When Tom Betti was looking for a home in 2006, his love for history helped him find his home in the Hartman Loft Condominiums building. He was looking for a home that was unique and different. When he was doing an internship, he often walked past the building and had seen it in disrepair and wondered “what it would have been like back in the day.” He wanted to find out the story of the building. Dr. Samuel B. Hartman built the hotel in 1898 as an extension of the patient rooms for the smaller Surgical Hotel next door and in 1901, it opened to the public for hotel stays. The building had various uses over the years, and in 2005 it was converted to the Hartman Loft Condominiums that it is today, housing about sixty residents.
Tom lives in his condo with his two dogs, Hugo, a Boston Terrier and Samuel, a Pug. The 720 square foot, one bedroom, one bathroom condo has plenty of room for them. Tom’s favorite thing about his condo is its original Mahogany Wood Ceiling – his condo was a section of hotel’s bar/gentlemen’s smoking room over 100 years ago. He also likes the exposed brick. The modern feel of the hard wood and brick, combined with the historical elements really sold him on the building.
Because he signed on to the building early, he was able to pick out all of the furnishings and cabinets. The kitchen is a beautiful, bold red design from IKEA. He also opted to keep an open feel to the space, by changing what was to be a closet in the living room to a bookcase. He also opted to put in a built-in wardrobe.
His condo has a modern contemporary feel, or as he calls it “Tom’s Taste.” He likes to shop at Crate & Barrel, EQ3, Boltz Steel Furniture and IKEA. He has also picked up a few Hartman artifacts from The Grandview Mercantile. He has been able to find several postcards, dinnerware, a soup ladle and a sugar bowl from the hotel.
Tom is hosting a Progressive Dinner Party for this year’s City Hop. He also serves as a Board Member for the Columbus Landmarks Foundation. If you’d like to read more about the history of the Hartman Building, Tom wrote a nice piece for the City Hop Online Magazine. You can find the story on page 63. You can find out more information about the Hartman Loft Condominium building here. They currently have units available on the 5th and 6th floors, ranging from $155,000 to $350,000. Photos courtesy Tom Betti.