Venice on Vine...originally Heuck's Opera House in the 1900's, and later the "People's Theater." Here's a good bit of history on that structure:

 

I'm pretty sure the actual theater was on the site of the parking lot behind the Second Empire building that now houses Venice on Vine.  This building was the lobby of the theater.

Venice on Vine was not Heuck's Opera House.  The Opera House was in the next block south, same side of the street; it was demolished and there is an open lot there current, next to Metronation I think.  Venice on Vine was Heuck's Theatre or the People's Theatre.  This was different than the Opera House.  And yes, the actual theatre part was demolished and was where the parking lot is now.

I was tipped off about some changes to Venice on Vine's exterior.  It does look like some new tile work at the base of the windows, a new awning and new sandwich board sign are now a part of its exterior decor.  Are these indeed new, and if so, does anyone know what helped pay for these upgrades?  They look great.

 

It also looks like work is being done on the building located in between Vine and Race on the north side of 12th Street...what's the deal there?

 

Tipped off?  You make it sound so....underground, esp. considering the 'tipping off' happened on the phone yesterday.

 

I'm just keeping the UO populous happy...they like and crave the mysterious updates and scoops.

Venice on Vine was not Heuck's Opera House. The Opera House was in the next block south, same side of the street; it was demolished and there is an open lot there current, next to Metronation I think. Venice on Vine was Heuck's Theatre or the People's Theatre. This was different than the Opera House. And yes, the actual theatre part was demolished and was where the parking lot is now.

 

not quite. Venice on Vine was the original Heuck's, which was then moved to 1221 Vine, and the Venice on Vine site was then dubbed the People's Theater.

I was tipped off about some changes to Venice on Vine's exterior.  It does look like some new tile work at the base of the windows, a new awning and new sandwich board sign are now a part of its exterior decor.  Are these indeed new, and if so, does anyone know what helped pay for these upgrades?  They look great.

 

It also looks like work is being done on the building located in between Vine and Race on the north side of 12th Street...what's the deal there?

 

Tipped off?  You make it sound so....underground, esp. considering the 'tipping off' happened on the phone yesterday.

 

I'm just keeping the UO populous happy...they like and crave the mysterious updates and scoops.

 

you're such a populist

Don't know if anyone said this, but according to the gateway quarter website, they've had 12 condo sales in the first 11 weeks of 2009.  Thats pretty amazing, especially in this market. 

Don't know if anyone said this, but according to the gateway quarter website, they've had 12 condo sales in the first 11 weeks of 2009.  Thats pretty amazing, especially in this market. 

 

Sounds like they're doing well as a business...maybe they should push phase 5  :wink: past Liberty and bridge the gap to Findlay Market ;)

If they keep at the strategy they're using then they'll create a critical mass that will spur private investment beyond what is currently seen.  The gaps south of Liberty will be filled in, and the area north of Liberty will start to turn around as well but needs the streetcar to do so (much more than the area south of Liberty for access and parking reasons).

word is they have a "burger joint" tentatively in place for ground floor of the Duveneck Flats across from Lavomatic.

word is they have a "burger joint" tentatively in place for ground floor of the Duveneck Flats across from Lavomatic.

 

Oooh ooh....the area definitely needs more food options.  I love Lavo but it will only help it not hinder. 

Finally, a place that's not all uppitie and chic :) Give me a damn mouthwatering burger over sushi any day :)

it could be a chic burger place. stranger things have happened.

Probably one of those yuppie upscale-dining establishments that serve burgers with no buns!

Probably one of those yuppie upscale-dining establishments that serve burgers with no buns!

 

Or soy burgers

Remember the 2 "slider size" kobe beef burgers for $10. at the Diner a few years ago? We need another Zips somewhere in the gateway.

Gateway is really coming along.  I can't get over how nice its all looking but yea there needs to be some kind of hip dining place there or something.  Too bad Grammars isn't there! But Grammars is cool where it is.  What a sweet joint.

Just ate at Lavomatic for brunch today.  The place was packed and the food was amazing.  Lavo. has some upcoming events that I will post later on.  Their 1 year anniversary rooftop party is coming up. 

Just ate at Lavomatic for brunch today.  The place was packed and the food was amazing.  Lavo. has some upcoming events that I will post later on.  Their 1 year anniversary rooftop party is coming up. 

 

Lavomatic isn't the same without Joanne, still cool though.

A Gateway Quarter event:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18913.msg386039.html#new

 

 

I'm always a day late and dollar shot. I went to a Five Guys burger place.  I had an idea f opening this franchise in OTR.  well Five Guys is in fact coming to Cincy and it sounds like a burger place is indeed coming to OTR.  Two things solved but I am not involved w/ either. :(

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a very good hamburger chain, and I would LOVE to see them come to Cincinnati. I was obsessed with their food when they opened up at Pullman Square in downtown Huntington!!

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a very good hamburger chain, and I would LOVE to see them come to Cincinnati. I was obsessed with their food when they opened up at Pullman Square in downtown Huntington!!

 

Their first Cincinnati location will be under UPA in Uptown; however, part of their expansion plans are to take a city that meets their demographic and smatter it with locations, so I suppose a UC and OTR location would not be out of the question.

I don't think 5 Guys is a good fit for that space. They also typically depend on a lot of carryout business, with limited menu and no booze.  You gotta at least be able to grab a beer with your burger in OTR.

Haha, I like the way you reason.

Eh, I'm really tired of having alcohol served at every establishment. While I do like beer, I don't like to see it served at every restaurant, cafe and shop. There was a time when Main Street was like that, and it all but evaporated and failed in a decade due to an increase in crime and an over-saturation of such establishments. Bring me a good Coca-Cola and burger :)

 

_{Beer and burgers do not go good together, BTW!}

Eh, I'm really tired of having alcohol served at every establishment. While I do like beer, I don't like to see it served at every restaurant, cafe and shop. There was a time when Main Street was like that, and it all but evaporated and failed in a decade due to an increase in crime and an over-saturation of such establishments. Bring me a good Coca-Cola and burger :)

 

_{Beer and burgers do not go good together, BTW!}

 

The establishments on Main Street were primarily bar/club places.  There is nothing wrong with serving some alcoholic beverages at your restaurant (hell Chipotle even serves some beer).  I actually love a good beer and burger and think it would do absolutely nothing to detract from the neighborhood.  Alcohol in and of itself is not bad...how it is used is another question and I would say that the places on Main Street you speak of were promoting more of a drink heavily type atmosphere than the casual beer with your food.

Eh, I'm really tired of having alcohol served at every establishment. While I do like beer, I don't like to see it served at every restaurant, cafe and shop. There was a time when Main Street was like that, and it all but evaporated and failed in a decade due to an increase in crime and an over-saturation of such establishments. Bring me a good Coca-Cola and burger :)

 

_{Beer and burgers do not go good together, BTW!}

 

I think some of the good people on UO forget that these businesses need to actually make money in order to survive. The ability to serve alcohol has a huge upside for a restaurant. The margins are higher and it increases the top line.

Also, lets all remember that it was the riots and the lack of police presence after the riots that ruined main street. Jefferson Hall, Japps, Jump, Courtyard Cafe and the rest didn't throw bricks through their own windows. All they did was bring people down there every weekend.

 

Alcohol is a money maker for owners and employees.  What is the cost of a case or a keg of beer?  How much do restarauts/bars charge for beers?  Even after exorbatant taxes there's a pretty large profit.  It also leads to higher tips.  You have to tip a bartender a dollar when he takes 4 seconds to pour a beer. 

 

btw, beer goes good with everything Sherman! it's all about the paring.  Give me a good brown ale with my burger any day. 

I think some of the good people on UO forget that these businesses need to actually make money in order to survive. The ability to serve alcohol has a huge upside for a restaurant. The margins are higher and it increases the top line.

Also, lets all remember that it was the riots and the lack of police presence after the riots that ruined main street. Jefferson Hall, Japps, Jump, Courtyard Cafe and the rest didn't throw bricks through their own windows. All they did was bring people down there every weekend.

 

Having lived on Court Street from June 2001-June 2002, and Walnut between 12th and CP from June 2002-June 2003, I have to say that the Main Street bar district didn't seem to die because of the riots.  It was still going strong for two years afterward (I had to listen to the crap that played at Alchemize every night it was open).  I think that after some of those meat market chains like Bar Cincinnati and Have a Nice Day closed down, the Main Street "scene" shifted elsewhere, and the supporting bars like Japp's etc. started losing the secondary traffic from those places, and therefore they became less profitable.

word is they have a "burger joint" tentatively in place for ground floor of the Duveneck Flats across from Lavomatic.

 

Any further info on this?

word is they have a "burger joint" tentatively in place for ground floor of the Duveneck Flats across from Lavomatic.

 

Any further info on this?

 

dunnow. Check with Kathleen Norris@Huff in the Q

I think some of the good people on UO forget that these businesses need to actually make money in order to survive. The ability to serve alcohol has a huge upside for a restaurant. The margins are higher and it increases the top line.

Also, lets all remember that it was the riots and the lack of police presence after the riots that ruined main street. Jefferson Hall, Japps, Jump, Courtyard Cafe and the rest didn't throw bricks through their own windows. All they did was bring people down there every weekend.

 

Having lived on Court Street from June 2001-June 2002, and Walnut between 12th and CP from June 2002-June 2003, I have to say that the Main Street bar district didn't seem to die because of the riots.  It was still going strong for two years afterward (I had to listen to the crap that played at Alchemize every night it was open).  I think that after some of those meat market chains like Bar Cincinnati and Have a Nice Day closed down, the Main Street "scene" shifted elsewhere, and the supporting bars like Japp's etc. started losing the secondary traffic from those places, and therefore they became less profitable.

As someone who ran one of those restaurant/bars from 2001 - 2003 I would say different. Our sales were down 30-40% immediately after the riots and never came back. Saturdays were still strong for a year or two but the weekdays were all but a waste.

The narrative is that the riots happened and the Main Street district disappeared. The truth is as grillage notes, about 2 year process of unwinding in the neighborhood. It is worth noting that the idea of Main as the hub for Cincy's dotcom industry as contributed to its slide when the bubble burst. It was really Cincy's very slow recovery from the '01 recession that eventually brought the neighborhood to a place where it could be reinvented for the fourth time in the last 30 years. Hopefully, this time for good.

^exactly.  I think the momentum is so strong that it would literally take a tornado to delay everything.  It also looks like the residents this time around won't be stupid enough to riot and trash their own neighborhood again;)

Does anyone know what they are currently doing along vine street, north of 12th, right now?  There are a lot of cones and trucks coming and going.  Are they starting the streetscape?

Hey folks, thought this was a perfect time to chime in.

 

Got this today about the streetscaping: 

Phase 1 is beginning today on the east side of Vine between 12th & 13th streets. We will also be starting up in the 1300 block on May 4th. Each of these blocks will take roughly 7-8 weeks. We’ll then move to Central & Vine starting in mid-June to do the west side of Vine between Central & 12th. The last section to be completed will be the west side of Vine between 12th & 13th which will begin in early July. Each section will take roughly 8 weeks.

 

 

Can someone refresh my memory?  What are the details of the streetscaping?

http://www.3cdc.org/uploaded/Microsoft_PowerPoint_-_OTR_Workgroup_-_Jan_20_2009.pdf

^I like the newspaper stands.

What newspapers do we have left to fill that? The Enquirer? Some smaller papers?

I think the streetscapes leave a lot to be desired, but are definitely a welcome addition to the Q

What newspapers do we have left to fill that? The Enquirer? Some smaller papers?

 

I have a feeling they'd end up filled with auto-trader and the likes. 

What newspapers do we have left to fill that? The Enquirer? Some smaller papers?

 

I have a feeling they'd end up filled with auto-trader and the likes. 

 

They could include:

 

Cincinnati Enquirer

USA Today

NY Times

Wall St Journal

I was looking at the map of properties owned/controlled by 3cdc and I was wondering what the next phases of development will be.  Is the goal to develop everything south of Liberty before concentrating on the blocks above Liberty?  I would imagine that it would take at least 5-7 years to make fix up everything south of Liberty.

Well if you drive down Vine, there are new 3CDC signs up along the western half of Vine, from 14th to 15th...almost the entire block.  So expect new things there.  Also, by looking at the map you are discussing, I would assume future efforts will continue around Race, as they own a lot of properties around there that, as of now, has yet to be apart of any phase. 

I would imagine they are waiting until the park stabilizes and the school completes to maximize and returns along race st...

The newspaper boxes should be removed all over downtown. I HATE THE CRAP AS IT IS NOW.  Yes, I realize there was a lawsuit about removing them but I am not saying that, just replace with the combination units shown.

 

Perhaps quasi related - the MLS shows that TONS of buildings along Race and Elm just went "sale pending" at about the same time.

 

Might be 3CDC or another large investor waiting to capitalize on the streetcar and/or the quarter's success.

it's too bad that the traffic lights are by span wire and not a horizontal pole.  the less amount of overhead wires the better

I think that it was a wise, cost-effective move to install wire-spans, in my opinion. The wire-spanning method that Cincinnati (and most of Ohio) involves tightly bounding wires together to feed the traffic signals. Beats the loose-bound method that Kentucky employees that looks like a rat's nest after a few years.

 

Mast-arm installations are expensive and can be more unsightly in certain instances. I've seen some great examples of mast-arms, such as in Montgomery, Ashland (Ky) and Louisville (Ky), but I've seen some bad examples, such as Blue Ash and Portsmouth.