Residents Say Abandoned Hotel Is A Hazard

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A former hotel at Hamilton Road, just north of Groves Road, has been closed for more than a year.

NBC 4 dug deeper into why nearby residents said a pool full of water is dangerous.

One side of the sign out front says Hamilton Plaza Hotel; the other side of the sign says Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel. It sits at 2124 S. Hamilton Rd. on the city’s Southeast Side.

The city of Columbus says a bank currently owns the building, which has been deemed hazardous and a public nuisance. 

Although signs are posted not to enter or use the building, resident James Shoaf says he’s seen teenagers playing in the building—in the pool area. 

He worries a small child could fall into the pool and drown.

“Monday, I caught two high-school kids cutting class in this very room. I asked them to leave the property, and they did so. But as you look behind me, there’s still eight feet of water in this pool. Somebody’s gonna get hurt,“ Shoaf said.

The building directly north is undergoing a renovation.

Bidjaan Kassam is doing a $500,000 renovation of the former Radisson Inn, which has become the newly renovated Hawthorn Suites. His building is directly north of the abandoned hotel.
Kassam says he’s also seen people in the abandoned hotel, stealing furniture and air conditioners. 

Many of the windows either are cracked or broken. 

Several doors either are wide open or propped open.

Two men walking around inside the building say they hang out there and sometimes stay overnight.

They say they’ve seen at least 15 people stay there at a time and have counted at least 200 rooms in the building.

The city’s Department of Development says the previous owners should have boarded up the first floor. 

City code enforcement workers are trying to locate the current owner. It was previously owned by a limited liability corporation or L.L.C. 

If the owner doesn’t bring the building up to code, the city may have to absorb the expense of boarding up the building.

Shoaf wants the pool drained and the building torn down.

Kassam agrees. 

Debris is everywhere: mattresses, broken toilets, glass and insulation.

“I know they talked about a Hamilton Road revival. Well, we’ve gotta clear the dead before we can bring it back,“ Shoaf said.

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