The Last Don

Look for an announcement regarding The Banks later today.

I think it's Denny Dellinger. He had big plans for the structure that he released to the media a couple of years ago. I haven't heard much about his plans recently. Some of the other Urban Ohio forumers might have more information on the building's ownership. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a profile of the property on their website and they list Katrina Dellinger as the contact.

Right, and like I said in the post, this is a really cool area with nice group of historic buildings. If the area is substantially renovated it could become a great district in the northern part of OTR. I should also mention that if the new streetcar proposal is implemented, it will link much of the neighborhood to downtown and the riverfront. This will add alot a value to areas such as the Brewery District.

The plan is to move into the new SCPA by the summer of 2009. At 3CDC, a good person to talk to is Chad Munitz, the Executive Vice President for Development. Here is a link to the 3CDC staff: http://www.3cdc.org/content.jsp?articleId=99

I tend to like the "pyramid" concept, because a gentle slope looks better than a wall of skyscrapers. Normally this effect will happen by itself, because in urban real estate there usually is a "focal point" where buildings have the most value. The tallest tend to be built nearest the focal point, and that creates a natural peak in the skyline.

A cool area within the Brewery District is up on the hill towards Clifton Heights, where the Metal Blast building is. This area is very impressive where the hills slope down and meet the historic brick buildings of Over-the-Rhine. I would concur with BallHatGuy's suggestion of The School for the Creative and Performing Arts building: This site would be a popular spot for condos because it overlooks a nice greenspace in beautiful Pendleton: One of the great things about OTR is the array of historic churches that dot the neighborhood. I would suggest looking into this church at 15th and Race Street. 3CDC has bought up alot of property around this church and it could be a good place to put in a unique condo conversion.

I would recommend that people drive out through Campbell County's backroads in the vicinity of Alexandria. It is truly amazing to see the rolling hills and green pastures filled with galloping horses in a pristine setting. When you drive through there you will see an army of encroaching subdivisions sprawling in every direction. Wal-marts and vast parking lots spill out over the landscape. Just take I-471 South and continue on U.S. 27 and turn off into the countryside. Go on a sunny day and enjoy what is left of this natural eden.

Central Parkway is the great untapped resource of downtown. If 3CDC could get developers to build a row of residential buildings along the boulevard, you could really have something. For instance: In the center of the street: Boston's Public Garden: A model for Broadway Commons?

The return of the Cincinnati Royals! However great this sounds, it's probably not going to happen for a lot of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that the U.S. Bank Arena was renovated in 1997, and will continue to be used for a variety of events. We do need a new world class arena, but it is not a priority right now. What I would love to see on Broadway Commons is a vast greenspace which would extend down the center of Central Parkway in a similar fashion to Piatt Park.

Artists can have an tremendous effect on social change, though it might not always be apparent. Think about all of the musicians, painters, writers, and filmmakers throughout history. The freethinkers are the people that put the most dread into the establishment, and they are some of the first people sent to the gulags or silenced by repressive means. And like many other people, I care about art.

Jesse, I think what will end up happening with the Banks is that it will be a major attraction in conjunction with other events. The Reds bring in 2+ million fans per year, and the Bengals add another 670,000. Freedom Way will become a place for fans to gather before and after games, while the Central Riverfront Park will be a scenic area that visitors will enjoy. We don't know the tenants for the Banks, but they will end up fitting into whatever niche that the market provides them. Big festivals like the Taste of Cincinnati, Oktoberfest, and Tall Stacks will bring in scores of visitors on selected weekends. So I think what you'll see is a flexible neighborhood that will be quiet on some days and will accommodate huge crowds on others. So the Banks will in effect have a symbiotic relationship with the city as a whole, rather than be a stand alone attraction by itself.

3CDC has a rundown of the different projects surrounding Fountain Square: 525 Vine <br /> 580 Building <br /> Duke Energy Convention Center <br /> Government Square <br /> The McAlpin <br /> The Westin <br /> 18 East Fourth Street <br /> Fifth Third Center <br /> Carew Tower <br /> Lofts at Fountain Square <br /> http://www.3cdc.org/content.jsp?articleId=176

The story about Graeter's is awesome news for downtown! Graeter's will be on Fountain Square and open until 9 p.m. during the summer. Now all the CBD needs is a movie theater, and we'll have a complete entertainment district.

Pope, first of all welcome to the Urban Ohio forum. It's great to hear someone who is interested in investing within the city. Most of the forumers here are very optimistic about the future of Cincinnati. I will attempt to address some of your questions, and others can augment my statements: 1. Main Street is about to take off again. It will be more of an upscale arts area rather than a bar scene. Many people view this as a positive development. Look for Neon's to reopen as the Jardin Wine and Tapas bar, which will include an outdoor garden for alfresco dining. The same owners, who also own Vinyl, are planning to open a sushi place called Mixx Ultralounge, in the Jump Cafe space. In addition, look for the Below Zero Lounge to open in the Alchemize building at 12th and Walnut. This area is very stable, and crime is down throughout Over-the-Rhine. Part 2 crimes such as car theft are down a whopping 80%. 2. 3CDC now owns dozens of properties in the Race Street corridor. They plan to bring a modest amount of market rate condos onto the market each year as they move northward. Findlay Market is attempting to attract developers to renovate the properties in the area around the market. And the biggest development may come from the new streetcar system, if it is implemented as envisioned. This could tip the balance towards market rate properties in the future. 4. The new SCPA will be built, and Washington Park will be reconfigured when Washington Park Elementary is removed. Erich Kunzel has told me personally that the new SCPA will happen. If you decide to invest in the neighborhood, I think that your investment will pay off bigtime. The corporate elite and the public sector have joined together to make this happen. 3CDC is doing some really tremendous things!

If someone needs the presence of a chain in order for them to venture into a neighborhood, then they should go to Florence or somewhere else. But they should stay out of OTR! :shoot: I applaud 3CDC's effort to keep the chains out, because the neighborhood is a unique place in the nation. We have to remember that this is our Greenwhich Village, and we have to keep it that way. If chains ever do move into the neighborhood, hopefully they'll be the first to burn down during the next riot! :wink:

If anything, the United States should be increasing our ties to countries such as Iran. Diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian outreach efforts will do more to further U.S. national interests in the long run. (Send in clandestine CIA and Special Ops, but keep that behind the scenes. All of this foolish rhetoric emanating from the right wing has done very little for us.)

I believe that the OTR Tour of Homes is on Sunday June 3, Noon to 6 PM.

Bush was a "loyalty enforcer" for his father's campaign team. He probably never should have risen above that level, because he's filled the government with fellow incompetents and cronies.

Here is what was done with the Odd Fellows Hall in Covington. It was in pretty bad shape in 2002, to say the least: After reconstruction, it is now looking great at Fifth and Madison in Downtown Covington: http://www.ssastructural.com/images/projects/renovations/3oddfellows.jpg[/img]

From an American perspective, one of the reasons why we are opposed to breaking up Iraq is because it would create three weak states that would be overshadowed by Iran. In fact, it was for that very reason that Bush's father left Saddam in power: to be a check on Iranian power. If we did partition Iraq: who would get Baghdad?

This photo is from grasscat's website, Building Cincinnati: It really needs to be saved in order to maintain the character of the area. If it was renovated, it would look amazing and hopefully would be a great catalyst for the area!

The current issue of Cincinnati Magazine has a story on the population gain in the 2006 census. It had two really interesting stats. One was that if Hamilton County and Cincinnati merged the city would be the 12th largest in the nation. The other stat was that the Cincinnati metro area was 148th in crime, much lower than most of the major cities across the Midwest.

Some say that he positioned the Drop Inn Center between City Hall and Music Hall so that he could be right in the face of the city leadership.

Changing Plans for America's Inner Cities: Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine and Twentieth Century Urbanism by Zane L. Miller

The first gathering of the Cincinnati Salon will feature a guest from London. Antoine Clarke will be speaking about the new streetcar system which is currently being planned for Cincinnati, and he will give insight about which types of public transportation are most effective. http://cincysalon.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/first-salon-streetcar-edition/