After sitting empty for years, the long-vacant Mount Vernon News building on East Vine Street is bustling again. The former newsroom reopened yesterday as a mixed-use destination anchored by Founders Food Hall, drawing a ribbon-cutting crowd and a slate of state officials. Inside the rehabbed Art Deco landmark are multiple kitchens, duckpin bowling lanes, a full bar and fresh office and campus space, all aimed at bringing people back on foot while keeping the building’s historic character intact.
According to Columbus Business First, the onetime newspaper headquarters now houses Founders Food Hall alongside shared gathering areas. The outlet places the opening squarely within a broader downtown redevelopment effort shepherded by the Knox County Land Bank.
WQIO reported that Area Development Foundation president Sam Filkins summed up the new attraction during the hall’s soft opening by saying, “We have seven kitchens, two lanes of duckpin bowling, and a full bar.” The station noted the venue hosted that preview earlier this month, ahead of an official grand opening yesterday that featured remarks from state and regional partners.
What’s Inside Founders
The first wave of operators at Founders Food Hall includes Slice Mount Vernon, Tabouli Cafe, Rijsttafel, OX-B’s and The Daily Scoop, alongside the in-house Founders Bar and plenty of communal seating, according to Founders Food Hall. Local coverage adds that the Knox County Land Bank leased most of the kitchen bays before opening day, intentionally leaving a few slots open so additional concepts can be added over the coming months KnoxPages.
Funding and Partners
A key piece of the project’s financing came from a $1 million JobsOhio Vibrant Communities grant, which the state agency said completed the capital stack and helped push the roughly $4.4 million redevelopment across the finish line JobsOhio. The Knox County Land Bank retains ownership of the property and has carved out space for Mount Vernon Nazarene University and other local office tenants as part of a strategy to seed daytime worker traffic downtown, according to local reporting in the Mount Vernon News.
A Careful Restoration
Project planners opted for a light-touch restoration, salvaging and showcasing pieces of the building’s original fabric while updating the guts where needed. Preserved hardwood floors, stretches of terrazzo tile and exposed brick now sit alongside modern utilities and a new four-season room. The food hall’s history page traces the structure to the 1930s and presents the redevelopment as a blend of preservation effort and economic jump-start for the city’s core Founders Food Hall.
Downtown Ripple Effects
Local officials say the mixed-use approach is calibrated to broaden downtown’s appeal across the day, drawing students and office workers during business hours and diners and nightlife crowds after dark, with hopes of sparking follow-on private investment nearby. The grand opening ceremony was set yesterday at 11 a.m., with scheduled remarks from JobsOhio and One Columbus, according to the event listing on the Knox Chamber.
