building and we're very pleased with the work they've done,' said Patrick Kelley, co-owner of the project and president of real estate company Falco, Smith & Kelley. Developers introduced plans in January 2024 to demolish the Spaghetti Warehouse building to make way for an apartment development, which at the time called for 534 units and a 577-space parking garage. Last October, the Ohio Department of Development awarded $52 million for demolition projects across the state, including the Spaghetti Warehouse. Doug Pak, another co-owner of the project and CEO of the Spaghetti Warehouse chain, noted during the April meeting that the project is much smaller than first imagined because 'of the reality of the market conditions.' Pak argued the team is doing 'the best we can with a smaller scope,' while promising to still deliver on components like affordability. Kelley emphasized that effort, and said the development is aiming 'to do as much affordability here as is practically possible.' The team will be deciding how many units are dedicated to affordable housing and how many to market-rate in the coming months. 3 central Ohio used-car dealerships being sued by the state for 'shady' practices 'We have a very strong interest in the affordability factor; we recognize the need is tremendous in central Ohio, and our goal is to do as much affordability as we can, above and beyond what's typically required,' Kelley said. The project is also owned Robert Weiler of the Robert Weiler Company, who joined Kelley and Pak in calling for the Spaghetti Warehouse's demolition in 2022 given the building was 'simply too old and unsafe.' Known for its historic trolley that was saved from demolition to become a learning tool honoring a central Ohio transportation inventor, Spaghetti Warehouse has since reopened Downtown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic Spaghetti Warehouse trolley to become learning center honoring Granville T. Woods
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two months after its dramatic extrication from the old Spaghetti Warehouse building, the historic red trolley that once housed the restaurant's special dining area is waiting for the next phase in its more than 100-year existence. In February, the iconic trolley was removed from the former 1800s ice house-turned-eatery at 397 W. Broad St. in Franklinton before the building was demolished due to safety concerns related to a roof collapse. According to Michael Aaron, Executive Director of the Rickenbacker Woods Foundation, which organized the removal and storage, the streetcar will eventually be used as a learning tool honoring central Ohio transportation inventor Granville T. Woods. See the story about the trolley's removal in the player above. As Big Lots stores relaunch, when will Ohio locations open? RWF is now raising funds to transform the trolley, which will be placed on the grounds of the foundation's headquarters, the boyhood home of World War I fighter pilot Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Located at 1334 E. Livingston Ave. in Columbus, the Rickenbacker house is a registered National Historic Landmark. The trolley's addition to the RWF campus will go beyond sustaining its nostalgia for former Spaghetti Warehouse diners by adding an inspiring, interactive exhibit and classroom featuring Woods's life and inventions as the 'Granville T. Woods Institute.' According to historian and RWF board member Doreen Uhas Sauer, Woods was born in Columbus in the mid-1800s and made his mark on railroad and trolley systems with electrical patents during the Industrial Revolution. Woods, described as 'one of America's greatest unsung Black inventors,' is responsible for the 1893 patent for the third rail that powers streetcars and subways to this day. 'We didn't only save a trolley — we're giving it a second life as a place where history lives and young people dream,' said Aaron. 'The Granville T. Woods Legacy Exhibit will connect students to one of the most brilliant inventors of the 19th century and remind them that innovation and greatness can come from their own city, their own community, and maybe even their own story.' Sheriff speaks about finding dead dogs at Madison County home Currently, RWF is working with the Columbus Foundation to make public donations go even further. 'The Columbus Foundation gave us a powerful boost with a $10,000 contribution — and now we're asking the community to match that generosity with their own,' said trolley restoration fundraising chair Maryellen O'Shaughnessy. 'Every dollar donated in April is matched. It's a chance for everyday people to be part of something lasting: The transformation of a Columbus icon into a space that teaches, inspires, and honors legacy.' Additionally, supporters of the effort will be able to show others their patronage with a wearable keepsake. Trolley lapel pins will be available as a thank-you gift for donors. 'This isn't just a commemorative pin — it's a symbol of what we've saved and what we're building together,' said Aaron. 'For so many people, the Spaghetti Warehouse trolley holds memories. We wanted to honor that legacy with something people could wear and be proud of.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus organization seeks to save historic Spaghetti Warehouse trolley from demolition
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A local organization is making a last-minute push to save the trolley inside the former Spaghetti Warehouse building before it is demolished. Rickenbacker Woods Foundation has been working on plans to relocate the trolley from the doomed building at 397 W. Broad St. in Franklinton to a site where it will be featured in an exhibit honoring African American inventor Granville T. Woods. Executive Director Michael Aaron said that since the building, which suffered a partial roof collapse in 2022, cannot be saved that rescuing the trolley that it was the restaurant's centerpiece is the next best thing. RWF wants to preserve the trolley to 'provide a dynamic educational platform to celebrate Woods' inventions and their impact on modern technology.' With demolition approaching, Aaron is concerned that time is running out. He stressed the urgency of taking action before it is too late, noting that the streetcar has been a key part of memories for patrons of the beloved restaurant, representing the 'joy of food and happy times.' Aaron said the foundation has had discussions with Spaghetti Warehouse and the original rigging company that installed the trolley. Plans began early last year, but recent developments have raised concerns about their feasibility. RWF has secured $500,000 of federal funding through the city, in the form of a Community Development Block Grant, to build a park that would house the trolley, creating an educational space highlighting Woods' contributions to transportation and communication technology. 'We are submitting our proposal which is Project Genesis, which is the new start to the Rickenbacker Woods Foundation's education initiatives,' Aaron told Columbus City Council at the time. 'We've asked the City of Columbus and the federal government to fund a new park on Columbus' South Side. Where this park will go is replacing an alley. It's replacing a scary-looking part of the neighborhood with beauty.' The building is owned by the Robert Weiler Company, which acknowledged the foundation's interest in the trolley car, as well as from other groups. But the larger concern remains the building's instability. The RWF group is also seeking help from other preservation advocates and local leaders. Pointing to the financial and logistical challenges of moving and restoring the trolley, it is looking for support from those with resources and expertise. The organization said potential tax incentives and financial benefits could be available. The Spaghetti Warehouse opened a new location in Downtown Columbus after the closing of the Franklinton restaurant, which had many of its antiques used for decor auctioned off in 2023. A video about plans for the original Spaghetti Warehouse site is available in the player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
