Design firm brings historic buildings back to life

Charissa Durst owns Hardlines Design Company, which specializes in architectural planning and historic preservation.

Charissa Durst loves breathing new life into old buildings. As president and principal architect of Hardlines Design Company, she and her team enjoy the challenge finding creative solutions designed to make historic buildings function in the modern world.

The Columbus architectural firm, which specializes in historic preservation, has worked on numerous historic buildings throughout the state, including Stewart Elementary School in German Village and the Lincoln Theatre in the KingLincoln District. Durst and her team are finishing up an $18 million renovation of the Woodward Opera House in Mount Vernon — a project that lasted nearly 20 years. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Q: Why did you gravitate to this work?

A: I grew up in Massachusetts and starting in junior high, I lived in a town (Newton) that was basically one big historic district. It actually had very few designated historic buildings, but everyone treated their houses as if they were historic. I grew up thinking everyone spent the summer getting their houses scraped and painted. I don’t think I saw that much vinyl or aluminum siding until I came to Ohio.

I debated about majoring in history or architecture in college since I loved to write and draw. When my family planned to move from Massachusetts to Maryland,