Abandoned hotel in Ohio

Plaza Hotel, Columbus Ohio

Date added: March 31, 2023 Categories: Ohio Hotel

The East Long Street area, directly east of what is now considered downtown Columbus, was developed during the late 19^th and early 20^th century as the city moved eastward. It was a densely developed commercial/residential street. This building is one of the few survivors from that initial period of growth which retains most of its original architectural integrity and appearance.

Although the storefront has been altered, this building retains the decorative details typical of the late 19^th century Italianate style. The most outstanding features of the building are the carved stone lintels on the second and third story windows on the main facade and the bracketed metal cornice with central gable. The fenestration pattern on the Hamilton Street (west) elevation presents an interesting rhythm. Each of the first three windows are separated by roofline chimneys and the remaining eight windows are arranged in pairs. The size of the building (7 x 11 bays) and its prominent corner location at the west end of the near east side neighborhood contribute to the building's notability.

The upper stories were originally used as apartments but were converted in 1929 to hotel rooms as the building became known as the Plaza Hotel. The hotel was leased during the 1940s and 50s by Bennett Dickerson, a real estate developer, who opened it to Blacks who were unable to stay in many of the city's hotels. The Plaza Hotel was used by those who frequented the many clubs along East Long Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue which attracted Black musicians of national reputation during this period.

In the 1960s and later the East Long Street neighborhood suffered from the construction of a freeway (I-71 is one block to the west of this building), loss of households and a high vacancy rate. Blighted conditions and deterioration have led to the loss of many of the area's early buildings. This structure is currently vacant and plans call for its substantial rehabilitation.

Building Description

736-740 East Long Street is a three-story brick Italianate commercial structure built c. 1895. The building is seven bays wide and 1l bays deep, and occupies a corner location at Long and Hamilton Streets. The roofline of the building is flat. Distinctive features of the Long Street (main) facade include the carved stone lintels above the windows on the second and third stories and a bracketed metal cornice with central gable. The storefront has been altered with the addition of a perma-stone facing, however, the building retains most of its original appearance and integrity. The Hamilton elevation features an interesting fenestration pattern with the first three windows separated by chimneys at the roofline and the remaining eight windows grouped in pairs. All of the side elevation windows have simple stone lintels and sills. The building rests on a stone foundation.

This building occupies a prominent corner location on the western edge of the near east side of Columbus. Interstate-7l, which is one block to the west, separates this area of Long Street from downtown Columbus. 736-40 East Long Street is one of the very few buildings which retains the appearance of the late 19^th century, as many of the older buildings in the area have been demolished or substantially altered. The remainder of the block contains early 20^th century commercial buildings and the Lincoln Theater, which is in a badly deteriorated state.