Nationwide Details 148-Home Columbus Conversion at 280 North High

Nationwide Realty Investors says it is converting most of the 18-story tower at 280 North High Street into 148 apartments while retaining office space. The announced plan, called The Centennial on High, targets initial occupancy in mid-2027 but does not yet disclose rents or a final construction schedule.

The current program

The developer’s February 2026 announcement describes 148 residences across 15 floors, including a newly created penthouse level. Five apartments are planned on each residential floor, with balconies, while part of the building will continue as offices.

The project repurposes the former Two Nationwide Plaza, an 18-story office building at the meeting point of the Arena District, Short North and Gay Street District. Nationwide Realty Investors named it for Nationwide’s centennial year.

Why the unit count changed

Earlier reporting described a larger concept. Propmodo reported an approximately 172-unit version before the developer published the current 148-home program. The difference is a reminder that announced unit counts can change during design and construction.

The current plan includes one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, a fitness center, resident gathering space and a courtyard. These are developer-stated features, not evidence of completed construction or market demand.

What the conversion does and does not prove

Office-to-residential conversion means adapting a commercial building for housing rather than constructing a residential tower from the ground up. The approach can reuse an existing structure, but deep floor plates, plumbing, windows and code requirements can make conversions difficult.

This project supplies a concrete local example, yet one conversion does not establish that every underused downtown office can become housing. CREN found no public feasibility study comparing the building with the rest of Columbus’s office inventory.

What remains unknown

Nationwide has identified mid-2027 for first occupancy. The available announcement does not provide apartment rents, total development cost, affordability restrictions or a detailed construction milestone schedule.

The next useful records will be building permits, any revisions to the 148-unit plan and a leasing launch with prices. Those checkpoints will show whether the announced mixed-use conversion remains on its current scope and timetable.