15-story tower proposed for former eatery site
Building containing 534 apartments eyed for ex-spaghetti Warehouse location
Columbus developers are proposing a 15-story tower on the site of the former Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant on West Broad Street in Franklinton.
A partnership that includes longtime Columbus developers the Weiler and Kelley families, along with the owners of the Spaghetti Warehouse chain, submitted plans to the city calling for the demolition of the former restaurant at 397 W. Broad St.
In its place would rise a 15-story tower containing 534 apartments, 577 parking spaces and 15,120 square feet of retail/commercial space that could be filled with the Spaghetti Warehouse returning to the site.
Plans call for the new building to fit into a 2.7-acre sliver of land extending from West Broad Street to West State Street between two sets of railroad tracks, replacing the restaurant building as well the parking lots on the site. A wall along State Street would be removed, providing access from both the north and south.
The narrow site, now only accessed from West Broad Street, is full of challenges, said Skip Weiler, president of The Robert Weiler Co.
“Everything’s going to be a challenge, you name it — parking, access, utilities, cost,” he said. “There’s lots of issues and lots of hurdles that need to be overcome.”
Developers have started discussing the project with city officials before drawing up final plans, Weiler said.
“We need to understand the site requirements before we proceed,” he said.
Weiler also expects resistance to demolishing the building, which dates to the 1890s. The 20,000-square-foot building served as a warehouse and ice factory before the restaurant opened in 1978. The restaurant could seat 800 guests, making it “the largest restaurant in the company with the highest sales,” according to the chain.
The Spaghetti Warehouse closed the location after the roof collapsed in March 2022. In November, it reopened on South High Street Downtown, overlooking the Columbus Commons park.
“I think the general consensus is the building is in such bad shape, it’s already caved in, it’s not salvageable, it’s not safe,” Weiler said.
If the project moves forward, the Spaghetti Warehouse may return to the site by occupying the retail portion of the project. It would fill its new space, on Columbus Commons, with a higherend concept called Warehouse 72, Weiler said.
Despite the challenges, Weiler believes the location is ripe for development, wedged as it is between two major projects — the Peninsula development to the east, and the Gravity development to the west. Together, those two projects will include about 2,000 residences when completed, in addition to two hotels, several restaurants and entertainment venues and about 600,000 square feet of offices.
“We want to continue what the CDDC (Columbus Downtown Development Corp.) is doing at the Peninsula and what Kaufman (Development) is doing at Gravity, and the environment they’ve created,” he said.
“This is one of the hottest areas in town between the Peninsula and Franklinton,” Weiler added. “The Short North used to have it, but it’s pretty much built out now . ... We think we can carve out our own niche here.”
jweiker@dispatch.com
“I think the general consensus is the building is in such bad shape, it’s already caved in, it’s not salvageable, it’s not safe.” Skip Weiler President of The Robert Weiler Co.