As downtown Columbus undergoes a gradual but dramatic face-lift --- from Riverwalk construction and large-scale "streetscaping" to new Columbus State University development and planned white-water restoration projects --- more residents are looking to call the heart of the city home.

And there's nothing that says urban lifestyle like a high-ceilinged, big-windowed loft apartment.

Five years ago, lofts were a rarity in Columbus. But in the past three to four years, Johnston Mill Lofts and 11th Street Lofts --- along with some smaller-time loft landlords --- have made loft living a readily available option for apartment seekers in the area.

And now The Flowers Building Lofts and the planned Eagle and Phenix Mills, are giving home-seekers another option: Purchase a loft rather than just sending rent money down the drain each month, live the urban lifestyle you've dreamed about for as long as it suits you, and then resell or lease for what many are banking will be big profits.

It's not just hip young bachelors with a collection of martini glasses and an eye for modern art who are jumping at the prospect. New Flowers loft owners include families with small children, retired couples and businessmen looking for a second place in town, and military families interested in making a home investment that seems likely to pay off if they have to relocate in the not-so-distant future.

Take the Polstons.

Cristina and her husband, Lt. Craig Polston, a company executive officer in the 29th Infantry Regiment, decided to lease their former home near Jordan High School and purchase one of the Flowers Building lofts. It meant giving up the yard that their 3-year-old daughter, Parker, used to play in. But as far as they're concerned that's been about the only sacrifice.

FAMILY LOFT LIFE

The Polstons, both California natives, have been intrigued by the idea of living in a loft since they were in the Sacramento area, where lofts sold for what seemed like astronomical prices.

And when they discovered, after a few years in Columbus, that they could live that dream for a couple of years, and hopefully profit from it in the end, they were eager to buy.

"It's an investment --- and we've always been interested in the lifestyle downtown," Cristina said. "We like going to coffee shops and there's places to go walking and have a glass of beer or wine."

Parker has her favorite loft rituals too. Accompanied by her dad, she rides her pink tricycle straight out of the family living room (whose concrete floors can weather a tricycle just fine), into the elevator and out onto the sidewalk. Then they make a stop-off at Fountain City Coffee, where Parker has her usual: a chocolate muffin. From there, they take a tricycle-and-foot tour of downtown.

When they're in the mood to play ball, they head for the grass outside the First Presbyterian Church. And when it's time for a quick dose of outside, Parker and Cristina step out onto a small 4-by-4-foot deck and blow soap bubbles up toward the sky.

For Christmas, Parker will be getting a swing, which will hang from a wooden beam that runs across the 12-foot-high ceiling.

"We were trying to bring the outside in a little for her," Cristina said, adding that in fact they seem to go outside more now than they did when they lived in a more traditional neighborhood.

INVESTING IN DOWNTOWN

For Cosh Bryan, a 26-year-old web producer for AFLAC, loft living has proven equally attractive.

He's a quick skip from work on his Vespa motor scooter, and he frequents The Sandwich Shanty and The Loft (the music venue in this case) and takes strolls around downtown and on the Riverwalk.

"I spent a lot of time overseas and I lived in some larger cities," said Bryan, a Columbus native and Brookstone School graduate. "And so I think for me living in a loft is a little piece of that larger city in Columbus. It's my little piece of New York. I never lived in New York, but it's that type of feeling. It's my little piece of a big city."

And with downtown Columbus growing at what Bryan describes as "a phenomenal rate," it felt like the perfect investment. He figures one day he'll probably marry, move toward suburbia and lease out his loft for some extra income.

It's a plan likely to work out just fine, if Edgar Chancellor's experience renting out loft apartments is any indicator. Four and a half years ago, Chancellor, owner of Chancellor's Men's Store, converted space above his store and in two adjacent buildings on Broadway into six loft apartments. He leases the apartments in a "low-key" word-of-mouth way. The lofts stay occupied, and his biggest task is turning loft-seekers away.

"I think in the four and a half years I've had them I've hardly had a vacancy," Chancellor said. "I've had everything from stock brokers to lawyers to doctors to military personnel to grandparents that wanted a place to live in Columbus."

Since many people view loft residency as a fairly temporary fling with urban life, there are plenty of happy renters who enjoy the lifestyle even without the economic perks of long-term investment.

INTRIGUED BY LIFESTYLE

Jim Pallotta, a 30-year-old credit card processor and substitute teacher, started leasing his loft in Johnston Mill Lofts in March.

He had been intrigued by the urban loft lifestyle portrayed on television and in movies, and he was tired of mundane apartments. A self-described history buff, Pallotta likes living in an old mill that dates back more than 100 years and whose prior functions and quirks forced the loft developers to make each unit a bit different.

"I like the openness of the apartments," said Pallotta, adding that the only door within his apartment is --- thankfully --- on the bathroom. "It's a lot more interesting than those typical cookie-cutter apartment complexes where everything's the same. I like the individuality of each loft."

Even Columbus State University students are seizing the opportunity to abandon life in traditional dorms in favor of downtown lofts. The Rankin Student Housing lofts --- which house 108 students in 35 units --- are a popular choice for music majors, who enjoy easy access to CSU's downtown campus.

Renee Cowan, housing manager for the Rankin Student Housing lofts and a loft resident herself for four years, said as a college student it's hard to beat the downtown atmosphere.

"It's unique, it's easy-going, it's relaxed," she said of her loft lifestyle. "You feel like you're involved in what's going on downtown but at the same time you can get away from it."

Cowan said that while CSU loft residents are subject to university-wide rules for dorm decorating --- no nail holes in the walls, for example --- it's still easy to decorate in a style fitting for lofts.

"They tend to keep the apartment minimalist --- like a relaxed, urban feel," she said, noting that the lofts are already furnished so some of the decor choices are pre-established.

Outside the college world, many loft dwellers and sellers describe the apartments as akin to blank canvases, with wide open spaces that adapt well to a wide range of decorating styles.

In The Flowers Building, the Polstons were able to arrange most of their existing furniture and home decor to fit the look of the apartment, with its brick walls emerging from patches of brown-painted plaster.

"I think you can get away with a lot," Cristina said. "You just kind of throw out there what's interesting. You don't have any rules, which I like. I'm one for breaking them anyway."

In fact, she said, many of their possessions seem more at home in the new loft than they did in a more traditional house.

SHORT ON STORAGE

Although, at 1,200 square feet, the Polstons' loft is about equivalent in size to their former house, the loft has less storage space. So it pays to be clutter-free and to make functional items serve simultaneously as decor.

The bikes hanging near the Polstons front door, for example, complement the industrial theme created by the brick walls and the array of exposed white, black and gleaming silver pipes that fulfill the unit's heating, cooling, water and sprinkler-system needs.

As loft owners, the Polstons have also been able to modify their unit's design. They added a broad bar with under-the-counter cabinets to increase their kitchen space and they built a linen closet off the bathroom.

They've opened some of the painted-shut windows and installed screens so that they get plenty of fresh air. And Cristina painted a section of Parker's bedroom door with chalkboard paint since there wasn't quite enough room for her easel in her bedroom.

For his part, Bryan has gone with a "50s-modern look" to match his urban setting. The architecture of the place --- with 10-foot-tall windows overlooking the post office and Government Center; with a black spiral staircase snaking up to an open second-story bedroom and bath; and with peaked rafter-like ceilings --- is decor in and of itself. And working within such an open space, he said there are plenty of possibilities.

"I'm taking different elements of the past and combining them to create a look that I like," he said.

All in all, Columbus loft dwellers seem exceedingly pleased with the spaces they've chosen to inhabit.

And with all but five of the 18 units in the Flowers Building now sold, the market for for-sale lofts looks promising to many.

WHY NOT BUY?

That's little surprise to Reynolds Bickerstaff, listing agent for The Flowers Building Lofts. He said he helped pitch the concept to the Atlanta Loft Company, which owns The Flowers Building and leased them out for two years.

"You can't buy a loft in Columbus," he recalls telling company officials at the time. "Why pay $1,200 rent when you can pay an $800 mortgage?"

The W.C. Bradley Company also has plans to join the for-sale loft business next year. Bill Green, director of construction services for W.C. Bradley Real Estate, said the company plans to begin the first phase of renovation on the old Pillowtex mill in the 1200 block of Front Avenue in early 2006, with plans for sale in the middle of the year and occupancy in early 2007. The plans call for 93 for-sale lofts ranging in size from 660 to 2,400 square feet with a parking deck and green space incorporated into the complex, which will be called the Eagle and Phenix Mills.

Many of the units, Green said, will have a view of the river. And with the planned white-water project and the development of Columbus State University's downtown campus, the entire area seems to promise a bright future.

"We've gotten lots of early interest and we believe --- W.C. Bradley Real Estate believes --- in the enormous potential of our uptown area," Green said. "Many people are seeking an alternative to suburban life. They want to simplify and be more involved in an open setting, an urban lifestyle... . It'll be a good investment for anybody who gets involved early."

LOFTS IN COLUMBUS

Here's a look inside some of Columbus' larger loft complexes.

Johnston Mill Lofts
Leasing rates: $675-$950 (or $470-$690 through an affordable housing program)
Size: 950-1,898 square feet; 1, 2 or 3-bedroom
Location: 3201 1st Ave.
Amenities: 14- to 20-foot ceilings, large windows, concrete floors, plenty of parking
Number of units: 334

11th Street Lofts
Leasing rates: $635-$1,350
Size: 570-2,000 square feet; studios, 1 and 2 bedroom
Location: 11 W. 11th Street
Amenities: original hardwood floors; views of downtown area; discounts at downtown businesses; private parking
Number of units: 46

The Flowers Building Lofts
Lofts for sale: Prices range from $90,500 to $251,500
Size: 715-1826 square feet
Location: 1204 1st Ave.
Amenities: concrete floors in some units, hardwood in others; planned 740-square-foot rooftop deck; views of downtown area
Number of units: 18 (5 or which are still available for purchase)

Columbus State University's Rankin Student Housing Lofts
Open to CSU students only
Rates: currently $2,000-$2,400 per student per semester
Size: Available in single, double, triple and quadruple apartments
Amenities: exercise and activity room, community television area, laundry facilities
Location: 1004 Broadway
Number of units: 35 apartments with 108 beds

Condominiums at Eagle & Phenix
Lofts for sale: $150,000-$500,000
Size: 660-2,400 square feet
Location: west side of the 1200 block of Front Avenue (in the old Pillowtex mill)
Amenities: views of the river from many units, concrete floors, parking deck and green space within the project
Number of units planned: 93 in Mill 3 building; 75 in Mills 1 and 2
Projected construction/completion dates: The W.C. Bradley Company aims to begin renovation in early 2006, with plans for sale in the middle of the year and occupancy in early 2007.

DECORATING YOUR CONDOMINIUM

Designer Brian Ogan, a San Francisco loft dweller, offers these interior design tips for lofts:

Accentuate tall, open spaces. Don't clutter walls with small pieces of art. Instead, use one or two dramatic items that are in proportion to a loft's expansive surfaces. Try a large pot with river rocks and arrange tall bamboo stems that fan out and reach to the ceiling. An interesting sculpture also works well.

Paint a single wall in a soft sage or a warm wine. This adds a welcome touch of color and warmth and balances the remaining concrete and industrial walls that are the hallmarks of modern loft design.

Carefully plan every piece of furniture to control clutter. Use a large wall unit with multiple levels to house both a television and computer. Use open shelving to keep the wall exposed and maintain the open feeling of the room.

Use lighting as art. Simple modern sconces provide soft illumination without using up valuable surface space. Track lighting, cove lights and bookshelf lights offer other nice options. Try breaking up tall vertical rooms by dropping lights down from ceiling to eye-level. Ogan does this in his own loft using industrial steel dome lamps.

________________________________________