October 25, 201014 yr ^ Downtown was very crowded on Saturday night as well. I know, nothing new. But I was amazed that most of the bigger bars had significant lines out the door. Even bars with incredibly stupid names like "Bartini" were able to overcome that disadvantage and pack them in.
October 28, 201014 yr While I'm usually annoyed by the Cincy Enquirer (to the point of a mad rage really) this is a decent article that gives those of us who fear and entirely 3CDC owned OTR hope. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101028/COL04/10290322/Firm-revives-OTR-buildings
October 29, 201014 yr I noticed some construction work being done to the building on the SW corner of 13th and Walnut and did some digging. It was transferred to OTR Holdings earlier this month (3CDCs land bank) and a project sign points to www.urbaninnovation.net, which based on the contact info is Bill Baum's development company. This and Mercer should really give Walnut a boost. Anyone know anything more?
October 29, 201014 yr They are doing a gut-rehab of a property along 12th between Walnut and Clay as well. Good vibes finally on Walnut.
October 29, 201014 yr I noticed some construction work being done to the building on the SW corner of 13th and Walnut and did some digging. It was transferred to OTR Holdings earlier this month (3CDCs land bank) and a project sign points to www.urbaninnovation.net, which based on the contact info is Bill Baum's development company.This and Mercer should really give Walnut a boost. Anyone know anything more? Great News! That's the building with the German writing on it right? Been vacant for decades.
October 29, 201014 yr This building: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=13th+and+walnut,+cincinnati,+oh&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=43.172547,93.076172&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Walnut+St+%26+E+13th+St,+Cincinnati,+Hamilton,+Ohio+45202&ll=39.109682,-84.513445&spn=0.001297,0.00284&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.109763,-84.513465&panoid=l5w777z6yqXBM3RAVS9YMQ&cbp=12,220.14,,0,-9.79
October 29, 201014 yr Does anyone know if 3CDC is planning to keep/fix up the Cincinnati Color Company sign when they do rehab that building (they own it).
October 29, 201014 yr I asked one of the workers more than 6 months ago and he said they're taking it down. That might be false information though. BTW the company is now located over by Union Terminal and has a similar but not quite as cool sign.
October 29, 201014 yr I asked one of the workers more than 6 months ago and he said they're taking it down. That might be false information though. BTW the company is now located over by Union Terminal and has a similar but not quite as cool sign. I can see why they might take it down, it's not actually original to the building. Maybe the American Sign Museum up in Walnut Hills can snatch it up?
October 29, 201014 yr Certainly not original, but it's the kind of distinctive element that does have worth. OTR doesn't need to have every building completely stripped of anything that's not from the 19th century.
October 29, 201014 yr ^ It is about 1000 times better than the new signs everything in the Gateway Quarter so far has had to put up. They're tiny and all the same. Look at any historic photo of OTR, the scale and variety of the signs are half of what makes the place look so vibrant.
October 29, 201014 yr I hope they keep it, original or not. That is one sweet-azz sign. It helps chronicle the history of the building.
October 29, 201014 yr I have always enjoyed this sign and would as a potential buyer pay less for an apartment/condo in the building if it was taken down. IMO its distinctiveness makes the site more desirable, who doesn't want to be able to tell people where they live based on a reference to the sign or to the building as the old cincy color co building
October 29, 201014 yr In the October OTR Workgroup PDF they specifically call the development on that corner the "Color Building." It would be a shame to call the development that and then remove the sign. http://www.3cdc.org/images/editor/OTR%20Workgroup%20-%20October%2019%202010.pdf
November 2, 201014 yr Hi JSkinner, sorry for the random post here, but I am trying to track down images of the St Pauls church at the SW corner of 15th and Race. I saw on some previous posts on urban ohio that you had some photos... i'm looking for pictures both before the 1920 storm and before the more recent storms/fires that have gutted the top of the bell tower. anything you could send along would help out. thanks! luke [email protected]
November 4, 201014 yr Good to hear someone is working on something for this place (putting this altogether...) I remember 3CDC was asking for ideas earlier this year. Can you give us a teaser?
November 5, 201014 yr Does anyone know if 3CDC is planning to keep/fix up the Cincinnati Color Company sign when they do rehab that building (they own it). Model Group was supposedly keeping it.
November 5, 201014 yr Here is some info on St Paulus, including one postcard showing the original tower. I got that from a church member of St Peter and Paul Church on Ferguson Road. That is where the congregation moved in 1950: http://www.citykin.com/2008/05/st-paulus-kirche.html http://www.citykin.com/2008/05/st-paulus-tower.html I was in the building a lot in the 1990's. In the late 80s and early 90s a pharmacy was still operating on the corner. By the mid 90s there was still a preacher operating a church out of the space and he was paying rent to the City of Cincinnati. I actually did some cad drawings of the church back then as we did some repair work to save the roof from immediate collapse.
November 5, 201014 yr Does anybody know what is going on at the corner of 15th and Race? They have dumped truck loads of gravel and are grading it out. They also have a track hoe on site. I'm guessing they are starting on City Home II?
November 5, 201014 yr Does anybody know what is going on at the corner of 15th and Race? They have dumped truck loads of gravel and are grading it out. They also have a track hoe on site. Ya I saw all that going on- 3CDC is getting ready to start more new buildings for City Home and I believe they are using that site as a staging area. The lower block of 5 buildings were all newly constructed (the additional two above were rehabbed) and additional CityHome townhouses will be filling the empty red squares I placed. It's actually a neat little neighborhood and I suggest everyone walk up Pleasant and see how nice it will be when it's built out. I'm pretty sure that's what all that mess is about.
November 5, 201014 yr ^the structure in the bottom center (just right of the white box i put) is also a CityHome townhouse.
November 7, 201014 yr They are doing a gut-rehab of a property along 12th between Walnut and Clay as well. Good vibes finally on Walnut. Which building are you talking about? By "they" do you mean 3CDC or Urban Innovation? ### City Home could be a nice little neighborhood. How much does 3CDC own on Elm? Are there big holdouts like REstoc around there still?
November 7, 201014 yr A number of properties up Elm towards Liberty have been purchased by Rev Lynch III's church (New Prospect Baptist). In talks from two years ago they plan on rehabbing many of them to rent as apts, or for use as offices. IMO having New Prospect invest in the neighborhood would be refreshing considering that 3cdc cant and shouldnt be everywhere at once.
November 7, 201014 yr ^ New Prospect has owned a bunch of property up there for decades, and haven't done a whole lot with them. I wouldn't hold my breath.
November 7, 201014 yr They're trying to raise money to move the church to the former Jewish Community Center site in Roselawn. I doubt they are about to invest in rehabbing property, who knows, they might even trying selling the buildings to raise money for their new facility.
November 7, 201014 yr Like seangray says, New Prospect is planning on moving out of OTR... It looks to me that 3CDC is building a PARKING LOT in the area outlined in yellow above, and that does worry me..!!!
November 7, 201014 yr I'm guessing it's parking and a staging area for the Washington Park work and temp parking for saengerhalle until the garage is done. They will be bringing in a lot of workers and equipment that need need parking. I was by there yesterday and it looks like it is just going to be a gravel lot.
November 8, 201014 yr ^ agreed. It actually wouldn't make sense for that to be a public parking lot- I'm sure it's simply for construction.
November 8, 201014 yr ^ well, either way, they aren't putting a parking lot there so it's a moot point. It's a construction staging site.
November 12, 201014 yr I think this is awesome... Picture from OTR Wikipedia page: Recent picture from citykin.com blog
November 12, 201014 yr The little gem on the far left is proof positive that no building should be overlooked. Amazing transformation.
November 12, 201014 yr Stupid 3CDC... "fixing" our neighborhoods... *sarcasm* That looks wonderful. Google Streetview offers a lot of the same scenes (although they've updated some sections of OTR). I went into the leasing office and got a tour of the Parvis Lofts yesterday- Nice for basic apartments, but very simple compared to a lot of the development in OTR. I have friends in some other buildings and they look gorgeous inside... Parvis looks much more basic (which is fine since they are apartments and not condos). I love that every apartment gets its own washer dryer and wifi is included in your rent.
November 12, 201014 yr Stupid 3CDC... "fixing" our neighborhoods... *sarcasm* Where will all the residents who were displaced go???? there were so many people living in that boarded up vacant building..... (more sarcasm) Did they say how much rent was for Parvis? It's all posted on gatewayquarter.com
November 12, 201014 yr Holy crap, there are actually affordable 1-br apartments at Parvis! I could walk to work! Why is my lease not up at my current place until September :(
November 12, 201014 yr I looked at several of the apartments- Initial impressions: 4 West 14th Street: - the studio: not feeling it- came across as very small, I accidently asked her where the bedroom was because it seemed way to small to have been a studio. 1407 Vine: - The small 1 bed rooms (~630 sq feet), much better. (same square footage as the studio but they felt soo much bigger). - The 2 bed rooms had very very tiny bed rooms but a nice living/dining and kitchen area. - The large 1 bedroom with "den" were great! could be good for a young couple or a single with a decent income/works at home. The large 1 bed rooms have porches and a nice sized living room over looking vine. They are also the only ones that have decent closet space. Those are $1025 and $1075 (3rd floor is more expensive). All parvis apartments have to pay an extra $20 a month for a parking space. But again, they are all very basic. The fire place mantels look kinda cheap, everything just seems very low budget (great for me! but atypical to a lot of the development in that neighborhood)
November 12, 201014 yr >The little gem on the far left is proof positive that no building should be overlooked. Amazing transformation. Three years ago when that thing was for sale I tried to convince my dad to buy it and sit on it. I'm sure he could have made $10-20k on that.
November 13, 201014 yr Holy crap, there are actually affordable 1-br apartments at Parvis! I could walk to work! Why is my lease not up at my current place until September :( How much is it to break your lease? 10 months of gas and wear & tear might be worth taking the hit.
December 14, 201014 yr ^ Not sure, but the interiors were fairly basic and matched the affordability of the apartments. Bamboo floors, similar grey paint schemes. Accent paint in the ktichen of either a neon blue or yellow. Good appliances!!! (best asset) all have a washer dryer- I'd say these really offer a new level in the gateway quarter. They are MUCH less fancy (at least the two buildings that they were letting people tour as of early november) than most Gateway Quarter developments. More streamlined, less little details. No exposed brick walls, window frames all painted white, no usable or exposed brick fireplaces. They bring a nice, but affordable level into a neighborhood currently mixed with section 8 and ~$200,000 condos. I'm all for mixed income neighborhoods, so I think once parvis fills with 32 apartments- a gap in the neighborhood will be filled.
December 14, 201014 yr Earlier in this thread we had a discussion about a massive parkinglot being paved at race and 14th - That didn't end up happening, BUT a massive parkinglot filled the large area between Republic and vine just south of 14th. It's VERY strange looking. Asphalt going right up to all the buildings. Kind of hideous actually.. I'm guessing it will be partially used for residents and partially for people shopping at the new storefronts under parvis... but I do hope that they make the lot look closer to the vine and 12th lot-- planters, trees, open walkways... Currently the asphalt goes right up to the backs of the unsuable, half demolished Smitty's buildings.. it looks bizarre. Take a look if you can and help me figure out what they were thinking! (Additionally, the 14 and vine corner gated lot (small, maybe 15 cars max) is for Parvis tenants).
December 14, 201014 yr <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-LvpBoDIt4Q/TQWSx8B2uII/AAAAAAAAJD0/DjRKXO78gsg/s1600/023%2B%25282%2529.JPG">Here is a photo</a> of the parking you are describing.
December 14, 201014 yr Yup-- The buildings on the top right are the backs of the old Smitty's buildings. They are each only about 10-30 feet deep. VERY shallow due to the fire and the back half of the buildings being chopped off. (a strange sight to see!). I figured they were keeping the front and would do a modern addition to the back of the buildings (to make them usable again) but they just put parking spaces right up to them (even though the brick is falling off the back of one of the buildings) In person the whole thing looks very strange and shoddy.
December 14, 201014 yr IIRC, temporary parking for Parvis until the garage is complete? Looks like they added steel I-beams to the back of Smitty's, and closed it off.
December 15, 201014 yr ^ There isn't a Parvis garage in the works. There will be a garage at Mercer Commons (in a couple years) but not Parvis. Currently parvis residents can rent a space for an additional $20.
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