Nationwide Realty Investors names ‘The Centennial on High’ for 280 N. High office-to-apartment conversion plan

A former Nationwide office tower is cleared for a mostly residential future

Plans to convert the 18-story office building at 280 N. High St. into apartments advanced this week after the Downtown Commission approved a redevelopment proposal from Nationwide Realty Investors, the real estate development affiliate of Nationwide. The project is being branded as The Centennial on High, a name tied to Nationwide’s 100th anniversary in 2026.

The tower—long known locally as Two Nationwide Plaza and sometimes referred to as 280 Plaza—sits on the northern edge of downtown, near Nationwide’s central office campus. The building was completed in the early 1980s and was developed as part of Nationwide’s broader downtown headquarters footprint.

What the approved plan includes

Under the plan presented to the Downtown Commission, the redevelopment would create 148 apartment units within the high-rise while keeping a portion of the building in office use. Project details shared with the commission indicated that five floors would remain office space, allowing some existing tenants to continue operating in the building.

Commission materials and project remarks described approximately 77,000 square feet slated to remain office space within a roughly 300,000-square-foot building, with about 50,000 square feet of that office area already committed to existing users.

• 148 apartments planned in the tower
• Five floors retained as office space
• Exterior changes include new balconies
• North-side outdoor amenity area proposed, including a small pool

How the project fits downtown’s shifting real estate market

The proposal reflects a broader post-pandemic trend in downtown Columbus: office buildings facing weaker demand are increasingly being repositioned for housing. In recent years, multiple downtown properties have been redeveloped to add residential units, as developers and city officials prioritize efforts to increase the number of people living in the urban core.

Nationwide previously consolidated its Columbus workforce into fewer locations following changes in office usage patterns after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 280 N. High building, once a hub for Nationwide staff, has increasingly been viewed through the lens of adaptive reuse rather than traditional large-floorplate office leasing.

Name, timeline, and next steps

Project representatives described the conversion as capital-intensive and framed it as a long-term reinvestment intended to extend the building’s useful life for decades. Plans to renovate the property were first submitted to the city in summer 2025, and the Downtown Commission’s approval marks a key step in the public review process.

The Centennial on High combines a residential conversion with continued office space, reflecting a mixed-use approach rather than a full departure from commercial tenancy.

Additional approvals, building permits, construction phasing, and leasing plans will shape the project’s schedule. A specific move-in date for future residents was not included in the commission action, but the naming and approval position the project to move into later design and implementation stages.