A demolition permit has been pulled for the McClure-Nesbitt Motor Company building, a hundred-year-old structure on Columbus's Near East Side, with fencing now up around the site at 1505 E. Main St. The move marks the second historic building that developer Equity has moved to tear down in recent months, following the demolition of the former Holy Rosary school building earlier this year.
As reported by Columbus Underground, Equity bought the McClure-Nesbitt building in 2024 with plans to renovate it for restaurant, retail and office uses. The building was constructed in 1926 for the McClure-Nesbitt Motor Company, according to a project summary from content.govdelivery.com, and had sat vacant for decades, described in the 2023 summary as being in major disrepair.
The renovation plan received state historic preservation tax credits in 2023, with a total project cost listed at $5,470,000 and a tax credit of $250,000, per that same summary. It wasn't the building's first shot at new life — a previous redevelopment proposal for the property had been approved for $250,000 in historic tax credits back in 2018, but, as The Dispatch reported, that effort did not move forward. By June 2023, the paper noted substantial damage to the structure, including large holes in the roof and first-floor ceiling, and a courtyard roof added sometime in the 1930s or 1940s that had completely collapsed.
A Pattern of Incomplete Repairs
Equity CEO Steve Wathen said, per Columbus Underground, that the company planned to proceed with the renovation, and work on the building did occur between 2019 and 2021. But those repairs were left incomplete, and the building's deterioration has worsened since — a portion of its roof has now collapsed, and a 2026 Google Maps aerial photo shows significant damage to the roof.
Equity does not appear to have completed significant work on the building since an affiliated LLC bought it in March 2024, nor does it appear to have advanced other renovation or redevelopment plans for the property. Wathen told Columbus Underground that the city is requiring the demolition.
What an Unsafe Order Actually Means
The building has carried an unsafe order dating to 2019. Anthony Celebrezze, deputy director of Columbus's Department of Building and Zoning, said an unsafe order means a building is unsafe to inhabit and that the owner must address it — either by beginning work under building permits or by demolishing the structure. Celebrezze said the choice between repair and demolition rests with the owner, and that the city rarely requires a building's demolition outright, since most buildings can be saved with enough money.
Celebrezze also said that commission review is not required for demolition requests when a building carries an unsafe order. The application also states that an Area Commission has up to 60 days to make a recommendation on a demolition request.
Neighbors and the Area Commission Left in the Dark
Area commissions are typically notified of demolition requests within their boundaries, but Nathan Harris, chair of the Near East Area Commission, said the commission did not hear from Equity about either the McClure-Nesbitt demolition or the earlier Holy Rosary school demolition. Harris said Equity has not reached out to the commission to discuss its plans for its neighborhood properties.
Rob Leis, a resident of the area, said the loss of the McClure-Nesbitt building is bad for the neighborhood. Leis said Equity did nothing to stop further deterioration of the building and has been concerned about the company's broader stewardship of its historic holdings nearby, saying Equity failed to secure its buildings against break-ins, which he said led to fires and other issues.
Equity's Broader Near East Side Footprint
Equity's plans for the Holy Rosary campus had included converting the former church at 1667 E. Main St. into an events venue and turning the former school building into affordable housing. The company did invest in a new roof and other repairs to the main church building, but the school building was demolished after renovation was deemed too expensive. As Columbus Business First reported, that demolition cleared a key portion of the long-vacant campus for redevelopment.
The McClure-Nesbitt teardown adds to a string of recent demolition fights in Columbus. The same outlet has reported that a vacant tire shop deemed unsafe by city officials could become the subject of a demolition request before the Downtown Commission, a sign that unsafe-order demolitions are an ongoing flashpoint for preservationists across the city.
Equity has been described in past coverage both as a Hilliard-based developer, per Columbus Underground, and as a Columbus-based developer, per The Dispatch's 2023 report on the tax credit filing. The company's current renovation timeline for the McClure-Nesbitt building, and whether any further redevelopment plans remain on the table, has not been detailed publicly.
