A one-day exercise to suggest new designs and adaptable uses for two vacant but historically significant buildings in Columbus generated some buzz about not just the future of the buildings, but potential benefit to the neighborhoods around them.
A group of university and high school students presented their findings Friday about The Crump Theater in downtown Columbus and a former Irwin Union Bank building on the city’s east side. About 250 visitors attended the presentation at First Christian Church.
The students — from Ball State University, the University of Cincinnati, Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus and CSA-New Tech — divided into teams and spent nine hours on Tuesday touring, evaluating, dreaming and sketching potential futures for the two structures.
Their Student Design Charette, a fast-paced session to identify design solutions for problem buildings, was part of the four-day Preserving Historic Places conference. The 49th annual conference, held in Columbus for the first time, wrapped up Friday with a record 280 people registered.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Crump Theatre
In Friday’s session, the student teams evaluating the Crump — located since 1889 at 425 Third St. — recommended keeping the facility’s use as a theater, for movies or theatrical performances or both. But proposed additions to the building would be needed to take care of major infrastructure and mechanical problems including the lack of handicap accessibility, the need for elevators and other issues.
The students focused on the possibility of adding onto The Crump on the building’s east side, with variations provided for a small addition about 20 feet wide, or a larger addition about 60 feet wide.
Their sketches showed areas inside the current Crump floor plan that needed upgrades, and portions that had been added over the years that were not original and could be eliminated. Some of the space reorganization and addition focused on providing meeting or office square footage, with other features designed to upgrade the building’s energy-conservation capability, including adding solar panels.
The students proposed reworking accessibility within building floors to create better flow and organization. They also proposed adding a rooftop garden on top of the larger addition space which would also give the option of outdoor seating there.
After the presentation, local entrepreneur Tony Moravec, who has restored two historically significant buildings in Columbus, Zaharakos and the Upland Columbus Pump House, asked how much the design the students were talking about would cost. The students hadn’t had enough time to do a cost study, however.
The Crump, owned by the Columbus Capital Foundation since 1994, has been closed since January 2014. Columbus Fire Department ruled it could not reopen until serious safety hazards could be corrected. It has been for sale since 2015.
Bank building
Students on the team for the bank building provided two adapted uses, one that the team proposed and one that was requested for consideration by the city.
The building, at 2033 State St., was designed by Paul Kennon and opened in 1974. Kennon designed the narrow two-story brick and masonry building featuring an enclosed lobby with glass on three sides. It is currently vacant.
After touring the bank building, students described it as an oasis on the east-side corridor, in part because of the original landscape design by Dan Kiley, recognized as one of the most reknowned landscape artists in the 20th century.
For their idea, students said the building could support a unique dining/restaurant opportunity, with the main atrium part of the structure as the seating area, and placing restrooms in the bank vault. The teller window could become a signature dining area and the students suggested keeping the drive-thru opening as a three-season, dine-outside option.
The second floor of the bank would be turned into more dining space, the students theorized.
As far as Kiley’s design, the students wanted to recapture his original idea that the landscaping welcomes visitors onto the property.
Mandy Flowers of Bargersville, an Ivy Tech visual communications student, said the team originally theorized a “tap room-type” restaurant could work at the space initially, but decided it probably wouldn’t be supported in the environment where the building is located. Instead, they felt a small, diner-ish type restaurant might have more success.
For the second idea, students were asked to evaluate the building as a possible community drug rehabilitation center, said Tony Costello, Irving Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Ball State University, who led the charrette.
Costello renamed the idea “The Healing Hub,” showing a sketch with the existing footprint, but with an addition that would have a rooftop therapeutic garden. The sheltered entryway for the facility would be at the back, to provide privacy, with Kiley’s landscape design carried through the design.
More energy-efficient glass would be added, including a demarcation where the original building ended and the addition began, in homage to the original design.
Sabel Long of Columbus, also a visual communications student at Ivy Tech, said her team favored more green space throughout the property, making it an open and welcoming area.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” she said of working quickly with other students who have experience in architecture, historical preservation and other specialties. “But it was a great opportunity to meet students from other backgrounds.”
“This bank has enormous ramifications on several levels,” Costello said. “The reason I say that is that it is a mid-century Modernist building — and it’s a 1974 building that is reaching an age and changes in ownership and may have to change its function to be economically viable.”
Costello said the bank building redesign could set a standard for east State Street that could be even more important than the actual renovation.
“It could establish a standard for future architectural design that new development in that area (east side of Columbus) will be held to,” he said.
As for the Crump, Costello said he was surprised the city was still dealing with the building.
“We are very lucky that it’s still standing there,” he said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Student participation” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here are the students who participated in this week’s Student Design Charrette.
Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus: Elizabeth Drake, Mandy Flowers, Sabel Long and Jacob McCollum.
CSA New Tech, Columbus: Christopher Angel and Carson Gentry.
Ball State University: Caitlyn Barhorst, Ashley Danielson, Jessica Franke, Michaela Greene, Kaylee Jacoob, Shelbi Long, Haylee Moscato, Zoie Motycka, Emma Ocken, Alyssa Reynolds, Emily Royer and Cody Sprunger.
University of Cincinnati: Lauren Beckett and Remy Nering.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the conference” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Preserving Historic Places conference was a four-day event presented by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology, Indiana Landmarks and Indiana University with support from the National Park Service and the Columbus Area Visitors Center. The four-day conference in Columbus drew a record 280 registrants.
For more about historic preservation, visit indianalandmarks.org.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
