Easton Town Center begins on Morse Road
In 1986, Leslie Wexner, founder and CEO of The Limited, began purchasing farmland around Morse Road in northeast Columbus. The area sat within the city limits, just inside the I-270 beltway.
The land was assembled over time, parcel by parcel. Wexner's plan called for a 1,200-acre master-planned district. It was laid out as a mixed-use development with retail, office space, residential components, hotels, and entertainment.
The concept also included corporate headquarters and operations centers for Limited Brands' businesses.
The land required zoning changes before development could proceed. Conversions from agricultural to commercial zoning were pursued parcel by parcel.
Approvals were completed by early 1996, when Wexner announced construction plans.
The City of Columbus supported the project with a ten-year, 100 percent property tax abatement on new development in the Easton district.
Infrastructure work followed on the perimeter. I-270 was widened from six lanes to twelve in anticipation of the traffic the district would generate.
CoCoWalk's pull and Steiner's move north
In November 1990, CoCoWalk opened in Coconut Grove, Miami. The project was a $38 million, open-air retail and entertainment complex with 145,000 square feet.
It combined shops, restaurants, and entertainment in a pedestrian-oriented layout. Within six months of opening, it had signed 35 tenants.
The project drew attention as a workable model for an alternative to enclosed malls. Leslie Wexner, founder and CEO of The Limited, took note as he continued shaping plans for the Easton district in Columbus.
In 1994, Wexner brought in Georgetown Company as a 50 percent equity partner.
The partnership was formed after The Limited's corporate restructuring in the early 1990s recession. Georgetown contributed development experience and planning expertise.
CoCoWalk's project manager was Yaromir Steiner, an urban planner and developer born in Turkey and educated in France.
Wexner asked Steiner to replicate and expand the CoCoWalk approach in Columbus. Steiner resigned from the CoCoWalk developer and relocated his operations to Columbus.
In 1993, he founded Steiner + Associates, became an equity partner in Easton alongside Georgetown and The Limited, and took on the role of operator and managing entity.
Storyboards, street grids, and no back door
After the land assembly and partner structure were in place, planning for Easton Town Center moved into formal design.
Cooper Robertson & Partners prepared the site plan for the broader Easton master plan. Steiner + Associates worked with Development Design Group and Meacham & Apel Architects on the town center itself.
The design process used a storyboard approach built around familiar town elements. The plan identified functions commonly found in small American towns and assigned them to specific buildings and tenants.
Barnes & Noble was positioned as the "library." Life Time Fitness was placed as the "high school." A building framed as the "old movie theater" later became the home for Pottery Barn.
The intent was to evoke an "over-time" district. Buildings were purpose-built, but styled as though older structures had been renovated and given new uses.
The site was laid out on a strict urban grid with functioning streets rather than internal corridors. Buildings were generally two stories with street-level retail.
Streets included curbside metered parking, wide sidewalks, frequent crosswalks, and a continuous perimeter loop for vehicle circulation.
Phase I occupied 33.8 acres and organized 13 buildings across eight city blocks.
Service functions were integrated into the building design rather than separated into rear service zones.
The architecture used a consistent palette, including red brick, white-painted trim, cast-iron lamp posts, and storefront detailing associated with mid-century commercial streets.
Summer 1999 opens with movies and meters
Phase I construction ran from June 1998 through June 1999, delivering the first 725,000 square feet at Easton Town Center.
The property opened on June 30, 1999. Leslie Wexner attended the opening. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended as well, along with other invited guests.
The opening strategy emphasized specialty retail, restaurants, and entertainment rather than relying on a department-store-driven format.
The initial lineup was described as roughly 70 retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues. More than 20 local and regional businesses were included alongside national tenants.
Design details were used to reinforce the sense of a town center.
Easton Station was styled as a Victorian-era train station renovated for modern retail use. In enclosed retail areas, ceiling heights were set at 13.5 feet.
Parking was handled in two layers. Metered spaces lined storefront streets for short stays.
Most parking was placed in two multilevel garages on the perimeter. Garage parking was free, with revenue generated through the metered street spaces.
Early tenants and early performance
At opening, Easton Town Center leased to a mix of national brands, Limited Brands concepts, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
Fashion tenants included J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, Gap Kids, Ann Taylor, Talbots, Eddie Bauer, and the first-ever World Foot Locker.
Limited Brands operated several of its own chains on-site, including Limited, Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bath & Body Works, and Limited Too.
Food and beverage was built around sit-down restaurants as well as quicker options.
Early dining included P.F. Chang's, The Cheesecake Factory, Fado's Irish Pub, and Hama Sushi. Ocean Club and Brio Tuscan Grille were developed with local restaurateurs.
Panera Bread, C.V. Wrappers, and Johnny Rockets added casual service. Two Starbucks locations opened to serve the coffee category.
Entertainment tenants were designed to extend visits beyond shopping. Planet Movies opened as a 30-screen cineplex operated through a Planet Hollywood and AMC partnership and displayed film props.
Other early venues included Virgin Records Megastore, Jeepers, a 35,000 square foot GameWorks, Shark Club, Round Midnight, Funny Bone Comedy Club, and Shadowbox Cabaret.
In the first year, Easton Town Center reported 9 million visitors. Average sales were $444 per square foot, with numerous tenants exceeding $600 per square foot.
Unleveraged returns were reported above 12 percent on costs initially described near $120 million and later revised to $135 million.
Concerts, markets, and the long middle years
Easton Town Center added uses that extended visits beyond retail shopping. Life Time Fitness operated in a dedicated, two-story, 95,000 square foot building.
The facility included aerobic studios, saunas, two swimming pools, two basketball courts, squash courts, climbing walls, and child care.
Home and design tenants included Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Smith & Hawken, and Restoration Hardware, later known as RH.
During the 2000s, management emphasized programming and recurring public events. Thursday evening summer concerts were offered without charge.
Saturday morning farmers' markets were scheduled as regular gatherings. Seasonal celebrations were staged throughout the year, with the central public spaces used as event settings rather than pass-through areas.
Charitable partnerships were tied to operations. Parking meter revenue and ticketing proceeds were directed to local charities.
The surrounding Easton development expanded into a larger district of roughly 1,300 acres. Office and operations space grew within the area.
Limited headquarters and a Victoria's Secret distribution center were established as major components.
Other corporate presences included Chase Manhattan Mortgage and Price Waterhouse. Employment in the broader Easton area rose into the tens of thousands.
By the 2010s, Easton Town Center was drawing an estimated 18 to 30 million visitors per year, with variation depending on the counting method used for a destination that includes shopping, dining, entertainment, and events.
Easton's scale shift: Gateway and RH
Phase II arrived fast after the early success. The Fashion District expansion opened in September 2001, adding 350,000 square feet and bringing a two-story, 170,000 square foot Nordstrom.
The Fashion District leaned more elegant, arranged around parks, fountain plazas, and a linear promenade called The Strand, with a slightly Parisian note inside the larger Midwestern town script.
In 2015, Easton Town Center opened a complementary format next door: Easton Gateway, 650,000 square feet designed for big-box needs while staying within the lifestyle-center ethos.
Costco anchored it, joined by REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, Saks Off 5th, and Whole Foods Market, which opened in September 2015.
Then, on December 13, 2019, the property made a statement about what "shopping" could mean. RH Columbus, The Gallery opened as a 60,000 square foot, three-level building.
It came with a year-round rooftop restaurant in a glass-enclosed garden with retractable walls, chandeliers, trellised London plane trees, and a rooftop park.
There was a wine and barista bar, an RH Modern level billed as the brand's largest, consultation rooms, an atelier, and a ground floor staged with rare antiques from RH CEO Gary Friedman's world travels.
Urban District buildout and The Yard arrive
Easton Town Center added a new mixed-use section with the Urban District expansion.
The project was described as a $500 million buildout on roughly 16 acres. It opened in phases during 2019 and 2020 and reached completion by 2022.
Plans called for 750 residential units. The expansion added more than 125,000 square feet of Class A office space and included additional hotel offerings.
140,000 square feet of new retail, restaurant, and entertainment space was introduced as part of the district.
At the center of the expansion, The Yard was built as a gathering space of more than two acres. It included a large media screen and a performance stage.
A rail-mounted canopy was installed to move over the lawn and adjust the space for different event setups, including markets and concerts.
The Urban District shifted away from the earlier town-center aesthetic.
The architecture was described as "post-industrial urbanism," combining traditional and contemporary materials and allowing tenant identity to remain visible on building facades.
The site plan used smaller courtyards and multiple routes through the district rather than a single linear path.
Leasing strength and new openings, 2024-2025
By 2024 and 2025, Easton Town Center was reported at 99 percent leased across roughly 1.7 million square feet, with more than 250 tenants.
The property listed more than 60 restaurants generating over $130 million annually and reported more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.
Recent openings included CHANEL Fragrance and Beauty, David Yurman, an expanded Louis Vuitton, Bluemercury, Tecovas, Rowan, Allen Edmonds, an expanded Diamond Cellar with Rolex and Patek Philippe partnerships, Altar'd State, and White House Black Market.
In 2024, a tenant rollover was used to formalize the Fashion District branding and rework about 100,000 square feet, with new openings beginning that year, including Del Mar.
In 2025, additional openings and announcements continued.
NAPA Kitchen + Bar opened. Mastro's Steakhouse opened a 9,000 square foot location described as its first Midwest site. Bar Italia opened on June 30. Carhartt opened on June 5.
Todd Snyder and Peter Millar opened first-in-Ohio stores at Easton Town Center.
