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Easton Town Center (often simply called Easton or with incorrectly spelled Towne) is the largest mixed-use, office, retail, dining and entertainment center in central Ohio Columbus, Ohio near the suburbs of New Albany and Gahanna. It is part of Easton, the leading center of commmercial activity in central Ohio with over 35,000 employees working on site and over 30 million retail visits annually.
Widely considered the brainchild of Les Wexner, founder, chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, Easton Town Center is a 1.5 million sf project built upon approximately 90 acres within a larger 1,300 acre project simply called Easton. The period following "Easton." is part of the trademarked brand for the development. The town center itself was co-developed by The Georgetown Company and Steiner + Associates, while the overall Easton development is a partnership between Limited Brands and The Georgetown Company, which conceived of and is master developer of the entire Easton complex. Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the original investors in Easton Town Center together with Limited Brands, Georgetown and Steiner + Associates.
Easton Town Center Phase I (the South District) opened in 1999. It now includes tenants such as Crate and Barrel, Cheesecake Factory, Restoration Hardware, IMO - Independent Mobile, Barnes and Noble, Brio Tuscan Grille, PF Chang's, J.Crew, and Pottery Barn. The South District is the favored venue for outdoor concerts, holiday events and is commonly used as a family gathering space during the summer, in particular children playing in the random pattern pop-up fountain.
Easton Town Center Phase II (the North District or "Fashion District") opened in 2001. It includes tenants such as McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Nordstrom, Macy's, Apple Computer, Express, Bon Vie Bistro & Bar, Abuelos Mexican Food Embassy, Ruehl No. 925, C.O. Bigelow, Henri Bendel, bebe, Coach, Smith & Wollensky, the Discovery Channel store, Club Libby Lu, and McDonald's. The North District is also home to the Children's Park, which is a brick fountain area with a large outdoor train set, The Easton Express, and various carved limestone statues dubbed Easton's Creatures of Imagination. There is also a large circular fountain further north.
The town center is designed to look like a classic American main street with public spaces, fountains, street grids and metered parking spots in front of stores. The proceeds of the meters are donated to charity via The Easton Community Foundation.
AMC Theaters operates a movie theater at Easton with 30 screens and over 6,000 seats. Lifestyle Fitness operates a 24-hour exercise facility, the largest in Columbus. With over 30 food venues, 6 of the top 10 grossing restaurants in the city can be found at Easton. The Development Design Group is the design firm that was involved in the development of the town center.
In 2000, Easton Town Center received the ICSC award for Innovative Design of a New Project. It is consistently ranked by Columbus Monthly as customers' favorite retail destination in central Ohio and has set the standard for "lifestyle" retail projects in the US.
Timeline
- 1990 – 1998 Planning and infrastructure development
- 1997 Chase Manhattan Residential Mortgage HQ; Easton Chiller
- 1998 Easton Oval; Sports Barn; Soccer Fields open 55 acres
- 1999 Easton Town Center Phase I; Easton Hilton
- 2000 Easton Commons Apartments; Marriott Residence Inn
- 2001 Expansion (Phase II) Fashion District; acquisition of 100 acres for development
- 2003 Easton Commons Phase II; Marriott Courtyard
- 2004 Easton exceeds 30,000 jobs created; $80 million in taxes annually
- 2005 Lane Bryant Headquarters open at Easton bringing total office development over 3,000,000 sf
- 2006 Germain Luxury Auto Center to open October '06
External links
"Easton Town Center"