High St. view & key of The Elm

Gay St. View and sight of mural for The Elm

Elm Plaza

The Elm Plaza on High is located on the southwest corner of E. Gay Street and High Street as well as the southwest corner of E. Long Street and High Street.

Along the first floor of the building where the retail stores are located, we would like to incorporate retractable, glass panels as frequently seen in the Short North District. These panels give shoppers in the retail space a more modern shopping experience. The brick used to construct The Elm will be a red similar to that used on new buildings on Ohio State’s campus (think Ohio Union, or Park Stradley), the purpose of this is to pay homage to Ohio State, which not only represents Columbus, but also the state of Ohio as a whole. The residential area will be on the floors above the plaza and the retail area.

Moving up to the 4th story, two residential buildings will be separated by a plaza on Elm Street that will run from High Street to the back of the complex. Our team wants this plaza to be the main focus for our design, as it will reflect all the qualities that define “local” in the city of Columbus context. For example, since the plaza will have access from High Street, the area will be open to all people, not just patrons of “The Elm Plaza on High.” The citizens of Columbus are very friendly people who are extremely engaging, so it is only appropriate that our plaza is accessible for everyone. Also located in this plaza will be local, such as Jeni’s Ice Cream or even extensions to well rooted Columbus restaurants such as Thurman’s

or The Ohio Deli. Also, we’d like to incorporate newer restaurants founded here so that along with well established restaurants, new restaurants can have an opportunity to establish themselves in Columbus. Retail stores run throughout the bottom floor of the plaza, these stores will be Ohio based boutiques such as Sole Classics, Kingsrowe, and Homage; as well as local athletic merchandise retailers (i.e. Columbus Crew, Blue Jackets, Clippers, and Buckeyes). By having retail spaces mixed in with residential areas, our team feels like the plaza comes off as fashionable AND progressive. Over the last few years, Columbus has emerged as a national fashion hub, hence why the plaza features a great deal of retail space.

We would like to invite local artists such as Columbus’ very own Giovanni Santiago to design and create murals across the Long St. and Gay. St sides of the building. If you take a walk along High Street through the Short North District, you will immediately notice how artsy Columbus is. The Elm Plaza on High will be a testament to this creative aspect of Columbus.