Ron Pizzuti is a real estate developer in Ohio and has been on ArtNews’s list of the top 200 collectors. Now he’s planning to open an 18,000 sq ft. private museum that will also anchor a new real estate development:

“For 30 years, we’ve warehoused most of the collection, and no one had an opportunity to see it and enjoy it,” Pizzuti said. “I decided it was time to share it.”

In addition to the collection, the Pizzuti Cos. has started construction on a nearby $65 million project on High Street. It will offer an upscale boutique hotel on the east side of High that will be filled with art, plus an office building that will feature an art gallery and a 313-space parking garage on the west side of the street.

Think of the project as the intersection of art and architecture, making it a significant addition to the Short North.

“We are an arts district, and the effect of having Ron’s collection in the district should be nothing short of profound,” said John Angelo, former director of the Short North Alliance, who is still involved with the business-and-arts development organization.

The hotel — the Le Meridian Columbus, the Joseph —is “a game changer in terms of the perception of the Short North and Columbus and gives us a New York-style, high-end boutique hotel that will appeal to a level of traveler we haven’t seen,” Angelo said.

Real Estate Developer Shows His Zest for Art (Columbus Dispatch)