Located on North Fourth Street just outside of downtown, the Smith Bros. Hardware Co. building is one of Columbus's most recognizable landmarks. Between 1926, when it was built, and 1980, when it closed down, the Smith Bros. Hardware Company was one of the largest hardware manufacturing companies in the midwest. But throughout the Reagan, Bush, and most of the Clinton years, it stood abandoned. Its windows were broken out by vandals and its bricks got filthy. Spraypaint covered the lower portions. One summer in the early 1990's the building caught fire and caused the fire department all kinds of headaches trying to put the damn thing out. Because it is so visible from I-670, the Smith Bros. building was a major embarassment for city officials. It looked like it was headed for the wrecking ball.
There were some people, however, who wanted to restore the place. (I always thought it would make a killer nightclub, but that's just me.) There was talk of turning it into a hotel, an apartment complex, and even a parking garage, but in the end it became offices. They completely renovated the place, sandblasting the bricks back to their original color and even repainting the SMITH BROS. HARDWARE CO. sign along the top. The water tower on the roof got a new coat of paint and a purple light to illuminate it. When they were fixing the building up they found out that it would have taken a lot more than one little fire to bring the place down; it has 10-inch steel-and-concrete reinforced floors, meant to support the weight of tons of hardware.
Inside Smith Bros. after the rehab
I never got to visit the Smith Bros. building while it was abandoned, although I always intended to. My great grandmother was once a secretary there. Lots of people have told me about their adventures inside. I can't get too upset about this building's fate; they really preserved the original look of the building. I suppose the Smith Bros. restoration should be viewed as a paradigm if they have to renovate an old building.
BACK
[email protected]