COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On Aug. 18, 1989, City Center mall opened.
Charles Marvin sat waiting for a COTA bus in front of the mall Tuesday. It's the same spot he sat 20 years ago.
"It was nice to have something going on downtown, rather than it was dull back then and it's just exactly the way it is now," Marvin said.
In 1989, the area along High Street south of the Capitol Building was alive with shoppers and festivities. Now, it is closed -- awaiting a wrecking ball.
When the mall opened, there was nothing like it in the area. It was full of upscale anchor stores and specialty shops and it attracted shoppers throughout the region.
In the late 1990s, other malls opened in the area, dramatically affecting City Center.
By the beginning of 2009, City center had gone from 144 tenant stores to just eight -- with no anchor stores.
In February, the city announced City Center would be the site of a new park project called Columbus Commons and that the building would be torn down this summer.
So far, no demolition has taken place, but the development corporation said the plan still includes demolition this summer.
A few blocks away toward the Scioto River, the River South is becoming more crowded as Lifestyle Communities' new project brings 76 condos and 137 apartments to the downtown area.
The company said it is now selling condos with two model units open for tours.
Pricing for the units begins in the area of $150,000 and the company expects many first-time buyers to take advantage of an $8,000 tax credit that expires in November.
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