Columbus State is kicking off a big downtown campus shake-up that will rework several blocks around Cleveland Avenue and East Spring Street with a new health sciences hall, a planned tech hub and a slate of building renovations. The multi-year push blends voter-approved bond funds, state and federal backing and private philanthropy to grow hands-on training for health care and manufacturing jobs right in the middle of downtown Columbus.
OhioHealth Hall is the star of the makeover, an 80,000-square-foot, three-story health sciences building with a $66.5 million price tag that will include simulation labs, classrooms and allied health training space. According to Columbus State Community College, the facility is meant to help roughly double the college’s output of graduates in high-demand health programs while boosting clinical training capacity.
OhioHealth has committed a $25 million philanthropic endowment to support instruction and operations tied to the new building, the health system said in a news release. As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus State is pairing OhioHealth Hall with new technology centers and renovations scattered across its downtown footprint.
What’s Being Built
The broader campus plan also calls for an Ohio Center for Advanced Technologies, a proposed tech hub meant to support advanced manufacturing and other employer-aligned skills training. Congress signed off on $9.5 million for the hub in February 2026, and earlier state commitments along with college bond dollars are expected to fill the rest of the budget as pre-design work moves forward, according to Spectrum News 1.
Renovations And Smaller Projects
Project filings with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission show that Franklin Hall at 277 Jefferson Ave is lined up for a roughly $35 million overhaul. At the same time, Downtown Columbus lists the college’s projects alongside other major developments that are reshaping the neighborhood. College leaders say the work is aimed at updating older classroom wings and pulling student services closer to the major employers they partner with.
Why It Matters For Students And Jobs
College and industry leaders say the upgraded labs, simulation spaces and employer-supported programs are meant to tighten the link between training and jobs in health care and advanced manufacturing. Columbus Business First reported that OhioHealth Hall and the Ohio Center for Advanced Technologies are designed to boost credentialing and the number of graduates to keep pace with hospital and industry needs.
Construction is already visible. Columbus State held beam-signing ceremonies this spring, and the college is aiming to open OhioHealth Hall in time for the fall 2027 semester, the school said in a recent update. Columbus State notes that smaller renovation projects are scheduled to wrap in phases through 2026 and beyond, depending on how funding and timelines line up.
City planners and private developers say the college’s investments should inject more daily foot traffic into downtown and strengthen training pipelines that support the area’s recovery and long-term growth. Downtown Columbus puts the Columbus State projects among dozens of public and private investments that leaders hope will keep the neighborhood active, connected to jobs, and closely linked to transit.
