cramer

Went through this intersection this weekend. Demolition signs are up on the builing on the NE corner, so that might be coming down soon.

This might have been posted someplace else, and it's just as much about the surrounding areas in OTR as Findlay proper. From 2/25 Enquirer. Sprucing up neighborhood the next step Findlay Market: What's the future?

Didn't know that about St. Louis. That is an excellent model to follow. In fact, Cincinnati already followed it, sort of. The failed Metro Moves plan included the constructed subway tunnels as part of the local match. Unfortunately, since the plan was so big, that amount only covered part of the local match, and the tax levy went down in flames. The lesson then would be to start small using the tunnels to cover a good deal of the local match, so a tax isn't necessary.

Of course, an RFQ is just an RFQ. But still, this is encouraging.

There have been insinuations that Mayor Mallory's administration is going to turn their attention to transit. Looks like they may actually mean business. Good first step.

I think I see the back of my girlfriend's head in one of those pics. Maybe. Thanks for the pics, now I'm sorry I didn't go myself.

As far as GABP goes, I think it goes beyond the view from inside the park. I think that the construction of the ball park directly influenced the decision to build at that site and at that height. Because of the new postcard view of Cincinnati looking into the park, the QCS site now has a prominence of place it wouldn't otherwise have. I'm sure that's a selling point to potential tenants. Fingers crossed.

The village of Columbia wasn't annexed by Cincinnati until 1873, so it could be the city limit. Train stop seems right though.

This week's City Beat has cover story by John Schneider about rail transit in Cincinnati. http://citybeat.com/2006-02-15/cover.shtml I don't agree with all of it, but it's a good read. Nick Spencer chimed in on it on his blog. http://nickspencer.blogspot.com/2006/02/streetcars-and-contemporary-art.html

It looks like someone sucks at Tetris.

That was my first thought as well. It looks like a jumbled up RenCen. The idea of diagonally moving elevators taking people up the 22nd floor is cool though. Guaranteed tourist destination just for that.

I went on the behind the scenes tour just last week. The big hand is nine feet long, so yeah, about 20 feet in diameter. Behind the clock is fascinating, with big gears and and axles and spindles. There's a little electric clock plugged in to set the big boy by. That opaque floor is 2-inch glass, chosen to let light into the rotunda. The highlight of the tour for me was the "high steel" above the rotunda. I'll see if I can post pics.

Article from today's Post about continued efforts for rail development in Cincinnati. I find it atrocious that Stephan Louis, a man who is steadfastly anti-rail, is on the SORTA board. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060206/NEWS01/602060351 John Schneider and Wally Pagan remain steadfast in their quests to bring motorists in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky relief from ever-increasing traffic congestion. Schneider, chairman of the Cincinnati-based Alliance for Regional Transit and a light-rail advocate, accompanied yet another group of area leaders on a tour of the light rail and street car system in Portland, Ore., late last year. Pagan, president of Southbank Partners, a Newport-based economic development group for Northern Kentucky's river cities, has his eye on creating a street car route along Covington's 12th Street and, eventually, looping through the downtowns of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. Click on link for article.

^ I can't imagine that destruction of Old St. George would ever actually come to pass. When I heard that there were some rumblings to that effect, I nearly lost it. I'm sure that the community would rally to save it.

I've heard a very disconcerting rumor that there are those that would like to tear down Old St. George.

The Post reports on recent developments. Sounds like there may be growing momentum. OKI wants to do a lot of multi-modal stuff, if they can get willing partners and funding. Uptown Consortium may fit the bill. Coalition proposes streetcars for Uptown By Bob Driehaus Post staff reporter Joyce Kinsley and the AMOS Project want economic justice for the residents of Cincinnati's near-north neighborhoods. John Cranley wants a new Interstate 71 interchange at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Tony Brown wants it all: economic development, better traffic flow, better quality of life. They've all joined forces to work with the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments to navigate an ambitious transportation plan through all the federal and state red tape to reach their common goals. The area they're focusing on is known as Uptown - Cincinnati's Clifton, Clifton Heights, Corryville, Avondale, Evanston, Walnut Hills and Mount Auburn neighborhoods. Read full article here: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050616/NEWS01/506160362

Oh, and a <b>new</b> fountain? That could actually be cool, but my initial reaction was "wtf?"

I'd caution that materials are going to be critical. I don't want to see any sort of poured concrete made to look like brick or any such nonsense. Can someone please explain this obsession with ice-skating? Why give up so much main plaza space? I suppose since it's winter, not much else would be going on, but still. I'm happy to say that is now my biggest complaint with the design.

And here's the latest: <b><a href="http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS01/505170365">Government Square deal on hold</a></b>

^TCK, it's not that I think that some of what he says isn't right. But these guys want to save transit in Cincinnati by killing it. While they talk about improving service, all I ever hear is budget cuts.

Article from today's Post, in which Tom Luken and John Cranley pretend to be pro-transit: <a href="http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160350">Luken: Focus on Transit Service</a>

From today's Post: <a href="http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050513/NEWS01/505130333">$500M goal set for Uptown</a>

OK, The Cincinnati Kid, I was at the meeting. Who were you? I was the fella in the Detroit Tigers hat (also seen in the background of the Enquirer photo). As for the design, it's not Millenium Park, but I like it. Besides, MP was many years late and way over budget, despite massive corporate sponsorship. It's also got problems with materials. I think that this space will be in some ways more striking than MP, owing to the sight-lines, and the river. Back to Cincinnati, I dig all of the design changes and refinements. Some (obnoxious) lady at the meeting complained that the greenspace was being stripped away, both on the FWW caps, and in the southern blocks T_C_K mentioned. I applaud that move actually; we've already got great lawns over in Yeatman's and Sawyer. The decision to leave the events where they are is excellent. I kept hearing in the comments, from that lady and others, a disturbing parochialism in the view that this somehow threatens downtown. That's just plain silly. Does Millenium Park in Chicago take activity away from Michigan Ave? Absurd. The waterfalls bracketing the bridge will be great, and the Race street "pier" is excellent too. I've got close-up pics of those elements, if anyone would like to see them, I can try and figure out how to post pics.

What strikes me most, and excites me as a Cincinnati-partisan, are the Cincinnati numbers. Of course, they also include Covington and Newport. But I think they point to the viability of OKI's <a href="http://www.oki.org/transportation/centralarea.html">Central Area Loop</a> study, which proposes modern streetcars connecting the basin cities.

Many of you may know this, but the KD Lamp building above is inappropriately named, and "old manufacturing building" doesn't do justice to what was made there. KD Lamp was only the most recent tenant. More famously, that building was part of the Christian Moerlein Brewery complex. If I'm not mistaken, it was the barrel house and bottling plant. Fingers-crossed on that one. I don't think a final proposal has been submitted. And wasn't the Sohn Brewery also Clyffside?