About The New Victorians · Columbus
The New Victorians (also filed as New Victorians, Inc. and New Victorians Rental Agency) is a Columbus, Ohio real estate firm specializing in rental property management, renovation, and new-build development in the historic neighborhoods just north of downtown — Italian Village, Victorian Village, Harrison West, and the Short North Arts District. Founded by developer Joe Armeni in 1995 and run operationally through broker Jason Rowland of City Center Real Estate Services, the company has developed more than 400 units across the Short North and is closely tied to the gentrification and architectural preservation of these turn-of-the-century neighborhoods.
The New Victorians, Inc. is a long-running Columbus real estate development and rental-management firm founded by Joe Armeni in 1995. According to a graduate thesis from Ohio State University, the company opened at a time when Italian Village was still seen as a risky bet and Armeni — then a relatively unknown independent rental agent and husband of a prominent Republican City Council member — went on to become one of the central figures behind the neighborhood's transformation from a working-class, racially diverse enclave into the polished 'urban village' it is today. His company and its affiliated brokerage, RE/MAX City Center, were 'largely responsible for the tide of redevelopment that swept through Italian Village.' Over more than 30 years, the firm has focused on rehabilitating and rebuilding historic housing stock: exposed-brick flats, hardwood-floor townhouses, carriage houses, and mixed-use buildings with storefronts on the ground floor and apartments above. Its flagship community, Casa di Città, sits on Hull Alley and Warren Street just east of High Street and is described in marketing as 'a small beautiful community in the heart of The Short North,' with brick construction, porches, balconies, and 1- and 2-bedroom townhomes and flats. Larger projects Armeni has shepherded include the 25-unit York on High Condos and a planned eight-condo conversion of a former church at 285 East 4th Avenue. Day-to-day leasing and tenant relations are handled through Jason Rowland, a licensed Ohio broker with City Center Real Estate Services, using the Metro-Rentals.com platform. Listings are organized by Columbus neighborhood (Victorian Village, Short North, Italian Village, Harrison West, plus Brewery District, German Village, Grandview Heights, etc.) and by unit size, and most include walk-through video tours. Service offerings include long-term rental management, lease-up of newly built and renovated units, for-sale condo development, and owner-representation for third-party landlords. The firm maintains a Better Business Bureau profile and is registered with The Blue Book as a general contractor doing apartments, condominiums, mixed-use projects, retail, and residential work in the Cincinnati-Columbus-Dayton region.
- In business
- Founded 1995; approximately 30 years operating in the Columbus market (as of mid-2020s interviews).
- Owner
- Joe Armeni, developer and principal of New Victorians and RE/MAX City Center (Harrison West). Day-to-day leasing and brokerage handled by Jason Rowland, Broker, City Center Real Estate Services.
- Serves
- Columbus, Ohio — primary focus on the Short North Arts District, Italian Village, Victorian Village, and Harrison West; listings also extend to Brewery District, German Village, Merion Village, Olde Towne East, Schumacher Place, South Side, Weinland Park, Discovery District, Arena District, Downtown, Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Clintonville, Old North Columbus, Bexley/Berwick, and the Ohio State University area.
- Rating
- Mixed public reviews — Unilocal shows 6 reviews including 4-star praise for properties and several 1–2 star complaints about responsiveness and move-out charges. No consolidated Google or Yelp star rating was located.
About The New Victorians
The New Victorians, Inc. is a Columbus, Ohio real estate development and rental-management company founded by Joe Armeni in 1995. The firm concentrates on the historic urban-core neighborhoods north of downtown — Italian Village, Victorian Village, Harrison West, and the Short North Arts District — and has been credited as a major driver of the residential revival of Italian Village in particular. Armeni also operates RE/MAX City Center, a brokerage housed in Harrison West that handles much of the for-sale side of the business.
- Founded 1995 by Joe Armeni
- Headquarters: 453–455 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43201
- Phone: (614) 294-0550
- Affiliated brokerage: RE/MAX City Center
- Operations partner: Jason Rowland, Broker, City Center Real Estate Services
History & Role in Italian Village's Revival
When Joe Armeni opened The New Victorians in 1995, Italian Village — adjacent to the more polished Victorian Village and the Short North Arts District — was still considered a risky bet by most investors. A 2024 Ohio State University thesis describes the opening as 'just another independent rental agency' at the time, but notes that 'within less than a decade, Joe Armeni's The New Victorians and its offshoot, ReMax City Center, would be largely responsible for the tide of redevelopment that swept through Italian Village.' Armeni has said in interviews that the firm has owned some of its Italian Village lots for 20+ years and that the neighborhood held roughly forty buildable parcels, several large enough for two-to-four-unit projects.
- Italian Village East Redevelopment Plan, 2000 — Joe Armeni served on the city planning committee
- By mid-2010s: over 400 units developed in the Short North
- Recognized as a central figure in Italian Village gentrification
Rental Properties & Neighborhoods
Listings are managed through Metro-Rentals.com and sorted by Columbus neighborhood. The New Victorians' core footprint is Italian Village, Victorian Village, Harrison West, and the Short North. Typical units feature exposed brick, original hardwood floors, decorative fireplaces, high ceilings, and modern kitchen and bath updates — often paired with secured entry, monitored security systems, in-unit or basement washer/dryer hook-ups, and one-car garage spaces. Most listings include walk-through video tours.
- Italian Village — Casa di Città community on Hull Alley and Warren Street
- Victorian Village — 43 Clark Place, 737 Dennison Ave. (across from Goodale Park), 687 N. High St.
- Short North — 634 N. High St. (3–4 bedroom loft), 342 Wilber Avenue townhouse
- Pet policy varies by property: cats typically allowed with extra deposit; many buildings do not permit dogs
Casa di Città Community
Casa di Città is The New Victorians' flagship small-community development, marketed as 'a small beautiful community in the heart of The Short North.' It sits just east of High Street on Hull Alley and Warren Street and is described in Metro-Rentals marketing as 'brick construction, cozy porches, quaint balconies and mature landscaping' that blends into the surrounding historic neighborhood. The community mixes 1-bedroom flats with 1- and 2-bedroom townhomes.
- 35 Hull Alley — renovated 1-bedroom flat with stainless steel appliances, granite counters, garage space
- 32 Warren — 2-bedroom, 2-bath loft with rooftop deck overlooking the Short North
- Secured entry and monitored security system throughout
New Construction & Development Pipeline
Beyond rentals, the firm actively develops for-sale product. As of the mid-2010s reporting by Columbus Underground, New Victorians had multiple Italian Village projects at various stages: two Punta Alley single-family homes that sold for just under $400,000 before ever hitting MLS; five approved single-family homes at 155–171 East Third Avenue (three-story, three-bedroom, two-car garage); a proposed for-sale brick residential building at the southeast corner of Fourth and Say Avenues; and a mixed-use project at 307 East Fifth Avenue with two storefronts, upstairs residential units, and a rear carriage house.
- Punta Alley single-family homes — sold ~$400,000 each
- 155–171 East Third Avenue — 5 three-bedroom homes, approved by Italian Village Commission
- 307 East Fifth Avenue — mixed-use, 2 storefronts + residential + carriage house
- 285 East 4th Avenue — former church to be converted into 8 condos
- York on High Condos — 25 units in the Short North, down to 3 remaining (as of mid-2010s)
Property Management & Brokerage
Day-to-day leasing is run through City Center Real Estate Services, with Jason Rowland as the broker of record. The firm manages both New Victorians-owned buildings and third-party rental properties in the same neighborhoods. Owner services include marketing, tenant screening, lease preparation, and maintenance coordination. The for-sale side is handled through Armeni's affiliated RE/MAX City Center brokerage in Harrison West.
- Broker: Jason Rowland, City Center Real Estate Services
- RE/MAX City Center — RE/MAX affiliated brokerage, Harrison West
- Walk-through video tours produced for most listings
- Listings categorized by bedroom count: Efficiencies/One, Two, Three, Four+
Reputation & Reviews
Public feedback on the firm is mixed. Long-term tenants have praised the character and value of renovated Italian Village and Short North units (exposed brick, hardwood floors, modern updates), while other reviewers have raised concerns about responsiveness to maintenance requests, lease fine-print move-out charges, and communication with management. Unilocal aggregates approximately six reviews for the 453 W 3rd Ave. location, with positive comments on properties and negative comments centered on the leasing experience with Jason Rowland.
- Unilocal profile: 453 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43201
- BBB profile: New Victorians Rental Agency (Apartment Rental Service), Columbus, OH
- Common positives: building character, exposed brick, price-to-location value
- Common complaints: maintenance responsiveness, move-out cleaning charges, no-show appointments
Service Area Across Metro Columbus
Through Metro-Rentals.com, the firm indexes properties across most central Columbus neighborhoods, even where its own holdings are limited. Visitors searching the site can browse Victorian Village, Short North, Italian Village, Harrison West, Brewery District, German Village, Merion Village, Olde Towne East, Schumacher Place, South Side, Weinland Park, Discovery District, Arena District, Downtown, Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Clintonville, Old North Columbus, Bexley/Berwick, and the Ohio State University area.
- Core footprint: Italian Village, Victorian Village, Harrison West, Short North
- Adjacent core-city neighborhoods also listed
- Outer markets indexed: Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Bexley/Berwick