Park History

Columbus Commons presently stands on the spot that once housed the City Center, a historic shopping destination in Columbus. Underneath the park’s green lawns, the mall’s original garage still operates as a parking facility for guests and Downtown businesses. The park’s construction began in 2010, and Columbus Commons made its debut in May 2011. In its first year, the park played host to 130 events and more than 300,000 people.

Columbus Commons continues to evolve. In 2009, when the Downtown Columbus Inc.,  first announced the plan to demolish the City Center Mall and create a clean, green slate, Columbus Commons was presented as a mixed use development, filled with privately developed residential, retail and commercial space, all anchored by greenspace. Since its opening in 2011, the Commons has been a place where people can gather and this sense of community has only been enhanced by the residential and retail additions. The result is a walkable Downtown community with outlets for retail, living, work, entertainment and play.

The project was developed by Downtown Columbus Inc., an organization renowned for their success in bringing Downtown Columbus to life. Also instrumental in this project were the Georgetown Company, the site’s development manager, and a design/build team made up of construction manager Corna Kokosing, architects Moody Nolan, and landscape architects EDGE Group. Downtown Columbus Inc., have also been the lead on many other city-changing projects, including the renovation of the Lazarus Building, the transformation of Scioto Mile, completion of the new National Veterans Memorial and Museum, the Scioto Peninsula redevelopment plan, and more.