On Wednesday, the Municipal Light Plant in Columbus won the 32nd Annual James B. Recchie Design Award from the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.
The award announcement was made at Lower.com Field, home of the Columbus Crew.
The following statement was released by the review committee that chose the Municipal Light Plant: ““This is an example of a building that could have been lost, but instead it has been reimagined in a way that took creative thinking and attention to detail. This project demonstrates how even the most derelict industrial building can be brought back to life.”
The Municipal Light Plant is located at 577 & 578 West Nationwide Boulevard. Owned by Connect Realty, designers were Sandvick Architects, Inc. and EDGE / Edgework Creative.
According to CLF, “After decades of vacancy, the derelict Columbus Division of Electricity Municipal Power Plant has been preserved and transformed into a new use. Even before construction could begin over 2,000 tons of material had to be removed from the site. High quality materials were used throughout and iconic features such as the hoppers, hopper doors, interior cranes, rail tracks and the tall smokestack have been preserved. This project demonstrates how even the most derelict industrial building can be brought back to life.” See more here.
The 2022 award jurors were Alison Circle (retired Columbus Metropolitan Library, directed three Recchie Award-winning projects; CLF Board Member); Edwin Harris, AIA (Principal and Co-Founder of Evoke Studio, Durham, N.C.); and Eugenia Martin, FASLA (National President of American Society of Landscape Architects; Project Director, Wexner Medical Center; past member of the screening committee).
The total renovation cost approached $35 million. Four other project finalists reflected both contemporary and historic design. Included were the Budd Dairy; Mirror Lake at OSU; the Open Air School; and the Franklinton Slingshot.
Preservation Ohio extends hearty congratulations to everyone associated with the Municipal Light Plant project.
