The renovation of The Merchant, a 5,800-square-foot coworking office space located in Olde Towne East, is a prime example of how historic character can meet modern needs.
Through our expertise with historic renovations, we brought to life our client’s vision for a light and bright space while working in tandem with two historic and one area commission.
The first floor, originally a grocery store, now has an open, coffee-shop feel with a conference room, huddle area, and community kitchen space.
The second and third floors, once divided into apartments, are now bright, open private offices for rent. A few strategic cuts in the walls resulted in a more open space with a lot of natural light.
Having been renovated before, many of the original building materials were long gone. We salvaged as much of the original character of the building as possible, from original trim to wood floors. New materials were carefully chosen to complement original features. And then there are fun, hidden touches, like a white board hidden behind pocket doors in a conference room.
On the exterior, we opened up the first floor storefront, reopened bricked-in windows, and restored the original arched openings to allow as much natural light in as possible. And along the side of the building, the original arched doorway was reopened, which now leads to a secluded patio for outdoor gatherings.
The removal of an old wall opens the space up into a coffee shop style work environment. Keeping the original flooring tells the story of where the wall once stood, as there's a change in patterning and style.
Utilizing wall coverings and light fixtures helps differentiate the various work zones.
Clean lines and a waterfall island elevate this space as the spin on a traditional subway tile adds depth. Playing off the shape of the tile, the hexagon flooring leads to the outdoor patio.
The private patio displays a varying amount of material that tells the history of the numerous renovations of its past.
Light pools into the stairwell that leads to private offices and conference rooms.
Glass store fronts help move daylight around and open up the space. Creative space planning allowed The Studio to add in an additional two-person meeting room.
The Arena Grand Theater gets a new life with this renovation to house Nationwide's Innovation space, The CoOperative.
With newfound access to natural daylight, the design team continued to transform the interiors into a modern workspace. To read more about this portion of the renovation, please visit the story titled "The Historic Dispatch Building Renovation".
The adaptive reuse project centered around pulling in natural light and modernizing the workspace. Serving as a landmark for the city, the former Columbus Dispatch Building was placed on the Historic Register of Places.
About The Author
Dukyoung Lee - Architect
Since 2016 and as a founding team member of The Columbus Architectural Studio, Duk Young Lee has built a culture of exploration within the firm. The highly awarded and certified architect holds a Master’s degree, AP, BD+C certified, and is LEED awarded. It’s with Duk Young’s ambition that she has built a philosophy of purposeful design, and has fostered a keen ability to find balance between materiality, functionality, and beauty. Her handiwork can be seen all over the city such as the Dublin Park Pavilion and Grandview Crossing Office, which exemplifies her expertise in exterior design and modeling. Even outside the office, Duk Young is always exploring whether it be rock climbing, learning guitar or simply trying new coffee shops around town.