North Market expansion to include new merchant stalls, outdoor plaza, event space

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Downtown's North Market is beginning work on a 15,000-square-foot expansion that will include the addition of new merchant stalls, a bar area and an outdoor plaza.

The project, which aims to enhance the market's capacity and offerings, will also include a dedicated events and programming facility with a covered balcony, an additional guest common area and seating, washrooms, and storage. The market said it chose Columbus firm GRA+D Architects to design the expansion while Ruscilli Construction will supervise construction.

"Their combined expertise will help us create a space that both honors the rich history and character of North Market and evolves to meet the needs of our community," said Rick Harrison Wolfe, North Market's CEO. "We look forward to further collaboration with community partners and adding curated markets and further programming to activate the space in meaningful ways."

The expansion is taking shape as construction continues on The Merchant Tower, a 32-story building being erected on the food hall's former parking lot. The tower will be home to a 206-room hotel, more than 170 apartments, 68,000 square feet of office space, and a parking garage.

Construction for the $345 million tower kicked off in 2023 and is expected to wrap in 2026 in time for the market's 150th anniversary. Work included the excavation of centuries-old grave shafts below the market's parking lot, which was once a section of the 11-acre North Graveyard, one of the city's five original cemeteries that opened in 1813.

The market's operators expanded with another central Ohio location in 2020, taking over the entire ground floor at 6736 Longshore Street in Dublin's Bridge Park.