Renderings via Meyers + Associates Architecture

The Italian Village Commission approved the latest design for the renovation of Bollinger Tower last night, clearing the way for the 11-story building to be converted into a hotel with a two-story addition in front.

The project has been through numerous iterations since the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority first agreed to sell the building, located at 750 N. High St., in early 2016. Residents were offered vouchers to move to affordable housing elsewhere, and by mid-2017 all of the nearly one hundred former residents had moved out of the building.

Local company Schiff Capital Group had plans to bring in Cambria Hotel and Suites to operate the hotel – and submitted a number of different renovation proposals to the commission – but ended up selling the building to Chicago-based developer AJ Capital Partners last fall.

The new, approved plan calls for a 171-key Graduate Hotel featuring a rooftop bar and terrace. The addition in the front will fill in the former green space along North High Street with a retail storefront, a separate space for a restaurant, an extended lobby and a small recessed entryway.

Commissioners asked for some modifications to the materials and design of the entryway, but overall were supportive of the project.

A representative of Meyers + Associates, the project architect, said that no timeline has been set for the start of construction.