Creekside Gahanna facts for kids

Creekside Gahanna

Creekside Gahanna is a cool place in downtown Gahanna, Ohio. It's a "mixed-use development," which means it has homes, shops, and offices all in one area. It's built right along the Big Walnut Creek, making it a really scenic spot.

What is Creekside Gahanna?

Creekside Gahanna covers a big area, about 240,000 square feet (22,000 m²). It has 71 fancy apartments and 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) of space for businesses. The design of Creekside Gahanna uses the natural beauty of the area, especially the creek.

You can find many fun places here. There's Nostalgia Brewing Company, Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream, and Local Cantina for food. There's also Barrel and Boar, the Creekside Conference and Event Center, and Golden Nail and Salon. Other businesses include offices and even a 911 dispatch center that helps with fire and medical calls for Gahanna and nearby areas.

How Creekside Gahanna Started

Creekside Gahanna dedication Plaque

Back in 2003, the city of Gahanna wanted to improve a large piece of land they owned. They asked different companies for their ideas on how to develop it. The city wanted a place that would have plenty of parking but still feel like a friendly, walkable downtown area. They also really wanted the new buildings to have great views of the Big Walnut Creek.

A company called Stonehenge teamed up with an architecture firm, Bird-Houk Collaborative. They suggested building several stories high, with shops on the first floor facing Mill Street and what would become Creekside Park. The upper floors would have offices and apartments. They also planned for public parking underground, keeping the area looking nice.

The city liked their idea and chose Stonehenge to be the developer. For over 18 months, they worked together, involving the public in meetings and getting approvals from different city groups.

Construction officially began in May 2005. The whole development had its grand opening on May 1, 2008.

Later, in 2011, the Creekside project faced some financial trouble. But about a year later, in 2012, a new company called Strathmore Development Company bought it, and the project continued to thrive.

Building Timeline

Here's a quick look at when things happened at Creekside Gahanna:

Spring 2005

• Old buildings were torn down.

Summer 2005

• Digging for the underground parking garage began (finished October 2005).
• Construction of the underground garage started.

Fall 2005

• The top part of the garage was built.

Winter 2005

• Building plans were finished.
• Construction of the main building structures began.

Spring 2006

• The above-ground garage was built.

Winter 2006

• Creekside Park was built.
• Public plazas were constructed.

Winter 2007

• The entire project was completed.

Spring 2008

• Grand opening celebration!

Spring 2011

• The property faced financial issues.

Summer 2012

• The project was sold to a new owner.

Cool Facts About Creekside

• City officials say the idea for Creekside Gahanna was inspired by the famous San Antonio River Walk project.
• The development has a cool water wall, a lagoon with natural limestone, two waterfalls, a stage for performances, and public parks.

Waterfalls at Creekside Gahanna

• The big stone walls in the center of Creekside are made from huge pieces of natural limestone. Each stone weighs between 15,000 and 32,000 pounds (about 6,800 to 14,500 kg)! Workers shaped them by hand to create strong, interlocking walls. These walls use over one million pounds (450,000 kg) of limestone from Ohio, Indiana, and Kansas.
• Creekside won a big award in 2007 called the National Showcase Award. It was recognized for its special way of funding the project, which helped make it happen.
• You can also see a sculpture called "Basket Dance" by artist Glenna Goodacre at Creekside.