Columbus City Center
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Columbus City Center (locally called just City Center) is a 1.2 million-square-foot three-level shopping center in Columbus, Ohio. It is located in the city's downtown, directly across from the state capital, next to the Ohio Theatre, and connected to a Hyatt hotel. It was developed by the city as part of the Capitol South development, and opened in 1989. Lazarus, which had been open since 1851, was made one of the original anchor stores by connecting it with the mall via an enclosed bridge that goes across High Street. The other original anchor stores were Marshall Field's and Jacobson's.
City Center currently has Macy's (193,000 sq. ft.) department store as an anchor. It also has about 100 specialty shops including exclusive market locations of FootAction USA and Salad Creations.
Over the past few years, the mall's profits and reputation dropped sharply, with many stores having closed. One of the biggest factors in City Center's fall from grace was the loss of two anchor stores, as Jacobson's went bankrupt in 2002 and Lazarus closed in the summer of 2004, which was 350,000 sq. ft. The Jacobson's building is currently unoccupied, but the massive Lazarus complex is undergoing renovations to become a mixed-use development featuring office and retail. Another factor often cited for City Center's struggles is the competition from newer suburban venues such as Easton Town Center and Polaris Fashion Place. This was especially harmful to City Center as in its early years it was dependent on suburban shoppers who soon deserted it when similar malls opened closer to where they lived. Revival may be on the horizon as there is currently a downtown and central-city housing boom, creating affluent consumers who reside in and around the area City Center is located.
Recently, the mall's owners have hired the re-development arm of Nationwide Insurance (based in Columbus, and responsible for much of the Arena District development,) to put together a plan for the mall's future. This is especially important to the city's River South area, which may undergo significant re-development in the coming years.
