The same building was again noted in the 1930s, for housing the first Kroger store in Downtown Columbus, which was considered the first supermarket in the city.

[2] While 171 South High is believed to be a 19th-century building, its façade dates to the early 20th century, adding to a street view that has remained largely unchanged for well over 100 years.

The low-rise buildings fill their rectangular sites, abutting the sidewalk on High Street, originally with floor-to-ceiling windows to advertise goods for sale.

They embody the commercial-style architecture with their blond brick, little ornamentation, flat roofs, low-rise structure, and storefronts with recessed entries to allow for window-shopping away from the sidewalk.

The buildings' decorative brickwork, arched windows, and denticulated cornice are elements popular in Italianate design.

Flanking the windows above and to their sides are brick bands, and the building is topped with a similar denticulated cornice.

The façades are plain, marked only by segmental-arched windows of varying heights, again featuring stone sills.

As originally built, the interior was brightly lit and well ventilated, and lauded by The Columbus Dispatch at the time as a beautiful building with fine rooms and equipment.

The Italian Renaissance Revival-style tower reportedly would increase the building's height to 100 feet, and carry 600 electric lights, along with a 1,000-lb.

Together with the electric-lit streetcar arches on High Street, the block became a "miniature white way" every night at that time.

[16] In August 1910, a neighboring building, part of the seven-building Lazarus complex, was torn down for construction of the Ohio National Bank.

The interior, finished in two shades of pea green, had a fountain, luncheonette, fresh fruit, baked goods, and candy, cigarette, and tobacco counters.

[31] The hotel formerly had a balcony at its front, where Martin Van Buren gave a speech as a presidential candidate.

[36] In February 1905, buildings on the site were set to be torn down and replaced with the Jamison Block; the New Bargain Store at the corner of Walnut and High advertised a sell-out sale, announcing it was being forced to vacate.

[37] The new Jamison Block building was planned as a four-story red sandstone and buff brick structure, with designs by Monroe Heath Blake.

The company's officials abandoned the Jamison Block plans when they realized Columbus was no longer "High Street, Ohio" (a one-street town).

[31] One of its significant tenants was the Bliss Business College, a school formerly located in the Grand Theatre on State Street.

The building is still extant at 200 South Wall Street, standing 62 feet (19 m) square, two stories in height.

The Kroger store in the neighboring building served coffee and cake to the firefighters who battled the fire.

Their vacancy was highlighted in 2016 as ideal spaces to renovate and use, at a time when companies were beginning to seek historic buildings to operate in.

No issues were reported relating to the buildings' exteriors, which were determined to be in good condition in city inspections in 2011 and 2015.

[53] The developer's representatives made their proposal on June 27, where they also requested a vote to demolish the structures, which was tabled pending a more detailed presentation of the redevelopment.

[56] The buildings are also eligible under Criterion C, for embodying the early 20th century commercial architecture that was prominent in the blocks stretching from the Ohio Statehouse south into German Village, acting as the near-sole remnant of this once-bustling shopping district.