03/17/2026
We were proud to provide structural engineering for the most recent renovation in 2008! It involved rebuilding much of the brick parapet and fixing some areas where the brick veneer had bowed. The pan joist and concrete frame were still in good shape, with large, riveted steel girders spanning the grand ballroom on the second floor and supporting the eight stories above. We also had to reframe the elevator penthouse machine rooms to fit the new elevators. It was all worth it to keep this historic building alive and well!
The lobby of the Seneca Hotel, located in downtown Columbus, as it looked in 1964.
More on the history of the Seneca Hotel:
🏨 When it opened in 1917, the Seneca was Columbus's first high-rise hotel, standing 10 stories tall with 91 suites and featuring a grand second-floor ballroom.
🏨 The building's location near Franklin County Memorial Hall was strategically chosen to capitalize on convention business, and a four-story wing was added to the east side in 1924 to accommodate growing demand.
🏨 The building has lived many lives - after being a luxury hotel, it became home to the Nationwide Beauty Academy from 1960-1974, where it served as a dormitory for female students from six different downtown schools.
🏨 The hotel was designed by renowned Columbus architect Frank Packard and was built with such architectural significance that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
🏨 During its time as EPA offices in the 1980s, employees reported strange occurrences in the basement, including claims of hearing a child crying(!) in the filing rooms.
🏨 After sitting abandoned for 17 years and nearly facing demolition, the building underwent a remarkable $21 million renovation in 2005-2008, transforming it into modern apartments known as Seneca.
