Huntington Plaza
The building was built by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the same firm that designed the Huntington Center, the PNC Bank Building, and Chase Tower in downtown Columbus. Benham, Richards & Armstrong, a firm from Columbus, contributed to the design.
The building, one of the earliest contemporary buildings around Capitol Square, was built for Huntington's mortgage subsidiary and other tenants. The building was built on a plaza that levels out the site, which slopes down towards the Scioto River. The plaza is at street level on the east side and about one story above street level on the west side. The east side of the building has a small, shaded park. The building has a glassy lobby recessed behind structural columns. The bulk of the building appears to hover above the lobby, cantilevered out from it. Its facades utilize concrete grids around large windows.
The building replaced the James Building, which was built in 1921. The James Building was known for the James Theatre, which was renamed Loew's Broad Theater in 1927. The cinema was Columbus's first elaborate movie theater. It closed and was razed in 1961 to make way for the new office building.
The building has held the offices of Ohio politicians Mike DeWine, George Voinovich, and Jo Ann Davidson. The building also housed the field office of politician Rob Portman. A protest aimed toward Portman took place in the building's lobby in 2017, in which 16 people were arrested. A protest in the building in 2002 caused 10 arrests; the protesters were unable to meet with Mike DeWine over U.S. foreign policy in Colombia.
In 1985, the building was renovated and renamed as Huntington Plaza Building, due to the bank's trust department no longer being housed in the building. The renovations included sandblasting the exterior and creating park space around the building. Before then, the space beside the building was used for drive-through banking services.
References
- ^ Rawdon, Scott. "New bank designs scaled down from grandiose past". Business First. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023 – via Bizjournals.
- ^ Darbee, Jeffrey T.; Recchie, Nancy A. (2008). The AIA Guide to Columbus. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821416846.
- ^ Barrett, Richard E. (July 24, 2002). Columbus, Ohio: 1898-1950 in Vintage Postcards. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738519623 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Gov. Taft Relegated To 'Interested Party' in Funding Lawsuit." The Columbus Dispatch, 21 Nov. 2001, p. 09C. infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/10DD3CF71F35DE40. Accessed 23 July 2020.
- ^ Lecker, Kelly. "Ongoing Coverage / Portman protest Police ask public for video." The Columbus Dispatch, 12 July 2017, p. 2B. infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/165995D1E9587900. Accessed 23 July 2020.
- ^ Craig, Jon. "Protesters Arrested After Refusal To Leave U.S. Senator's Office - Ralliers sought meeting on Colombia." The Columbus Dispatch, 1 May 2002, p. 04C. infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/10DC84ED12E55B48. Accessed 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Ank Plans Renovation." The Columbus Dispatch, 1 Aug. 1985, p. C2. infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/11B95B77B5866868. Accessed 23 July 2020.
- ^ Willey, Jack. "Fair Feud II is Under Way." The Columbus Dispatch, 2 Aug. 1985, p. 1B. infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/11B95B7A4421C8F8. Accessed 23 July 2020.
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