jdm00

Through 8/29, the number of homicides is 48, compared with 50 at the same time last year. Down slightly. To be clear, though, that does not necessarily take into account shootings. Not sure where to find numbers on that. It does seem like there were more shootings, though not necessarily resulting in deaths (thankfully).

There is a noticeable lack of higher-end Hilton properties (Hilton, DoubleTree, or Embassy Suites) in the CBD. There is a Hilton in the CBD (a big one, too--the Netherland Plaza). There is an Embassy Suites right across the river. And I have stayed in many DoubleTrees (really like them actually) but I wouldn't call them higher-end. Definitely full service, but I always think of it as a nice business hotel. Squarely between a Hilton and an Embassy Suites.

New cornice nearly complete.

^Aren't both of those businesses going into 3CDC buildings?

If we taxed based on value of land and not improvements, I bet you'd see Hyde Park "densify" quickly (just like it would lead to surface lots downtown getting developed).

Cornice work is going on right now. I have no idea how long it has been since this building has had these decorative pieces, but it has definitely been decades. Should be done with the cornice work by next week.

I disagree on a few fronts. I don't think you will see the people who live in OTR up and move to the suburbs just because they have kids. Many more families with kids are moving and staying in OTR (like mine). Move to Hyde Park? Maybe, yeah, I could see that. But if you've lived in OTR, it's not easy to up and move to Maineville. And I don't think that the people who built OTR expected it to be disposable as you seem to think, TroyEros. Many of these folks were German craftsman--and whether they were German or not, when you have European immigrants in the 1800s building things, they are coming from places where buildings have stood for hundreds of years (and where they still stand). I don't think they were building things in the 1800s in Cincinnati expecting them to fall down; I think they figured they would be around for a long time, just like the buildings in Europe where they used to live. I can say this as the owner of 3 combined buildings (1860s, 1880s, and 1920s for those three), these things were built incredibly solidly. They are not disposable tract houses built in the 1960s. Heck, if you need any more proof of it, just look at the vacant buildings that remain. Most of those have been vacant for a long time--in some cases, decades. Yet still they stand, with very little care and lots of neglect. Do you think if you left a house built in Mason or Sharonville or Colerain in the 1960 or 1970s vacant for 20 or 30 years that it would still be standing?

I am guessing that is how it was originally. Very rare to have a continuous cornice that would go down the side of the building. Most of that decoration was limited to the front of it.

Here's what the historic guidelines say about painting buildings in OTR: "Painting: Repaint buildings that were historically painted. Most buildings built before 1890 in Over-the-Rhine were originally painted. Paint is part of the aesthetic design of these buildings and should be maintained. Paint also protects porous nineteenth century masonry and masks alterations and inappropriate repairs. Masonry that has not been painted in the past should not be painted. Because color can have a significant impact on the neighborhood, use paint colors that are appropriate to your building's age and style. Historically, most paint schemes were relatively simple. The Historic Conservation Office can provide owners with color combinations that are appropriate for a building’s age and style. Varying the choice of color between neighboring buildings is preferred."

Seeing reports that Kyrie may be out till January or so?

Disagree... My understanding is the RTC is heavily used bus terminal during events and game days. The Freedom Center is perfect right where it is. One, it looks great as an architectural centerpiece. Two, it's location is symbolic given the role of the Ohio River in our country's (and city's) racial history as the dividing line between north and south and its history on the Underground Railroad. The Freedom Center is really a powerful place to visit. I will say that it is hard to reconcile the gravitas of the Freedom Center with the party hardy Wrigleyville vibe the rest of the Banks is giving off though. And that's OK, it's just how it is. Bar-crazy OTR has like a million church bells ringing on Sunday morning. The RTC may be heavily used on gamedays--I don't think anyone is disputing that--but the larger point Jake is making is right. There could be a whole bunch more parking spaces as part of the garage than there actually are.

New front window is completely installed. And the inside of the house has been painted except for a couple of spots (two coats on the ceilings already). It's getting closer...

Awesome!

The large window on the front connector is going in today. Exciting stuff.

Through 8/8, we are at 45, 1 over the pace of last year. http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/crime-statistics/

Huggs always said Cincy is a pro town. People want pro like amenities at their venue also. The shine rubbed off of 5/3 a long time ago, then throw in the total rebuild of the program and some left the building. In Bloomington or W. Lafayette aint nothing else to do but even older BIG arenas are getting renovated. Michigan and Illinois did it. There are many sports fans with a lot of money connected to UC...........UC sold out all of their suites ranging from a commitment level of $500,000 to $1.5 Million. These are people that when Mike Thomas was the AD, they never understood are not going to sit next to Joe Sixpack. UC did Nippert right, the club area is a wall of glass opening up to the field view, flat screens, bar service, outdoor beer patio on the roof. UC will get a significant bump in suite and premium seating "new" season ticket buyers with a renovated 5/3. Including the upper level that will also have a club area. No doubt. Having been to the luxury boxes at several venues, I can safely say that the experience in the old Shoemaker was not up to snuff with going to a Reds game or Cintas. That will definitely help. (I don't think you and I are disagreeing about anything here, actually.)

You keep saying that the Reds would have won it all in 1994. You should talk to Jonah Keri sometime about those 1994 Expos you keep dismissing.....

I get why UC is doing this on campus, and it makes a lot of sense. The bread and butter of college attendance for most schools are two things--students and alumni. UC had a strong base of non-alumni fans in the Huggins years, but that base seems to have eroded a bit. In basketball especially, you have to be a serious program to draw a ton of support from the general public and have what is essentially a pro-team type of following, and very few schools do that. (UK and U of L are good examples.) The right move is to provide the best possible gameday atmosphere, and provide an experience that is comparable to the other high-end college basketball experiences in the area. And I don't mean timeout breaks, or halftime entertainment, or whatever--I mean good, comfortable seats with good sight lines; good beer and food choices; plentiful bathrooms; and nice concourses that you can actually move around on. If UC can do that--no matter where it is--their attendance should improve and, more importantly, it will be a better experience for the fans who do attend.

^We started construction in earnest in March, and it seemed like it moved slowly for awhile, but it's definitely picked up a lot of steam in the last few weeks. I think that new construction typically does go a lot faster. A lot of our time related to brick work, wall cuts, framing with all the twists and turns of old buildings. But now it is definitely moving along.

I believe it's getting painted... It's all moving very quickly now. Assuming that we get the first coat of paint on everything inside this weekend, then the floors and cabinets will be next. Kind of crazy actually.

Relegation isn't limited to England. It's used pretty much everywhere in soccer outside of the US. And in addition to providing performance incentives, it's a very effective way to penalize clubs for wrongdoing (like the relegation of Rangers in Scotland, or when Juventus was related in Italy a few years ago).

Things are moving very quickly now. Deck is done, and the drywall is nearly all up--next step, mudding/taping/sanding etc. Front door is in, too.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Cincinnati's population close to 300K? And from what I understand about 50K of that population lives in the urban core of Cincinnati, no? I mean you would think a major urban grocery store that serves the population from Clifton to Walnut Hills, to the Banks, OTR, and Even those who live on the banks of Covington and Newport (I know Newport has it's own Kroger but still). You would surely think there's a large enough population downtown in Cincinnati and KY that would use it? Or is the population in the core truly that low? The population is certainly 50K when you include Clifton to Walnut Hills to Downtown, etc. But you also have to remember there are already Kroger stores in Corryville, and Walnut Hills, and Newport, etc. So it's not like you have this big swath of people that aren't already served by a Kroger. And as others have pointed out, when you live downtown, you use grocery stores differently than residents of farther out neighborhoods or suburbs do.

^There is a lot of panhandling in OTR and downtown. It's just the way it is.

I'll have to check with the boss on that one, but it may be doable.