Yankee on High

Steep History, Fresh Future

For years, Columbus, Ohio, knew 463 N. High St. as Yankee Trader, a novelty store where shoppers could find the city’s best gag gifts, costumes, and party favors. When the store closed in 2010, the space owner asked us to bring new life to the three buildings that had housed a Columbus cultural icon for nearly half a century. 

Commitment to Community 

At Triad, we are architects, designers, facilities managers, real estate developers, and designers. But first, we are caretakers of history and culture. We are invested members of the communities where we work, and at Yankee on High, we knew we had to take great care to preserve the history and personality of a space in the heart of the city. 

At Triad, we’re always eager to utilize our skills and talents to discover, re-imagine, design, and build inspired destinations. We embraced the opportunity to breathe new life into a hallowed space that the Columbus community could enjoy for generations to come. 

The mix of uses in the building required intense building code scrutiny to develop strategies that solved fire rating, accessibility, and emergency egress requirements. But, because the project received federal and state Historic Tax Credits, our work had to comply with historic preservation guidelines. 

Triad tackled the three-building, seven-story challenge in two phases. We worked to salvage and restore as much of the building’s original character as possible to protect its legacy. Today, Yankee on High includes something for most everyone, including loft apartments, office space, and notable businesses, including Bareburger and Denmark. 

Service and Stewardship

Our team welcomed the opportunity to transform Yankee Trader into a better-built space the Columbus community could embrace. We applied unique perspective, top talent, experience, and expertise to the work. Our unique combination of skills and services allowed us to preserve the building’s history while also accentuating the individuality of each unique space.

Services Provided 

Architecture – Facility/Master Planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Fundraising Assistance, Architectural Services, Engineering Services, Interior Design, Budgeting/Scheduling, Regulatory Approvals, Construction Administration

Construction – Maintenance/Capital Improvement Services, Facility Management

Development – Program management, Owner’s representation, Site Selection/Evaluation, Entitlement Processes, Construction Loan Monitoring, Private Placement Assistance, Grant/Incentive Analysis, Financial Modeling