urbanpioneer

It was a totally awesome performance, and some rare excitement for Reds fans! Considering how many runs our pitchers so often allow, we really need a slugger like Scooter!

I think you're probably correct about size and price when it comes to the Millennial market. We have 1,100 sf apartments in the CBD that are priced at about $1 - $1.30/sf, (but the additional utility costs with central heating and AC plus in-unit water heaters and washers/dryers are on the high side and nearby parking is very expensive too). I can confirm that our apartments are really too big for most recent college grads, especially men. While we cater to more mature professionals who don't move frequently, we still get a lot of 20-something lookers but since they generally don't have much furniture they're often overwhelmed by the amount of space. AND they're almost always accompanied by their parents anymore, a phenomenon that's new to me. I suspect it's because the parents may be subsidizing their kids' living expenses. And they may have safety concerns about urban living as well. Years ago we used to own 500 sf apartments in the Clifton area and never had trouble keeping them rented. It's a great size for a single person who doesn't have a lot of furniture. But maybe times have changed enough where 350 sf is plenty of space for some. It seems too small to me and I wouldn't want to have to deal with the expense and bother of likely frequent turnover, which is costly and imposes more wear and tear. But I bet they'd rent quickly in the pricey downtown market, at least among younger people who mainly want to be within walking distance of bars and restaurants in OTR.

Contrary to the opinions expressed here so far, I have to say I hope the metal siding looks better when the building's completed than it appears now. IMO, the clapboard-looking texture, that shows slight imperfections here and there, seems an odd (and maybe even unattractive) choice considering the style and shape of the building. And the mostly green or brown colors it takes on (I rarely see it turn red) can be kind of nauseating in a late 1960s-early 1970s way. Having said that, I've learned that structures can sometimes almost miraculously and beautifully transform at the very end, fulfilling their potential. Plus, there are times when the siding doesn't look too bad, so I hope this is just an "awkward" stage of development.

Does anyone know how long the asbestos removal will take?

Doesn't Yvette Simpson's significant other work for the Business Courier as a political cartoonist?

There's a comment posted on the cincinnati.com Winburn boxes/FBI story that says Cranley's protecting his right flank! Seriously, I have to wonder why Cranley ally/city solicitor Meuthing got police and the FBI involved without even asking Winburn or his staffers about the boxes?

I'm sick about the Dennison decision. Why bother having an historic district when the Josephs are allowed to tear down anything they buy in it? I'm also angry at 3CDC for what seems to have been an insider deal when they sold it to the Josephs. It should've been listed in a way so that others had a chance to buy it. So shame on them too. Sheesh, it's hard to believe a prominent building in decent condition designed by Samuel Hannaford - and located on the new streetcar line - can't be preserved. The Josephs have done too much to destroy Cincinnati's history, brick by brick. They're not only dishonest, they deserve the greatest degree of opprobrium directed their way.

Oh jeez, I wish I wouldn't have clicked on your link Jake. When I did, I also clicked on the link "how to advertise on the Cincinnati Bell Connector". Not a pretty sight.

IKWYM chinkley. One thing I love about photos of old downtown is seeing rows of narrower-scaled buildings lining the streets, each one different from the next. That's one reason why historic preservation is so important, since it's close to a full century now since development of that sort occurred. But preceding this new building, the block along Sycamore between Eighth and Seventh Streets was pretty dead as far as pedestrian traffic goes, and it was just two buildings -- the Red Cross (which didn't attract many visitors at all) next to an ugly old city parking garage. The commercial space in the new building will probably/hopefully create a lot more vitality, at least in comparison.

Plus, I don't know if it's true or not but I've heard the streetcars are going to "talk" too -- i.e., promotional announcements. Jeez, we finally seem to have gotten rid of talking buses that virtually shouted their routes from early morning until late at night, which created a disturbance for downtown residents along their routes. I hope the streetcars won't be blaring their messages, but judging from what's been done to their appearance, it's a vain hope. I blame those on city council who opposed the streetcar plus the mayor. If opponents would've done the right thing and funded the operating expense from the budget we could've avoided this.

It's getting up there! The hotel on the opposite side of this development has an unusual exterior -- a combination of dark brick with field stone accents.

Fugly, IMO. Sheesh.

Recent letter to the editor about Mayor Cranley: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/letters/2016/08/25/mayor-lacks-understanding-leadership-values/89377558/

The company owner contributed $500 to Cranley's campaign in 2013: http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/i-team-man-behind-synthetic-urine-marketed-for-passing-drug-tests-gave-to-john-cranleys-campaign

Me too. It makes me sick that someone on the City's behalf negotiated this aspect of the deal. I can't believe Amy Murray even alluded to the "Steelers' colors" in the newspaper article. She always manages to somehow pander to the opponents. I'll never forget when she called the streetcar a rolling homeless shelter.

A lot of people like the "stupid Pittsburgh color scheme". The vehicles look great as they are. Honestly, when looking at the streetcars, how many people besides some football fans are even reminded of the Steelers? Not only has this analogy seemed bogus to me, but it's mainly been put forth by streetcar opponents. Why waste the resources it's going take to change the color scheme of the cars? Surely some creative folks can come up with another means by which branding can be imposed in a way that doesn't change the overall appearance and attractiveness of the cars, like maybe some sort of decal-like logo that's just added in a tasteful way.

I'll be very surprised if Republicans field a mayoral candidate since I doubt they want to make it easy for Simpson to win. Besides, Cranley's the kind of Democrat they can live with. IIRC they didn't run anyone the last time, so why would they this time?

^The Olympics are still a ratings powerhouse though in spite of laments about corruption, doping, bankruptcy, overweening politicization, etc. Last night's opening ceremony didn't get the greatest reviews but I thought it was okay, with the usual showy, Orwellian-like choreography that's become its signature. I generally just ignore the banter of commentators who aren't former athletes.

Beautiful city, and a beautiful job of hosting the convention. Well done Cleveland!!!

So, a corny, oom-pah-pah version of "Band on the Run" (no lie, I heard it myself last year) will sound different in the new location. Maybe that's a good thing...

What a coincidence -- the tarp's covering up the most interesting architectural details of the building which are on the Main Street elevation. It's all petulant overkill -- first the scaffold and now the tarp, neither of which is truly necessary. How long is the City going to allow the Josephs to have scaffolding in front? What a disfigurement they're creating on the face of Main Street! The more they do the more of an eyesore it's becoming. Their actions are totally at odds and out of sync with the spirit of civic pride and renewal that's taking place downtown. They're throwbacks to a dreary time of decline in the CBD - shame on them for being such bad citizens.

The Josephs seem to be trying hard to win an award for Tackiest Citizen/Landlord/Neighbor. I agree with taestell -- this is likely a [laughable] attempt to make the building look as bad as possible. It reminds me of perps who show up in court using crutches or wearing neck braces.

^Yeah, Algin's a fine store. However, there used to be HUGE furniture sections in downtown department stores like Shillito's, Pogue's and McAlpin's. The best upscale furniture store in the region was down here too -- Closson's, which also featured an art gallery headed by the late Phyllis Weston. There were art galleries on W. 4th Street owned by Carl Solway, Toni Birckhead, and others. And there was an Algin-like store on W. 4th Street called Contemporary Galleries that had several floors full of furnishings. There even used to be an appliance/electronics store on Walnut where Nicholson's is now, called Steinberg's. There were a couple of other fabric/window treatment/upholstery stores besides The Mill End, which is the only one remaining (and which wants to sell its building). And of course there were all sorts of places to buy apparel. There were several movie theaters down here too, which was really great. Baby Boomers moving to the suburbs as their children reached school age changed everything and resulted in the proliferation of suburban malls, which really hurt downtown. Now, shopping habits are undergoing another generational change because of Millennials. And this is good for downtowns, at least for now. I wonder if they'll also head for the suburbs when they have school-age children? I suspect some won't since the environment is much more kid friendly than it was 30 years ago. I moved downtown just when it approached the cusp of changing from a bustling business district and began its slow but steady decline, not unlike in many other cities' CBDs. The Aronoff Center For The Performing Arts ushered in the turnaround that's finally picking up steam today. It really is an exciting time. But I do miss the old days in some ways. Downtown's an entertainment hub now -- back then it was a hub for much more.

There are several hundreds of apartments being built within 2 blocks of where I live in the CBD. Some are already up and running (Seventh and Broadway), some under construction (Sycamore and Eighth, the 580 Building) and condos are planned for Eighth and Main. After living downtown for decades I can say it's been my experience that services beyond restaurants/bars and parks have been very slow to develop. In fact, in some ways it's much worse than when I first moved to the CBD but then again changes in certain types of retail as well as shopping habits are world-wide phenomena. Grocery shopping's not as good as it used to be (no more Court Street Market, Tony Sparto's fruits and veggies; no more Cape Cod fish market). BUT we still have Avril's Meats. There are some quirkier small businesses cropping up here and there that I hope can hang on until there are more neighbors around. Once these hundreds of residential units are completed and filled around me, I'm sure things will change for the better as far as truly useful types of small businesses go. Even as it is, it's still a LOT more convenient living where I do than living in the suburbs -- or even in OTR. I can easily walk to the bank, drugstore, library, post office, hardware store, riverfront parks, Macy's and Saks, hair salon, a new wine shop on Main Street (Corkopolis), the Taft and Aronoff theaters, CAC, and of course I can easily walk to countless bars and restaurants. I hardly ever use the car and once the streetcar's operational I'll use it even less. It would be great if there were businesses like furniture stores again downtown. I miss places like Bankhart's luggage store and M. Hopple stationery and cards. Thankfully Bromwell's is still here but Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets were lined with many useful small businesses of that sort decades ago so I hope there will be a rebirth before too long -- I'm old so I'm anxious to see it happen!

Thank you for these photos! I've been watching Olympic track trials and while I've visited OR several times I've never gotten a good look at Eugene. I've been curious about it so I appreciate the virtual tour of what seems to be its CBD.