A new proposal has been submitted to the City of Columbus to build a seven-story, 270-unit mixed-use development at 1060 N. High St. The project, from Texas-based RPM Living, would require the demolition of the Ohio Stater, a former hotel turned apartment complex and retail center that has stood at the corner of High and East Woodruff Avenue for decades.

Submitted documents show the proposed building taking up most of the block bordered by High Street, Frambes Avenue, Tuller Street and Woodruff Avenue. The Ohio Stater Inn was built in 1950 but renovated and converted into apartments in 1988, at which time a parking garage and additional apartment buildings were also constructed behind the original building. All of those buildings would be torn down if the new proposal moves forward, as would a three-story brick building at the corner of Frambes and Tuller.

The two-story building at the corner of High and Frambes that holds a Donatos, as well as the smaller building next door that holds PJ’s Sandwiches, are not within the footprint of the new development.

The Ohio Stater is owned by Inn-Town Homes and Apartments, a local company with a large portfolio of apartments geared toward Ohio State students. The Ohio Stater portion of the Inn-Town website includes a message stating that apartments in the complex are not being rented for the next academic year and that “it is with a heavy heart that The Ohio Stater will be closing its doors in October 2026 for redevelopment.”

The submission packet includes what is called a conceptual site plan and a graphic showing the building’s massing. The proposed development would hold 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, a total of 865 beds, three internal courtyards (one with a pool), and a 260-space parking garage.

The project will be reviewed by the University Impact District Review Board for the first time at its next meeting on January 22.

For more information on the University Impact District Review Board, see www.columbus.gov. All photos by Brent Warren.

photo of red brick building next to newer, beige buildings — This building at the corner of Frambes Avenue and Tuller Street, constructed in 1915, is also owned by Inn Town and would be demolished to make way for the proposed development.

site plan showing building with three courtyards — Conceptual site plan, by Niles Bolton Associates.

graphic showing six floors of residential, ground floor retail on High Street, and amenity spaces on the first and top floors — Graphic showing the programming of the proposed building, by Niles Bolton Associates.

image of postcard showing brick building with red and white Ohio Stater Inn sign — A postcard of from 1964 of the Ohio Stater Inn, via the Columbus Metropolitan Library Digital Collection.

image of postcard showing brick building with pool and red and white Ohio Stater Inn sign — Another postcard, date unknown, from the CML Digital Collection.