The historic Knights of Columbus building at 80 S. 6th Street in downtown Columbus is back on the market, its long-touted housing makeover stalled and shelved for now. The five-story masonry landmark has been listed at $2.75 million, a price that looks like a bargain compared to the roughly $36 million developers once said it would take to turn the property into apartments.
As reported by Columbus Business First, the property is being marketed at $2.75 million. Public commercial property records list the parcel at roughly 86,814 square feet, according to LoopNet.
Planned conversion and the budget gap
Beacon Communities had pitched an adaptive-reuse plan to carve the building into about 72 apartments, and an application submitted to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency put total project costs at roughly $35.96 million. That application breaks out a complex funding stack of tax-credit equity, HOME-ARP funds, and other subsidies that would have been needed to make the plan pencil out.
Approvals and cleanup money, but no green light
The redevelopment moved far enough along to secure state brownfield remediation funding, but it never crossed the finish line. The developer brought conceptual plans to the Downtown Commission in 2022 and has not returned for final approvals, according to local reports. Columbus Underground reported that cleanup funds were awarded, but abatement challenges and financing issues left the project stuck in neutral.
Who owns the building now
Franklin County property records list the current owner as 80 S 6TH STREET LLC, with billing tied to an out-of-state holding address, according to the county treasurer. The Franklin County Treasurer site shows assessed values and tax history for the parcel, while investor materials from GBX Group note Beacon Communities' prior involvement with the property.
Historic bones, complicated reuse
Built in 1927 for the Knights of Columbus and later home to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, the structure is loaded with institutional features that are great for a club and brutal for a budget-conscious landlord. The building includes a pool, an auditorium, and a bowling alley, all of which make an apartment conversion unusually expensive. Columbus Landmarks lists the property as endangered, and local reporting has documented that it has sat largely vacant for years.
Why the price and the rehab do not line up
The OHFA application lays out a financing package that still leaves the project at roughly $35.96 million in total costs, even after tax-credit equity, historic-tax-credit value, and HOME-ARP support are taken into account. In that context, the $2.75 million acquisition price is just one relatively small slice of a much larger bill. Those line items are a reminder that historic preservation and supportive-housing projects often depend on intricate blends of public and private subsidies to be viable, as detailed by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
What is next for the downtown landmark
With the property officially back on the market, preservation advocates and would-be buyers will be watching to see whether someone steps up to tackle the complicated restoration or opts to reimagine the building's future in a different direction. Columbus Business First notes that national commercial listings carry the sale notice, including marketing details on platforms such as Crexi.
