Columbus Cancels $335 Million Downtown Courthouse, Picks Renovation Instead

Columbus is scrapping its plan for a new Downtown courthouse. Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the cancellation on July 29, citing rising construction costs and a tight city budget, as reported by WOSU Public Media.

The new Franklin County Municipal Court building was supposed to rise on Dorian Commons, a fenced-off green space across from the Franklin County Government Center. The city first estimated the project at $200 million back in 2018. By this year, that price tag had grown to $335 million.

Instead of building new, Columbus will renovate the existing courthouse at 375 South High Street and the nearby Karnes Building. "We're not talking about the coat of paint and new carpet. We're going to the studs in this thing," Ginther said, per WOSU.

The renovation is expected to cost about $260 million, saving the city at least $75 million compared to new construction. Ginther said that money will go toward city priorities like sidewalks, parks, recreation centers, and police and fire equipment. "The responsible thing to do is to reconsider how we deliver modern and safe court operations," he said.

The decision reverses a plan voters helped fund. Columbus voters approved bond measures in 2019 and 2025 that set aside money for the new courthouse. City Council Finance Chair Nick Bankston backed the switch anyway. "Although it is always difficult to step away from a major project, I recognize that our present financial reality leaves us no choice but to make hard decisions," he said, according to WOSU.

Court leaders are not happy about the change. A court spokesperson called the decision "deeply disappointing" but said the court will keep working with the city on the renovation plan, WOSU reported.

What does this mean for Downtown Columbus? Dorian Commons, fenced off for years while officials planned the new courthouse, will go back to being green space instead of a construction site. That keeps one more block near the Government Center open rather than under scaffolding, at least for now. Readers can follow more changes near the site on our /areas/downtown-columbus page.

For taxpayers, the reversal is a sharp sign of how much construction costs have climbed since 2018. A project that cost $200 million eight years ago now runs $335 million to build from scratch, or $260 million to renovate. Builders and buyers across Central Ohio are feeling the same price pressure on materials and labor, so this is not a Downtown-only story.

The renovated courthouse will take years to finish. Ginther said the project will have rolling openings starting in the summer of 2034, with more space coming online through 2035. The current building will likely stay in operation, in phases, through most of that construction.

What to watch next: Columbus City Council still needs to approve the renovation budget and contracts, so the $260 million estimate could still shift. Investors tracking how Downtown land use is changing can see current opportunities at /invest/deploy-capital.

Sources: WOSU Public Media, WOSU Public Media