A mixed-use building in Short North is nearing completion, bringing three prominent tenants to the neighborhood. Construction work continues on 900 N. High St., a four-story office building that Elford Realty is putting up on the corner of High Street and 1st Avenue. The 50,000-square-foot building will feature 15-foot ceilings and will fill out another point in the rapidly-developing High Street corridor when it’s complete. The bottom floor United Dairy Farmers will be something of a new concept for the convenient store and ice cream chain. It’s going for a more subdued branding of its shop to avoid making it stick out as too bright in the neighborhood.
Brad Parish of building designer Architectural Alliance told the Italian Village Commission that the new building would feature blade signs and graphics that don’t emit as much light as other signs. “This kind of open space with the big windows, we wanted to take advantage of our location to do something great with the views,” Andy Mills, president of Elford Construction, told me as he toured the building. The UDF and a Verizon store are going in on the ground floor space, and Serendipity Labs will open a new location in 22,000 square feet on the top floors. There is 15,000 square feet of space remaining in the second floor, which can be divided, Mills said.
Trevor Warner, one of the partners behind Serendipity Labs, said the new location will feel intentionally different from the one on Capitol Square. True to the chain’s locations around the country, it’s going to fit the neighborhood and have a more hip vibe, in part because they expect to attract young professionals. The Serendipity Labs location here will be a franchise of Renascent Hospitality and will feature offices, desks, common areas, meeting rooms and a rooftop space open for socialization. It will open July 1 and memberships start at $49 a month. “Columbus is quickly becoming a hub for innovative start-ups, entrepreneurial spirited individuals, and new business ventures, and we are confident that Serendipity Labs will provide an inspirational, flexible space for our local community members to thrive,” said Scott Somerville, owner of Renascent Hospitality in a statement.