The Nationwide Arena District

In Columbus, a 95-acre mixed-use urban village anchored by a privately funded sports arena has transformed the downtown area and created a vibrant new entertainment district. The Nationwide Arena is the centerpiece of a $500 million urban masterpiece that includes commercial office space, residential units, retail and entertainment attractions and a large urban park. The district effectively unifies old and new, and features large pedestrian-friendly areas, enhanced by beautiful brick-paved streets and walkways.

For many years, the neighborhood where the district now stands was badly neglected, characterized primarily by abandoned buildings and gravel parking lots. As with many cities, downtown Columbus had virtually no nightlife. The largest fixture in the district was the abandoned State Penitentiary, an oppressive building with a tragic history that was literally starting to crumble onto cars parked around it.

Autumn Flame Red Maple trees and clay pavers provide an attractive and durable sidewalk adjacent to Nationwide Boulevard, which contains special production pavers lightened in color to better accentuate the bricks used to build the arena.

Until a few years ago, residents and government officials in Columbus were starting to think that the dream of a new sports arena and revitalized downtown would never be a reality. A proposal for the arena was on the table for years, yet five times since 1978, the residents of Columbus voted against the tax hike necessary to build the arena. But in 1997, Nationwide chair Dimon R. McFerson began negotiations to purchase city-owned lands that were crucial to the development of what is now the Arena District. Nationwide, a diversified insurance and financial services organization based in downtown Columbus, volunteered to privately fund the arena if the National Hockey League (NHL) would guarantee Columbus their first franchise team. When this deal was secured, the city agreed to sell the land where the abandoned State Penitentiary stood.

The Master Plan

Once the land was secured, Nationwide needed a plan that would create an ideal location for the arena as well as permit future development of the district. They contracted with Myers Schmalenberger MSi and Sasaki Associates of Boston to create the master plan and spearhead the project.

"The most important aspect of the master plan is that the Nationwide Arena District is an extension of downtown Columbus," says Keith Myers, a partner with MSi. "We didn't want to create a totally separate part of the city. We wanted to incorporate the area into the city and make it relate well to its surroundings."

The entrance to the arena from Nationwide Boulevard features a large, open plaza area at the top of the stairs.

In order to accomplish this goal, the master plan included a number of unique design features to mesh the new district with the existing urban fabric. On one side, a relocated historic road bridge, now used as a pedestrian bridge, connects the district with the North Market, a historic public food market, and the convention center. To the south, a new urban park connects the district to the Scioto River, and a new waterfront park planned by the city. To the east and west, Nationwide Boulevard, a new brick paved street with exciting new retail shops and restaurants, connects the district to the existing downtown.

Creating The Urban Village

The design team wanted to establish a striking vertical line format and pedestrian-friendly area, by including brick streets and sidewalks large street trees and ample lighting.

Until this district was built, downtown Columbus was known for growing horizontally, not vertically. Surface parking lots throughout the area took up useful space and created even more vehicle congestion. The Nationwide Arena District master plan called for strategically placed parking decks that encourage visitors to park and walk instead of driving from location to location.

"In order to avoid facilitating more suburban-style development, we incorporated parking structures where visitors can leave their cars and stroll through the park and the streets, shops and restaurants," says Myers. "A new development can feel very out of place, something built only to attract people and their dollars. This urban village brings together streets, sidewalks, pedestrian plazas and buildings that all work to enhance and blend in with the surroundings."

The layout of the master plan for the Nationwide Arena District creates the framework for development of 1.3 million square feet of available office space.

A cornerstone of the Arena District plan is a three-acre public park at the very core of the development. Named McFerson Commons in honor of now-retired Nationwide chair Dimon R. McFerson, the park is almost as long as three football fields and leads directly to the proposed site of a new city park along the banks of the Scioto River. Initially, convincing Nationwide that three acres of potentially valuable real estate should be left untouched was a challenge. But, Myers points out that the surrounding real estate, including approximately 300 upscale apartments along the west side of the commons, would be even more valuable since open green areas are a natural attraction.

Critical to the success of the district was the directive from Nationwide representatives that the $150 million arena must relate well to the city and vice versa. According to Nationwide, the arena should not be a "sealed box," with little street presence, as is typical of many new arenas built today. To accommodate this goal, the architectural design team, led by Heinlein Schrock, Architects designed the entire south wall of the structure as a 70-foot glass atrium that creates an open atmosphere and invites the city in. The interior of the arena also features welcoming elements such as terrazzo floors, brick pillars and marble details, as well as open lobbies and concourses that allow a great view of the ice as soon as fans walk through the doors.

The site will contain approximately 200,000 square feet of ground floor space for retail storefronts, restaurant and pedestrian-oriented use, and other entertainment attractions.

In addition to creating an extension of downtown Columbus, Myers says a primary goal of the master plan was to establish a truly pedestrian-friendly area. By including brick streets and sidewalks, large street trees and ample lighting in the master plan, the planners were able to create a sense of warmth and human scale for pedestrians.

The master plan creates the framework for development of 1.3 million square feet of available office space above approximately 200,000 square feet of ground floor space for retail, restaurant and pedestrian-oriented use. Included will be a ten-screen, 1,800-seat movie theater called the Arena Grand Theatre that will draw crowds to the district even in the summer during the hockey off-season. Again, the theater makes best use of available space with its own parking deck and stadium-style seating.

A Sense Of History

Visitors to the area can sit on a retaining wall made from pre-cast concrete along thex sidewalk to McFerson Commons.

Another way the planners incorporated the Arena District into downtown Columbus was through a blending of the old and the new. When the project first began, demolition crews found a layer of old over-sized clay pavers, probably the originals used to pave the streets of Columbus many years ago. Although they were not a part of the original plan, the work crew had the foresight to carefully remove the pavers and save them. Later, the contractor set up a job program for high school students in which the students spent a summer cleaning the pavers to remove old mortar and the residue that accumulated over the years. Paver installers then used the newly restored bricks to pave Ludlow Alley, a narrow pedestrian-only area that is home to numerous clubs, bars and other nightspots. Ludlow Alley is also the east entrance to the Arena Square, a large, open gathering area surrounded by restaurants and clubs. The Square features special lighting, a large video board and other animated signage that creates an edgy ambiance and contributes to the excitement and fun-filled nightlife of the area.

An aerial view of Nationwide Boulevard offers an attractive look at the street lined with Autumn Flame Red maples and Hapco light posts with custom skirts.

In addition to using the older bricks to pave Ludlow Alley, the planners also wanted to include another historic piece in the Arena District. At the head of the commons stands a 660-ton terra-cotta arch, built in 1908 by famous Chicago architect, Daniel Burnham. Originally, the arch was part of a majestic arcade in front of Columbus' historic Union Station. The train station was slated for demolition in 1978, and despite protests from preservationists and others, the destruction began late one night. Preservationists convinced a judge to get out of bed and rush to stop the demolition, but by the time he was able to issue a stop order, only one arch remained. The arch has been virtually hidden from view since 1978, standing in a small park not far from the Nationwide Arena District. The master planners wanted to move the arch to the head of the park in the Arena District to restore it to its original prominence.

One of the more challenging aspects of the project was moving the nearly 100 year-old Daniel Burnham Arch from the front of Columbus' historic Union Station to the head of McFerson Commons. With the cooperation of city officials, streets were closed down while the entire 660-ton terra-cotta arch was moved in one piece on huge rollers to its new home.

With the blessing of historians and preservationists, the difficult task of moving the arch commenced. Originally, planners intended to take apart the arch and move it in several pieces, but this quickly proved to be impossible as crews discovered the strength of the mortar joints. Unwilling to give up, the planners then turned to International Chimney, the same company that moved the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. With the help of several work crews and the cooperation of city officials, streets were closed down while the entire 660-ton arch was moved in one piece on huge rollers to its new home at the head of McFerson Commons.

It Takes A Village To Make One

The goal of the project was to create a pedestrian-friendly urban village where visitors can relax on benches and walk through various pathways at the site while enjoying the new district. To create the heavy-duty pavement on Nationwide Boulevard, Surebond Joint Stabilizing Sealer was used on the clay pavers.

Yet another challenge the planners faced while creating the Nationwide Arena District was coordinating with all of the parties involved in the project. Although Nationwide was the primary coordinator of the project development, the city of Columbus also had a stake in the work. The city was responsible for the approximately $43 million for street and utility improvements, street lighting and the development of the park. Because of this, the master planners had to work with both Nationwide and the city when choosing streetscaping products. Initially, the planners wanted to use brick for the majority of the buildings, sidewalks and streets of the Arena District because of the warm environment that brick creates. Nationwide and city officials agreed that since brick is an attractive, durable and historic looking building material, it was therefore an obvious choice for the project. Also, brick is the dominant material used throughout the city, so using brick for the Arena District helped to unify the area with the existing architecture.

However, Myers admits it was difficult to convince city officials to use bricks to pave several of the streets in the district. The city expressed two primary concerns: first, would brick be strong enough to support the heavy vehicle traffic on Nationwide Boulevard, anticipated to be a main downtown thoroughfare, and second, would it be worth the added cost. "We were able to show them a Pine Hall Brick heavy duty clay paver that far surpassed the traffic and engineering department's specifications," Myers says. "They make a superior paver that met and exceeded all of the city's specification requirements."

Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Pine Hall Brick is a leading supplier of clay pavers, with a specialized plant dedicated solely to pavers. The company claims that since brick is one of man's oldest and longest lasting building materials, it just as strong as asphalt or concrete for paving roads. The durability of clay pavers was proven in Columbus when the original road pavers were dug up and reused in Ludlow Alley, having withstood tons of weight over many decades.

With this information in hand, the city agreed that brick pavers would be a good choice for paving the streets of the Nationwide Arena District. Myers says the planners wanted to guarantee the streets would last for a long time, so extra time was dedicated to the street design. The extra design details include an engineered base thickness under the road, a tight specification on the joint sand, the use of Surebond joint sand stabilizer and the implementation of 1/8-inch joints by the paving contractor. Pine Hall Brick was even able to lighten the coloring of their Old Tavern series of pavers to better compliment the bricks used to build the arena.

The Investment Pays Off

It is hard to believe that an area that was recently acres of gravel parking lots is now home to an arena, a park and several shops, restaurants and offices. In a city that had virtually no downtown nightlife for over 40 years, the Nationwide Arena District has in just two years created a pedestrian-friendly, booming new night spot that is also a destination of choice for shoppers, diners and visitors during the day. New clubs and entertainment spots are now opening beyond the district in north downtown and surrounding land values are escalating. There is no question that the Nationwide Arena District is a success story in the country's growing urban revitalization trend and a great case study for other cities planning their own downtown projects.

Ashley Futrell is a writer for King's English, LLC, located in Greensboro, NC,