I'd like to point out that basically everyone is confirming that architecture now mostly just sucks except higher dollar higher profile projects. Hopefully if we're lucky it's a trend that may wane as we come towards the close the decade? No idea if architecture is like music or fashion that tends to roll in decades...

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/23/exclusive-builder-to-redevelop-downtown-cincinnati.html

 

This is behind the paywall and therefore I can't see it, but as a person named Adam my only question is what are they doing with the sign? It either needs to end up in the sign museum or on my house.

Sieber Vine Holding LLC purchased the nearly 9,000-square-foot building from House of Adam owner Stan Gray in April for $240,000. Gray operated the clothing store he founded for 61 years. Sieber does plan to retain the House of Adam sign.

 

 

Don't know if that means on the building or not. Maybe it could go to the American Sign Museum

That would be such a good spot for a great anchor building. 10 stories or more, accentuates that corner with intelligent architectural moves, grounds the curve of Central Parkway a bit better since it sort of feels odd at the moment, etc. Let's hope this is the first signs of something major.

 

Yeah, I wish...

 

Yeah I'm thinking this is just going to be a garage or parking structure for the YMCA and new offices at the Biscuit Co. building to use. Along with the new Shakespeare Theatre there will be a big demand all the sudden at this corner, and Washington Park garage already fills up on event nights.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/23/exclusive-builder-to-redevelop-downtown-cincinnati.html

 

This is behind the paywall and therefore I can't see it, but as a person named Adam my only question is what are they doing with the sign? It either needs to end up in the sign museum or on my house.

 

Staying on the building

Luxury condos planned for Mariemont

 

 

Greiwe Development Group is moving forward with plans to build more luxury condominiums in Mariemont.

 

Rick Greiwe, president of Greiwe Development, said the same team that built Jordan Park, Emery Park and Nolen Park is looking to build an 18-condo development at 3814-3818 Miami Road. Greiwe Development is teaming with North American Properties and Sibcy Cline Inc. on the proposed project.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/25/luxury-condos-planned-for-mariemont.html

I would have put this in the Business section, but...rendering!

 

Local hardware store group buys Small’s

 

 

Woods Hardware has purchased family-owned hardware store group Small's Hardware, according to a company official, the Enquirer reports.

 

The acquisition will add four locations to the Cincinnati-based hardware store group, said Matt Woods, chief operating officer of Woods Hardware. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is scheduled to close Sept. 19.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/31/local-hardware-store-group-buys-small-s.html

Did anyone else see this car?  Clifton was taped off between Probasco and MLK for about four hours on Friday night.  I have never seen a car this massively destroyed in my life.  The thing must have flipped at least five times. 

http://www.wlwt.com/news/police-car-flips-in-crash-near-uc-driver-had-gunshot-wound/41494546

This happened a few years ago right in front of my apartment on Madison Road.  It's a pickup truck I believe, which burst into flames, and the driver was killed.  They estimated speeds around 80 MPH.  Incidents like this show just how dangerous streets are when they're designed for rush hour traffic, because they're so empty during off hours, and especially at night, that they invite reckless speeds. 

Friday night's wreck happened around 8pm, right when the sun was going down.  It's possible that the guy was driving himself to the hospital after having been shot and fell unconscious. 

Yeah - and that's why I want to see actual design drawings and elevations. "8 stories" sounds tall... but if it's nicely designed it could be a great addition to the neighborhood. I love the 11-story Belvedere, precisely because it is different from the rest of low-lying Avondale.

 

The Oakley site seems like it might actually be a good candidate for a tall building, depending on how the design interacts with St Cecilia. There is already a ~60 ft buffer between St Cecilia and the property line, so the church will have "breathing room" regardless of what is built. It is situated to the north of the church and the school, so it wouldn't cast shadows on either of the St Cecilia properties.

 

All of that being said, after looking at the Fortus Group website, I couldn't find any examples of projects taller than 4 stories across their business lines (senior, affordable, market): http://www.thefortusgroup.com/residential-development.html

 

So - I think it's pretty safe to assume they're only talking about 8-stories now to make it seem like they're the good guys when they come back with a much shorter project.

 

The new plan is 5 stories, 84 apartments, and 112 parking spaces.

 

The folks at the Oakley Community Council (at least those affiliated with St Cecilia) are still vehemently opposed.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/community-news/2016/09/08/residents-remain-opposed-building-plan/90002068/

Yeah - and that's why I want to see actual design drawings and elevations. "8 stories" sounds tall... but if it's nicely designed it could be a great addition to the neighborhood. I love the 11-story Belvedere, precisely because it is different from the rest of low-lying Avondale.

 

The Oakley site seems like it might actually be a good candidate for a tall building, depending on how the design interacts with St Cecilia. There is already a ~60 ft buffer between St Cecilia and the property line, so the church will have "breathing room" regardless of what is built. It is situated to the north of the church and the school, so it wouldn't cast shadows on either of the St Cecilia properties.

 

All of that being said, after looking at the Fortus Group website, I couldn't find any examples of projects taller than 4 stories across their business lines (senior, affordable, market): http://www.thefortusgroup.com/residential-development.html

 

So - I think it's pretty safe to assume they're only talking about 8-stories now to make it seem like they're the good guys when they come back with a much shorter project.

 

The new plan is 5 stories, 84 apartments, and 112 parking spaces.

 

The folks at the Oakley Community Council (at least those affiliated with St Cecilia) are still vehemently opposed.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/community-news/2016/09/08/residents-remain-opposed-building-plan/90002068/

 

Yet anything happening at Oakley station is just fine!

The opposition to development at this site is not based on any facts, just safety, traffic, parking..etc. Even though the proposal has an interior parking garage. Then the leadership of St. Cecelia proposing the site be turned into green space is frustrating, there are many surface lots and under utilized spaces along that stretch as it is. More residents will help the current and future businesses in Oakley Square.

As someone who works in the heart of Oakley Square, I can say that the 'square'/nbd feels extremely disjointed and really functions more as 3 mini business districts.  There are just so many parking lots fronting Madison and really pedestrian unfriendly uses, like the carwash and car dealerships, that it feels fairly unpleasant to walk, and definitely lacks the charm of a MTL or HP Square.  A 5 story building at this site would help add some much needed scale to the middle part of the business district, but I think the real area that needs work is basically everything everything East of Fresh Market.  The Hot Heads, Oakley Paint building, car dealerships, Baba India, and of course the giant surface lot in front of CVS/Fresh Market all create a really crappy stretch. There was development proposed years ago at the Hot Heads site, but of course nothing ever came of that.

Museum Center unveils plans for new visitor spaces

 

 

There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes at Union Terminal right now, but Cincinnati Museum Center visitors will see big changes when all of its renovated spaces open to the public in 2018.

 

The repair and renovation of the 83-year-old Cincinnati icon is underway, but Museum Center CEO Elizabeth Pierce said the changes to exterior walls, the property’s fountain and other big projects will be starting soon.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/09/08/museum-center-unveils-plans-for-new-visitor-spaces.html

Paywall article states that 512 Reading Rd. and the Mill End Drapery Building on 7th St. are to become self storage.  The Mill End building is a travesty, should be residential!

 

EXCLUSIVE: $6 million self-storage development coming to downtown Cincinnati

Sep 9, 2016, 2:42pm EDT Updated Sep 9, 2016, 5:03pm EDT

Tom Demeropolis

Senior Staff Reporter

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

A developer is working to transform two Cincinnati buildings into self-storage units for the core’s booming residential population.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/09/09/exclusive-6-million-selfstorage-development-coming.html

 

 

 

 

Maybe I'm confused here. They're turning a residential building into self-storage? Or does 512 Reading have unused space somewhere?

 

As for the Mill End Drapery Building, that's frustrating. It would be a perfect building for residential.

Mt Airy NEP (Neighborhood Enhancement Program) kicked off today. Looks like they're constructing a parking lot on some empty land (that used to house Klosterman Cleaners). Not sure what - if anything - else will be a part of this NEP.

 

 

Streetview: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1923007,-84.5715235,3a,60y,54.2h,92.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suxarRm_kYykv0OjcLmlGjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Yikes. I wonder if the self-storage guys realize that most of the people who live in 500 square foot apartments in OTR either don't have a lot of physical possessions or are keeping them at their parents' house. They don't need a place to store "old records, a bike or a kayak." I mean if you live downtown and own a bike, you're probably using it to get around on a regular basis and don't want to store it off-site.

If we think long term though, we hope that the demographic of the urban core changes. Its nice that we have those who live in 500 square foot apartments in OTR (which doesn't really suit for self storage), but at the same time it'll also be nice to have large families moving to the urban core as well. That category of potential urban dwellers will need storage options.

 

 

Yikes. I wonder if the self-storage guys realize that most of the people who live in 500 square foot apartments in OTR either don't have a lot of physical possessions or are keeping them at their parents' house. They don't need a place to store "old records, a bike or a kayak." I mean if you live downtown and own a bike, you're probably using it to get around on a regular basis and don't want to store it off-site.

 

Urban self-storage units seem to be a growing trend, perhaps more popular among empty nesters who are downsizing rather than young professionals who never had a ton of possessions. A couple different projects are adding self-storage in the core of Columbus, and I've noticed this in other cities as well, so I would not be surprised for a decent market to exist.

I had a very hard time finding a self-storage unit when I lived in Lexington for salvaged items. They were at about 95% occupancy for the entire city with very little turnover. The demand is there in urban areas.

I would think that there would be plenty of room for self-storage in Queensgate or Camp Washington. It just seems strange to me that someone would renovate an historic building downtown and turn it into self storage.

There's a fairly large warehouse in Walnut Hills highly visible from 71 that just converted to become a self-storage place.  I think it makes a lot of sense to have these types of places in urban areas, but I agree that OTR doesn't necessarily seem like the best fit for such a place.  Too much demand for other uses.

Better than crap like this though.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8171745,-73.9299618,3a,75y,237.15h,107.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0NawMLF82qhgMjN7Uw669Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

There's a large need for students for self-storage with the sizable co-op student body and people subletting for the summer months and needing a place to store things while they're away. It makes sense to have self-storage nearby the core and Uptown, but it sucks it has to be in great looking historic buildings that could be put to much better use than mainly storing things people forgot they owned and don't care enough to actually have in their home.

I had a unit in Wildcat Storage for awhile in South Fairmount.  I think it's now Simply Self Storage.  It's like a 4 minute drive from downtown via the Western Hills Viaduct. 

An empty lot (0.14 acres) near the center of Oakley is going to get 4 townhouses. It'd be nice to get even more density, but much better than a single family home or a parking lot! I like this kind of "medium density" infill (4 stories), as it complements the surrounding buildings of Oakley.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/09/27/exclusive-luxury-townhomes-coming-to-oakley-square.html

http://wedge3.hcauditor.org/view/re/0490004031000/2015/summary

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1516402,-84.4333882,3a,90y,354.73h,87.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1GKfDZIlD7DQ_dVeEg61vA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

^Posted in the Oakley thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,27303.0.html

^^^I posted this in response to that picture in the other thread:

 

^  soil samples mean progress!  they'll probably break ground in the spring.

 

sixteen story building.  eight parking, eight residential.  first two floors will also have retail to hide the parking.  i have not seen a rendering, but shaping up to be another seven @ broadway or 8th & sycamore.

 

Very cool that Kroger will take most or all of the retail part of this development, since I worry about the retail component of 8th & Sycamore having very little demand. 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/10/05/silverton-oks-deal-developers-former-paideia-site/91587946/

 

Adding 200+ units of apartments/townhouses + 60,000 sq ft of commercial space will be great for Silverton. It's hard to tell from the rendering (since it doesn't show the full site plan with surround streets), but it appears that the commercial building is set back a bit from Montgomery, at an awkward angle. I really wish that building had been designed and situated to properly face the street. It's much easier for the developer to simply drop a generic rectangle into the site, set back from the street. But it means that section of Montgomery won't feel like a neighborhood business district.

The Over-the-Rhine Community Council will be having a meeting tonight to discuss and vote on the Liberty & Elm proposal. I would encourage everyone on this forum who's interested to check it out tonight and have your voices be heard.

^I thought Liberty and Elm was a full go?  Looking through the HCB Packet, it seems the OTR CC isn't happy with the design still?  Could they theortically block the project even though the HCB gave it's approval?

The developer has to return to the City's Planning Commission for final approval under the PD. This would be their last chance to voice their concerns over the project.

"Carroll said the project has the potential to grow the village's tax base by 15 percent annually. "

 

Wow

Rabbit Hash general store is being rebuilt:

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/boone-county/2016/10/11/rabbit-hash-store-rising-ashes/91896480/

Does anyone know anything about the building at 308-320 Race?

At one point relatively recently it was slated for demolition to be replaced with a hotel+residential tower by Drury. There's a rendering online on the architect's site but I can't for the life of me remember who that was.

 

I really hope it's saved. It's an attractive building that could make for good lofts. Build an addition on the lot south of it and create a new residential development.

Formerly a warehouse for Stilettos, right? I'm not sure when it was vacated but it's a pretty interesting building.

Formerly a warehouse for Stilettos, right? I'm not sure when it was vacated but it's a pretty interesting building.

 

Do you mean "Shillito's"?

Formerly a warehouse for Stilettos, right? I'm not sure when it was vacated but it's a pretty interesting building.

 

Do you mean "Shillito's"?

 

It actually was built for Pogue's Department store as warehouse space, offices, and delivery services. I know the building has been vacant since 2001.

Whoops. Yes - and yes, spell check completely mangled that one.

The Shillito's warehouse is/was at 7th and Elm, connected to their store. It appears to have employed the same horizontal warehousing technique that Lazarus used in Columbus, where the goods that were sold on a particular floor were warehoused on the same floor. I believe Lazarus and Shillito's were one company, the predecessor to Federated, before the Shillito's warehouse was erected.

Yeah, this would have been a game-changer for the skyline:

 

http://www.mullerarchitects.com/project-4/wpjbrqqpcfxgctsctju2sw8nev7xnu

 

 

 

 

Though it would have been nice to have some height right there, I'm glad this didn't come to be. The Pogue's building is a modernist gem that should be saved. And that Drury tower would have likely been very ugly in person. It screams "early 90s Post Modernism" and would have looked incredibly dated upon completion. Hopefully something a little more timeless gets built there with some height though.

Paywall article, but the title tells the story.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Developer plans to convert downtown Board of Elections building to apartments

Oct 19, 2016, 7:06am EDT

Tom Demeropolis

Senior Staff Reporter

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

The owner of the building that is currently home to the Hamilton County Board of Elections is studying plans to convert it into loft-style apartments.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/10/19/exclusive-developer-plans-to-convert-downtown.html

Nice. Wonder what they'll do with the weird parking-lot-in-an-old-building-with-its-roof-removed thing on Eggleston.

 

But this is good for that side of Downtown. More people around Eggleston will hopefully spur development along Broadway and new infill on all those lots on Eggleston.

^That's great news. I wonder what they'll do with the <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1060471,-84.5066137,3a,90y,330.11h,97.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssdJK90GwT5OQw9rwvOiAaQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656">"delivery" yard that fronts Eggleston</a>. If properly designed, it could make for a really neat outdoor/courtyard space, possibly with a restaurant or beer garden. Here's some <a href="http://urbanup.net/cities/ohio/cincinnati-ohio/downtown/crane-hawley-company/">history on the building</a> which was originally built for the Crane Hawley Co in 1912.

 

Hopefully that leads to some pressure to renovate the Times-Star building and infill the surface parking lots on Eggleston.

^Haha, great minds? Our posts are nearly identical minus mine not having useful information attached to it. Thanks for the link!

From the article:

"Because it has parking in the back, we could creatively use the parking area to connect to the main building," Kenat told me.

 

The plan would be to build additional apartments that connect to the main building with a courtyard space. Kenat said this could potentially open up the large surface parking lot across the street for development.

Hope this adds more fuel to the fire for the Josephs and the Dennison.

 

It's clear there is interest in bringing development to old historic buildings in the CBD. It's also clear the Josephs are greedy as hell, and want to widen there pocket books with an expanded parking lot for more parking revenue.