The Last Don

There was a small change to the Fifth/Third building in the last ten years, when a logo was affixed to the top of the structure as part of a branding campaign by the company.

Perhaps the number one thing I notice is Race Street. You can see the Fifth and Race Tower, the Elder-Beerman building, the L.S. Ayres building, and McAlpin's was still open. The great tragedy of Downtown was the redevelopment around Fountain Square, and on Race. If city leaders would have left the retail sector alone, and focused on residential development in the basin, we would have a more vibrant cultural landscape on Race Street.

The Carew-Netherland Garage, from emporis.com: "An innovative part of the project, the garage tower operated until 1979 before being demolished in the late 1980s. The Tower Place Mall, fully integrated with the remaining towers, now takes its place. This is the tallest building to have been demolished in Ohio." http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=199656

Over-the-Rhine is a great name and it has some functional sub-districts such as Pendleton and Main Street. The key is to knit the pockets of revitalization into a cohesive whole, stretching from Downtown up to the university. I understand how people have a certain image of an area, but that can be changed. I remember walking around Newport-on-the-Levee when it opened in 2001. It was amazing to see how the development embraced being in Newport. Before the Levee, Newport was known for strip clubs, blight, and municipal corruption. Now it has become a jewel in the crown of Greater Cincinnati.

I've always felt that the Metal Blast building would be great for a restaurant and entertainment venue, while the Brewery District could become one of Cincinnati's premiere attractions. There were once several castles along this hillside, rising above Central Parkway and into Over-the-Rhine, the home of Cincinnati's brewing industry. Some structures still exist and many more could be recreated and embellished, while interfacing with the proposed tramway. From what I understand, the most promising redevelopment is occurring in the Findlay Market area, about two blocks from the hillside. The Christian Morelein Brewery is the focus of a prospective redevelopment north of the market. Recently, the Dunlop Lofts opened nearby: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3859.0 I would love to see 3CDC put some resources into this area. The so-called Beer Hall of Fame would be great in the Brewery District, surrounded by the rebuilt castles in the form of urban condominiums throughout this historic area.

The Art Academy was housed in two buildings, one in Eden Park attached to the Art Museum, and one in Mt. Adams on St.Gregory Street. The Mt. Adams building is being converted to condos.

If we had strong leadership in Columbus, then most of these unnecessary problems would disappear. Clinton County's dubious charges could be reduced, the dispute between the port authorities could be eliminated, and the road money could be found for this important project. All we need is for someone to take charge and to get this done.

The police can get more aggressive with the criminals. :shoot: Understandably, the cops have backed off because they don't feel like they have the support of the community or the politicians. On a positive note, there are plans to renovate the Christian Moerlein building into a multiuse project just north of Findlay Market. In addition, 3CDC is buying up large amounts of land along Republic Street...hopefully they will do something positive with those properties.

Rem Koolhaas is currently designing a multipurpose art facility for the Louisville Riverfront. It will include condominiums, offices, and a farmer's market. One of his employees at OMA admitted that essentially they try to create the wildest designs possible. They shape foamboard into jagged shapes and then Koolhaas takes those designs and applies pretentious language to justify the structure. We shall see what he proposes for Louisville.

But they are going to tear down over twenty structures in the heart of a residential street for an unnecessary project. Right now, dozens of structures in Over-the-Rhine are under threat of demolition. The vast majority of these historic buildings could be saved and turned into unique loft condominiums. That Walnut Street property was supposed to become Mercer Commons, a residential oasis in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Here are some examples of how it could look: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1827.0 http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=327.0 http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3859.0

Thank you for your efforts at preserving Over-the-Rhine, dglenn. I just emailed the Board of Education urging them to reconsider their lackluster plan. My hope is that they realize their mistake and sell the Walnut Street property. The renovation of Rothenberg School makes so much sense...and it's only four blocks away! Here is the Web page to contact the Board of Education: http://www.cps-k12.org/Board/Board.htm I urge everyone here to contact local leaders to protect and preserve Over-the-Rhine.

^ Also, Urban Design Associates is not based in Philadelphia. It is headquartered on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh. The Enquirer may be thinking of the firm Olin Partnership, which did the preliminary landscape design for the Fountain Square renovation.

It might take ten more years to realize the vision of The Banks, but I think it will be worth it.

We need to look forward, but let's set the record straight... Buddy Gray was against employment and commerce in Over-the-Rhine. He wanted government subsidies so that his group of homeless men could wander the streets for perpetuity. The result was a dysfunctional social order that was augmented by slumlords such as Thomas Denhart, and by the institutionalization of poverty through government housing policies. That being said, I love Over-the-Rhine. Its streets and alleys create a unique sense of place and history that one cannot find throughout most of built America. My hope is that it becomes the cultural heart of the city once more.