The Ohio Development Services Agency awarded $5 million in historic preservation tax credits Wednesday to transform an old set of buildings in the Brewery District.
L. Hoster Brewing Company opened in the 1830s and shut down during Prohibition in the 1920s. After it closed, the S. Front Street site was used for warehousing, and was last home to a restaurant equipment company.
Now, Development Services Agency spokeswoman Penny Martin says developer Dwight McCabe owns the space. Architecture firm Schooley Caldwell announced concepts for the $70 million project earlier this year.
“They’re gonna be transforming the building, which is somewhat industrial, into a hotel, restaurant and office space,” Martin says.
The complex is presently vacant. In addition to a boutique hotel, the mixed-use project will also include a brew pub, retail and event spaces.
“They’re transforming what was once a brewery years ago into a new mixed-use development in the City of Columbus,” Martin says. “It’s gonna provide something new for the Brewery District itself, and that’s what this program does.”
The money comes from a pool of $28 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits awarded to 49 buildings this year.
“In the city of Columbus, there are numerous projects that have used this program,” Martin says. “Like the LeVeque Tower is a completed project that we highlight here in Columbus.”
Martin says this was the 22nd round of Historic Preservation Tax Credits awarded. The development agency expects the projects to bring forth about $280 million in private investments in the 13 communities that received awards.
