Posted December 7, 20177 yr Last weekend I went on a tour of the Terrace Plaza Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati. The hotel was built in 1948 and is one of the first modernist skyscrapers in the country. When it was constructed, it housed two department stores. One store eventually closed and was subdivided into many spaces with an interior hall constructed. The hotel portion from floors 8-19 closed its doors in 2008. The building has had no tenants aside from some ground-floor retail since then. The building was famous for it's modern interiors including famous artwork, interior design, and a famed restaurant on the 20th floor called the Gourmet Room. The architects selected for the project had never built a hotel before, which was important for the developer who had experience building hotels, and wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the development. The owner also constructed the Carew Tower (1930) and the Cincinnatian Hotel (1882) that bookended this development on either side along Vine Street. The chief architect on the project was a woman by the name of Natalie de Blois. Though she was not officially recognized as the architect on the project, one person said of her working relationship with a partner at the firm that "he took all the credit and she did all the work." She wasn't allowed to go to many of the client meetings as they were held at male-only clubs. The hotel featured state-of-the-art technology that had never been utilized before. Certain floors featured walls that could be rolled up to expand a single room into a suite. Beds were motorized and could transform between a bed and a couch with the push of a button (kids infamously pushed those buttons constantly and wore out the motors). A door leading from the main dining room into the kitchen were automatically opened with a motion detector. This was also the first hotel in the country to feature a lobby above the first floor (located on the 8th). Photos of the exterior: You'll notice that the exterior bricks are laid out in a linear pattern, rather than the typical pattern of placing the center of bricks over the joint of two bricks below. DSC_7937 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7933 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7939 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7942 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Walking around to the back of the building: DSC_7946 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7950 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7956 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Inside the first floor space that was broken up to create multiple storefronts on the interior and the new "lobby" on the first floor: DSC_7964 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7972 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7914 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7922 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7930 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr The original logo for the Terrace Plaza was designed at the same time as the building, and is featured on all of the elevators (it's a stylized T and P for those who can't tell) DSC_7927 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Up the extremely fast elevator to the 8th floor lobby with terrace courtyard: DSC_7974 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7975 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7977 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr The top of the Cincinnatian Hotel across 6th Street DSC_7982 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7983 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Original handrail and granite wall DSC_7985 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Not an original floor DSC_7987 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7993 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7995 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_7997 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8004 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8006 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8008 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8013 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Motion sensored door that still works DSC_8016 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Main Kitchen: DSC_8019 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8022 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8027 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr 8th Floor Terrace: DSC_8040 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8042 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8046 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr On the 8th Floor and above there are windows, unlike the levels below that the department stores occupied DSC_8047 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8048 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8051 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8056 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr I didn't get a lot of photos of the hotel portion of the building. It smelled terrible and every room was pretty much identical. DSC_8034 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8029 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8036 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr The Gourmet Room and the rooftop were the final spots we went to on the tour. The Gourmet Room had branding that matched the Terrace Plaza branding on the elevator. They also had the logo branded on plates, forks, glass, etc. It was much smaller than I imagined, which gives you an idea of how exclusive it must have felt to be dining up there. DSC_8060 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8144 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8064 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8088 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8089 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Look closely and you can see the logo on the silverware as well DSC_8087 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8070 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8075 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8078 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8097 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8141 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr Finally, the rooftop I was told this was an old water cooler/tank on the roof DSC_8105 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8104 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8139 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8108 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8111 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8112 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8114 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8117 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8121 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8123 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8127 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr This structure on the roof was apparently used as the head chef's office back in the day, but more recently as storage DSC_8134 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8131 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8135 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr DSC_8136 by Ryan Lammi, on Flickr
December 7, 20177 yr Image 8006 is straight out of the Shining... Great pictures, and its a really cool building. Hope something comes of this newest attempt to renovate.
December 7, 20177 yr ^I got a little confused with the explanation, but it sounded like a lot of previous efforts were complicated by the fact that the property had been divided into multiple parcels with multiple owners, and one owner from New York was being very uncooperative/negligent, which was making it really hard to get anything done. It sounds like all of the parcels are controlled by a single owner now, which should hopefully be a good omen. It was also mentioned that SOM is very interested in whatever ends up happening with the building and have allowed access to their archives for research purposes. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
December 8, 20177 yr Great shots. Recognized several folks taking that tour. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 8, 20177 yr Garbage Garbage is the refuse which comes from the bathroom and kitchen. It is basically organic waste, clothing, food waste, food containers, paper products etc. It is picked up by different organizations like City sanitation Department or the Waste Control Department. All the household garbage and the paper products after getting picked are sent to the Waste-to-Energy Facility. Trash Trash is the waste which comes from anywhere but the bathroom and kitchen. It could be old furniture, leaves, twigs, grass clippings, junk and other products which might come under the category of hazardous household waste. The trash is picked up by different authorities of the city like the city itself and sometimes contractors are hired by County’s Commissioner’s office. Read more: Difference Between Garbage and Trash | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/language/words-language/difference-between-garbage-and-trash/#ixzz50e8RNs4B
December 8, 20177 yr Great photos and fascinating history on some of the rooms/spaces. Thanks for sharing!
December 8, 20177 yr Garbage Garbage is the refuse which comes from the bathroom and kitchen. It is basically organic waste, clothing, food waste, food containers, paper products etc. It is picked up by different organizations like City sanitation Department or the Waste Control Department. All the household garbage and the paper products after getting picked are sent to the Waste-to-Energy Facility. Trash Trash is the waste which comes from anywhere but the bathroom and kitchen. It could be old furniture, leaves, twigs, grass clippings, junk and other products which might come under the category of hazardous household waste. The trash is picked up by different authorities of the city like the city itself and sometimes contractors are hired by County’s Commissioner’s office. Read more: Difference Between Garbage and Trash | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/language/words-language/difference-between-garbage-and-trash/#ixzz50e8RNs4B Interesting. I figured there was some sort of distinction like this. Has changed so much in 50 years that this sign would have been obvious to most people at that time, but confusing to most now?
December 8, 20177 yr Awesome photos thanks for sharing Ryan. I really hope this can get a great new re-use. Would be a very cool building and not only that, will significantly liven up that area of downtown. It seems best they would keep it as a hotel in the upper floors with what everyone is saying, and then convert the brick wall into apartments or condos. Is Anderson Birkla the developer still on this? I was a bit confused on that as I knew they had a contract to purchase? Where is everything at with the development?
December 8, 20177 yr Author ^I'm not sure who the developer is at the moment. They said on the tour that all models indicated that the upper levels would be best suited for apartments or condos instead of another hotel. Still no date for construction or anything. They are in the early stages of development right now and don't have firm plans right now.
December 8, 20177 yr I have a feeling they'll probably combine rooms to create apartments/condos. One room becomes kitchen/living and the other becomes bedroom and bathroom for a one-bedroom unit. Combine three hotel rooms to create a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom unit with the far bedroom being suited as the master bedroom. Do you (or anyone) have rough estimate of the dimensions of the rooms?
December 11, 20177 yr Author They were pretty small. I'm really bad at estimating sizes, but if I had to guess, I would say maybe 12'x12' total with a bathroom in the corner of that space. But I could be off by several feet and that would make such a big difference because of the small size of the rooms. Here's a photo of one of the rooms on the Business Courier's site: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/27/get-a-look-inside-the-former-terrace-plaza-hotel.html#g/362822/2
December 11, 20177 yr They definitely were smaller than my garage, which is about 16x20. The low ceilings definitely make things feel a bit claustrophobic too, and I'm only 5'7" tall. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
December 11, 20177 yr Author ^I know they had all recessed lighting in the ceiling of rooms, and apparently didn't have any lamps or anything plugged in or sitting on tables/floors. Maybe they were trying to highlight that feature of the building?
December 11, 20177 yr ^^ Is Abe Simpson said. "Twas the style at the time". Actually Cincinnati was on the cutting edge of the style with this build, but the trendy low ceilings sure were an unchangeable bit of style. Pretty much ANYTHING else can be changed in a remodel except the ceilings in a low ceiling highrise tower. It is the main reason i like the current owners ideas to bring it back as a period piece and play up the style and look it once had.
December 11, 20177 yr Many of the spaces that Frank Lloyd Wright designed had very low ceilings, too. I got a chance to tour Taliesin West in AZ, and much of it seems cramped and small by modern standards. Low ceiling heights in a high rise building like the Terrace Plaza definitely present serious challenges. I don't know if there are enough die hard enthusiasts of MCM that would be willing to put up with 7 foot ceilings in a residential building. Did anyone on the tour discuss potential uses for the bricked in portion of this building? I would truly love to see it saved, but it seems like there are just so many challenges, and the building really isn't inherently beautiful, at least not at street level. That block of 6th also feels pretty cavernous, with the huge blank red wall fronting the whole block. I never cheer for demolition of historic structures, but this one seems like a real challenge, and it has created a dead space in the heart of downtown for far too long.
December 11, 20177 yr My house has 7 foot ceilings. I don't mind it since all the utilities are in the "attic" and I'm not 7 feet tall.
December 11, 20177 yr Many of the spaces that Frank Lloyd Wright designed had very low ceilings, too. I got a chance to tour Taliesin West in AZ, and much of it seems cramped and small by modern standards. Low ceiling heights in a high rise building like the Terrace Plaza definitely present serious challenges. I don't know if there are enough die hard enthusiasts of MCM that would be willing to put up with 7 foot ceilings in a residential building. Did anyone on the tour discuss potential uses for the bricked in portion of this building? I would truly love to see it saved, but it seems like there are just so many challenges, and the building really isn't inherently beautiful, at least not at street level. That block of 6th also feels pretty cavernous, with the huge blank red wall fronting the whole block. I never cheer for demolition of historic structures, but this one seems like a real challenge, and it has created a dead space in the heart of downtown for far too long. I'm a bit confused on all this because I thought Anderson Birkla were the ones who own it now but it doesn't sound like it? Or at least they had a contract for the purchase and they did a long interview with the Business Courier and even posted a rendering but maybe that is all moot now? I can't find the picture on an article but it is posted on the forum for Terrace Plaza on the second to last page from August of this year. It shows them taking out the brick wall and it was explained that it was only cosmetic and could be removed.
December 11, 20177 yr Many of the spaces that Frank Lloyd Wright designed had very low ceilings, too. I got a chance to tour Taliesin West in AZ, and much of it seems cramped and small by modern standards. Low ceiling heights in a high rise building like the Terrace Plaza definitely present serious challenges. I don't know if there are enough die hard enthusiasts of MCM that would be willing to put up with 7 foot ceilings in a residential building. Where does this idea of 7' ceilings come from again? The bizcourier picture (https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/27/get-a-look-inside-the-former-terrace-plaza-hotel.html#g/362822/2) indicates that the ceilings are at least 8' (if not more), based on the assumption the doorways are standard 6'8".
December 11, 20177 yr Many of the spaces that Frank Lloyd Wright designed had very low ceilings, too. I got a chance to tour Taliesin West in AZ, and much of it seems cramped and small by modern standards. Low ceiling heights in a high rise building like the Terrace Plaza definitely present serious challenges. I don't know if there are enough die hard enthusiasts of MCM that would be willing to put up with 7 foot ceilings in a residential building. Did anyone on the tour discuss potential uses for the bricked in portion of this building? I would truly love to see it saved, but it seems like there are just so many challenges, and the building really isn't inherently beautiful, at least not at street level. That block of 6th also feels pretty cavernous, with the huge blank red wall fronting the whole block. I never cheer for demolition of historic structures, but this one seems like a real challenge, and it has created a dead space in the heart of downtown for far too long. I'm a bit confused on all this because I thought Anderson Birkla were the ones who own it now but it doesn't sound like it? Or at least they had a contract for the purchase and they did a long interview with the Business Courier and even posted a rendering but maybe that is all moot now? I can't find the picture on an article but it is posted on the forum for Terrace Plaza on the second to last page from August of this year. It shows them taking out the brick wall and it was explained that it was only cosmetic and could be removed. From what i heard at the intro that is one of the directions they may pursue but it was just a concept proposal. THey were showing the building to other architects and preservationists after our tour and had also had someone there from I believe BDHP who is involved in the early steps of preserving the building. They also had numerous other design proposal renderings on display in the 8th floor bar that were more in keeping to the original look. Nothing seems solid yet in terms of the best way to move forward. Any else there hear this?
December 11, 20177 yr Where does this idea of 7' ceilings come from again? The bizcourier picture (https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/27/get-a-look-inside-the-former-terrace-plaza-hotel.html#g/362822/2) indicates that the ceilings are at least 8' (if not more), based on the assumption the doorways are standard 6'8". From the project thread for the Terrace Plaza: JJakucyk: "I talked with a contractor who walked through recently, and the real problem with the 8' ceilings is that's only available where there's no utilities, basically concrete to concrete. Over the room entrances, bathrooms, and hallways where you have pipes and ductwork (more of which will be required for all new mechanicals, since what's there is shot) that means you're pushing down to the 7' level which starts to get quite oppressive."
December 11, 20177 yr Inside the rooms, I don't see why they would need to drop the ceiling below 8'. The only place they might need to do that would be around the door/entrance if they need to run some mechanicals that can't be run through the walls. Worst case scenario: they add a soffit along one wall. Certainly no reason to drop the entire ceiling down to 7'.
December 11, 20177 yr Author Any more comments about the actual development of the building should probably be directed toward the project topic.
December 12, 20177 yr Beautiful structure, thanks for sharing those pictures! It'd be awesome to see it restored to its former glory.... 7' ceilings and all lol
February 11, 20187 yr Thanks for sharing. I saw this article in my FB feed just yesterday and when I read about it, I was fascinated. It's funny, I just learned of this building and now I see this post. https://www.citylab.com/design/2018/02/whats-in-the-future-for-cincinnatis-modernist-icon/552968/
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