COLUMBUS, Ohio — The owner of a building that once housed Spaghetti Warehouse plans to demolish it with the idea of building a mixed-use development in the future.
The City of Columbus Downtown Commission on Tuesday discussed the proposal to tear down the building at 397 West Broad Street. One of the owners, Bob Weiler, was present at the meeting.
The building experienced a partial roof collapse in 2022. While a Certification of Appropriateness was issued to repair the roof, the owner of the building received unsafe building notices from the city in March 2022 and February 2024.
Spaghetti Warehouse reopened in November 2023 at a new location at the Columbus Commons.
According to the agenda, the owners want to demolish the structure and fill the space with compacted gravel for now. The agenda also states a plan by them to use the lot for non-accessory public parking.
The owners intend to redevelop the West Broad Street property as a mixed-use building, but there were no concrete plans when it was discussed on Tuesday.
The owners initially planned to present options and renderings for redevelopment before the year ends. However, the commission wanted to see what it would like first before they vote on whether to approve the demolition.
Some who attended the meeting argued that the building is historic and that it shouldn't be torn down.
According to the Columbus Department of Development, the city considers the building potentially contributing — meaning that the building was constructed more than 40 years ago. Before it was Spaghetti Warehouse, the building was the Crystal Ice House in the 1800s where ice and water would be stored to supply schools, homes and businesses.
However, the building is not listed on any historic registers.
Rebecca Kemper, the CEO of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation, said the property is a landmark for the East Franklinton community. She added that a committee in the organization is in the process of filing to make the building a historical landmark.
The discussion was tabled for the next regular Downtown Commission meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 22.