Right Now Downtown

It is a well-known fact that during the summer our physical requirements expand to include live music and a place to sit outside, in addition to hydration and sustenance. Darby Court is prepared to meet these needs. In addition to Party on State on Tuesdays and Thursdays and lunch every weekday, the Hyatt on Capitol Square this summer is offering dinner al fresco in the courtyard every Wednesday and Friday. The lunch menu, which is designed to be conveniently quick, includes salads and sandwiches, while the casual Happy Hour menu features appetizers and the Hyatt’s signature Angus burger and club sandwich. The dinner menu for Wednesday and Friday, meanwhile, “is aimed towards guests who would like to enjoy a fine dining experience,” said Diego Anea, the Hyatt’s food and beverage director. Some “fine” examples: pepper-grilled beef tenderloin, Mediterranean pasta, chili-rubbed salmon, and a chocolate banana bombe for dessert. Throughout the summer, the Darby Courtyard will feature live music regularly from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The Party on State Tuesday and Thursday lineup includes the Menus, Reaganomics and Eclectik Acoostik, and local jazz bands will provide dinnertime tunes Wednesdays and Fridays. While the Hyatt has done lunch outside for five years, this is the first for dinner. “We have a fantastic space and what better way to utilize it than to have outdoor dining,” Anea said. “With the nice weather, people want to enjoy their free time relaxing outdoors. We want to make our outdoor courtyard a fun and pleasurable place to be downtown.” Lunch is served Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Darby Courtyard; dinner hours are 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. Party on State runs 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The Gay Street renaissance has gotten bigger and better. Plans are under way for Gay Street Condominums, a 27-unit low-rise residential community between Gay and Long streets and Fourth and Fifth streets, in an area that now is basically parking lots. Anticipated to open next fall, one-bedroom units will start at $120,000, and three-bedroom condos will go for around $450,000. In the meantime, Edwards Companies, the developer, has installed a gi-normous three-story sign at Gay and Fourth that shows what the new buildings will look like. This first phase is just the start for the 6.5-acre area. Edwards Cos.’ $100 million plan centers on the construction of more than 250 condos, enclosed accessory parking structures and multiple community park areas. Designs by Brian Kent Jones Architects will incorporate a variety of styles to create a village feel. The Edwards project jibes with city plans to install a median and decorative touches such as new light poles along the stretch of Gay from High to Cleveland, which will become two-way at the end of the year. “We are happy and excited about the way the City’s streetscape plan has coincided with what we are creating,” said Edwards Companies President Jeff Edwards. “For us, the Gay Street Condominiums project isn’t about building housing; it’s about building a neighborhood.” Gay Street Condominiums will be yet another jewel in a strip that has already become a destination. Most recently, the strip welcomed Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails, a cool new joint at 73 E. Gay St.

Whether you want to imagine what it feels like to live downtown or fantasize about going home to no clutter or dirty clothes on the floor, a cool new open house event called Go Modeling is worth checking out. Held twice a week during summer, Go Modeling will feature luxurious penthouses, hip studios and everything in between. The properties include CityView at 3rd, Buggyworks, Brewer’s Gate, Hartman Lofts, 8 on the Square, Carlyle’s Watch, Rich Street Walk, Treetops at German Village, 225 North Fourth, and One Neighborhood (at Fourth and Gay). “Great downtowns are all about people, and showing off the variety of housing downtown is a great way to get people talking, buying and then living in the heart of our city,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “It is important for developers to show potential future residents all the great options that can be found in the area.” The Go Modeling open houses, which are hosted by 10 downtown developers, the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation/Capitol South and the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, will run June 21-Sept. 6 every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.