Historic Columbus warehouse to host new jazz cafe, amphitheater
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- After opening a second Columbus location last month, Blu Note Jazz Cafe owner Derrick Pannell is now eyeing preparations for a new live music venue in Franklinton.
Called Blu Note on Rich, the project is taking over a historic warehouse at 375 W. Rich St., a property Pannell and The Robert Weiler Company acquired in 2023. Plans for the 10,000-square-foot building include a partnership with Donatos, indoor dining with live jazz, various patios and an outdoor amphitheater called the Pannell Pavilion with 200 to 300 seats. The project is slated to open in 2026.
"In our mind, it's almost operating two separate visions of an outdoor space for the daytime and then … reel it in with a jazz club in the evening," Pannell told NBC4 in 2024.
The Rich Street development follows the recent launch of Pannell's second location, Blu Note on Town, which opened to the public on Sept. 28 at 530 E. Town St. in a historic Downtown-area building. In addition to live jazz performances on Sunday and Monday, that venue houses a private social space called Renaissance Club.
For Pannell, the expansion is about more than business, it's personal. Blu Note on Rich is rising just blocks from where he grew up and once played as a child, a press release said. The site's building, which withstood a catastrophic flood in 1920 that reshaped the area known as "The Bottoms," will be "a destination where history, music and community come together."
The Rich Street property was purchased for $750,000 in 2023 through Pannell Music Center LLC, with Robert Weiler serving as minority partner. The site was previously owned by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.
The first Blu Note opened in 2020 on East Main Street near Bexley, and has built a following with its blend of daytime cafe service and live jazz. In the press release, the vision for the upcoming Franklinton location was described as preserving and celebrating jazz culture in Columbus while creating an inclusive, community-driven space.