Worly Building Renovation

The historic Worly Building nestled in the Brewery District within Columbus, Ohio, was recently renovated to be used for a mixed use retail property. The building, which was once used a horse stable for the attached brewery, is now the home of World of Beer and The Shadowbox Cabaret, a live mixed-use theatre.

The architect came up with the idea to hot-dip galvanize the exposed steel to provide an 'industrial appearance'.

The local Brewery District commission initially demanded the exposed steel be painted black in order to conform to the area's uniform code of building appearance. The architect came up with the idea to hot-dip galvanize the exposed steel to provide an "industrial appearance" to the outside of the building. The architect had also seen how some of the area's surrounding steel was rusting within a few years of renovation.

After having to appeal to the local commission, the building was ultimately allowed to leave the exposed steel galvanized, without the paint. With more renovations underway in the surrounding area, the exposed galvanized steel has caught traction with other building owners and architects.