September 30, 200618 yr Groundbreaking For New OTR Townhouses RELATED PICTURES Click for larger images. Groundbreaking in OTR (WCPO/WCPO.com) Architect's design for OTR (WCPO/WCPO.com) Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Neil Relyea Photographed by: 9News First posted: 9/29/2006 11:37:02 AM With colorful shovels, Cincinnati vice mayor Jim Tarbell help break ground on the first single-family housing development in Over-the-Rhine in more than 100 years. The "Galleries of Pendleton" are located at the corner of Pendleton and Dandridge. The townhouses start at a little more than $160,000 and feature 10-foot high ceilings, spiral staircases and granite counter tops.
September 30, 200618 yr Here is the photo from the story above... That's frickin sweet dude. I just wish that since they're in OTR that they were designed to be atleast one floor taller but hey, it's good investment in a repressed area so you can't complain too much.
October 2, 200618 yr I find this more depressing: ". . . first single-family housing development in Over-the-Rhine in more than 100 years."
October 2, 200618 yr <i>Anyone want to speculate as to where a million dollar condo is in OTR?</i> <b>Our Opinion</b> <b>Grocery could feed downtown growth</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - September 29, 2006 We hear, but haven't confirmed, that someone paid $1 million for a condo in Over-the-Rhine. That, along with last Sunday's successful "Downtown Tour of Living" and the general upbeat tone of residential developers -- despite the local and national housing economy slowdown -- provide solid evidence that downtown living is no longer the experiment it once was. By the end of this decade, some say downtown will boast 12,000 residents. . . . . . the rest for paid subscribers only, damnit. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/02/editorial1.html
October 2, 200618 yr <i>Anyone want to speculate as to where a million dollar condo is in OTR?</i> Perhaps a penthouse in the American Building?
October 2, 200618 yr It's trash. But atleast it's not THE NIKE SWOOSH!!! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 2, 200618 yr ". . . first single-family housing development in Over-the-Rhine in more than 100 years." Is Conroy St. not considered OTR?
October 2, 200618 yr ". . . first single-family housing development in Over-the-Rhine in more than 100 years." Is Conroy St. not considered OTR?
October 2, 200618 yr ^I thought you went MIA. The "over 100 years" quote from WCPO did seem like a reach. If anyone would know it would be you. Any interesting updates?
October 2, 200618 yr Technically, Conroy is Fairview. But the Klotter-Conroy folks like to refer to themselves as OTR.
October 4, 200618 yr I like how they put the skyline in the background and have a Big Ass SUV out front. Lol Too much glass! OTR and glass don't mix.
October 4, 200618 yr I think the garage doors are just gates, not glass. Hard to tell from the renderings.
October 4, 200618 yr Any interesting updates? Glad you asked....No. Actually I do, Jefferson Hall may be reopening soon as a Salsa bar and this deal may turn into a larger deal on Main including 4 other bars. (take that Nick Spencer). And let me float an idea out here...what do you think of Bogarts on Main? Just an idea, but they are looking to expand their current location and if we could convince them to go to the old Sycamore Gardens location, just outside Vynl, Neon's, and a possible new bar along with ample parking just across the street, it would make much more sence. Vernon Rader is back to work again on his buildings at the top of Liberty and Main. I am trying to get a time line but Vernon is weary of giving one with the past troubles with the City. Sorry I have been so quiet about these things so far but I wanted to make sure that they were far enough along to take public.
October 4, 200618 yr I can't believe you guys don't like these. I know a lot of people don't like when the architecure deviates a lot from the style of the rest of the neighborhood but I love diversity in architecture and if it's replacing something with serious expensive structural problems then I don't see much harm in it.
October 4, 200618 yr Author Glad you asked....No. Actually I do, Jefferson Hall may be reopening soon as a Salsa bar and this deal may turn into a larger deal on Main including 4 other bars. (take that Nick Spencer). And let me float an idea out here...what do you think of Bogarts on Main? Just an idea, but they are looking to expand their current location and if we could convince them to go to the old Sycamore Gardens location, just outside Vynl, Neon's, and a possible new bar along with ample parking just across the street, it would make much more sence. That would be frickin fantastic!
October 5, 200618 yr I can't believe you guys don't like these. I know a lot of people don't like when the architecure deviates a lot from the style of the rest of the neighborhood but I love diversity in architecture and if it's replacing something with serious expensive structural problems then I don't see much harm in it. It's replacing vacant lots, which is even better! This article appeared in the 9/27/06 CityBeat: PHOTO: Kathy Brookshire (left) and Angie Ratliff of the Cincinnati Development Fund look at a model made by UC in the mid-1980s for Vine Street redevelopment. Photo By Matt Borgerding PHOTO: The interior beauty of Memorial Hall, which hosted the Over-the-Rhine Summit, epitomizes the area's reputation as an architectural treasure trove. Photo By Matt Borgerding The Art of OTR Possibility New city manager points to Over-the-Rhine's promise By Margo Pierce Enthusiastic applause followed City Manager Milton R. Dohoney Jr.'s remarks Sept. 21 at Memorial Hall after his remarks at the Over-the-Rhine Summit hosted by the University of Cincinnati. In one of his first public appearances since taking office, Dohoney impressed participants with his focus on what he called the "art of possibility" for Over-the-Rhine. "When you look at a vacant lot, what do you see? What can you imagine?" Dohoney said. "When you look at a child who maybe has dirt on her clothes, maybe their hair is unkempt, what are you looking at? Are you looking at an individual society might say will never make it, or are you looking at someone who in the future will be an astronaut? http://www.citybeat.com/2006-09-27/news2.shtml
October 5, 200618 yr I can't believe you guys don't like these. I know a lot of people don't like when the architecure deviates a lot from the style of the rest of the neighborhood but I love diversity in architecture and if it's replacing something with serious expensive structural problems then I don't see much harm in it. I think they'd be ugly anywhere, those entablatures (if you can call them that) are just terrible. But, yeah, filling vacant lots with housing that should contribute quality residents to OTR is always a plus, especially when they almost fit, as in this case. What are those goofy bump-outs on the front? Storage for your grill? Come on! And the balconies are little slivers with metal railing. The cornice is a flat board with attic vents in it. Not to mention the sliding glass patio doors! The only part of the design they got right was the individual buildings stepping with the slope of the street, and the windows about the right size. I just can't get over those banal, spare balconies. Needs a thorough re-design. It appears the goals in the design were: private garage, single family home, 3 stories or less (to avoid sprinklers), wood frame (cheapest), some gesture that this is OTR (tripartate elevation). I would redesign it with a more emphasised front stoop and grand door, recessed balcony on the third floor, and maybe give them sloped roofs with a dormer that allow a 4th floor loft above the third floor.
October 5, 200618 yr I am convinced people like to complain for the sake of complaining. The buildings are fine, IMO, and given the fact that nothing is there now, this is tremendous news.
October 5, 200618 yr "Too much glass! OTR and glass don't mix." Wrong. There isnt any more glass in these than any other building in over the rhine. And to say that OTR and glass dont mix is crazy too. I think the are just ugly plain and simple. I am 100% for architectural diversity in OTR but the design has to be quality...this is not quality. Those cantilever portions look ridiculous. Almost as if they glued a port-a-let on the front of these things simply to gain access to the balcony. Somebody actually looked at that and thought it was "cool".... ha!
October 16, 200618 yr Author Pendleton project takes Zakem further into urban building Builder begins first of 17 townhomes in Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati Business Courier - October 13, 2006by Dan MonkSenior Staff Reporter Mark Bowen | Courier Gary Zakem’s Gary Mark Custom Homes has built in suburban areas like Blue Ash, Forest Park and Symmes Township, but is moving back to urban neighborhood projects. View Larger Gary Zakem took the long road from Clifton Heights to Pendleton. Now that he's finally arrived, he figures he'll lay down roots. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/16/focus9.html?b=1160971200^1359671
October 19, 200618 yr Author 3CDC plans meetings THE ENQUIRER OVER-THE-RHINE - Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., the nonprofit agency that has bought scores of buildings for rehabilitation in Over-the-Rhine, has scheduled three public meetings to discuss the future of the neighborhood. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061019/NEWS01/610190391/1056/COL02
October 20, 200618 yr Author Residents of OTR offer ideas to 3CDC By Joe Wessels Post contributor Big change in Over-the-Rhine starts with small groups. That was the message brought to about 100 supporters and residents of Cincinnati's troubled neighborhood, as they gathered to begin a conversation with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, or 3CDC, about what they would like to see changed or improved there. It was the first of three "rap" sessions planned by the group to get feedback and learn new ideas on how to tackle revitalizing the neighborhood. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS01/610200380
October 23, 200618 yr Author Sharing the vision for Over-the-Rhine 3CDC official hopes to win over skeptics Cincinnati Business Courier - October 20, 2006by Lucy MaySenior Staff Reporter Mark Bowen | Courier Darrick Dansby is meeting with Over-the-Rhine residents and hopes they will share 3CDC’s enthusiasm for development plans. View Larger For the past three years, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. has been buying property in Over-the-Rhine, gaining control in an effort to help transform the beautiful, troubled neighborhood. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/23/story2.html?b=1161576000^1363699
October 30, 200618 yr Author First I have ever heard of this project.... Trouble brews Former Moerlein bottling plant set for condos, but city money troubles could create setback Cincinnati Business Courier - October 27, 2006by Lucy MaySenior Staff Reporter The largest single-site condominium development ever proposed for Over-the-Rhine could be delayed by the city of Cincinnati's financial woes. Moerlein Gardens, a 100-unit development planned for the old Christian Moerlein bottling plant near Findlay Market, was counting on a grant of roughly $4 million from the city to help finance the $25 million project. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/30/story1.html?b=1162184400^1367189
October 30, 200618 yr I hope they'll go in phases rather than change their plans for the site. This would be an incredible addition to my neighborhood. It's such a big building a project that I can't really even imagine what it would be like if it happened. One good sign in that article is that they've stopped calling it the KD Lamp building and are now associating with Moerlein and the nascent Brewery District.
October 31, 200618 yr ^^I've heard of it before, but not a whole lot :| Hopefully someone figures something (sorry for being vague) out and help get OTR over the hump so to speak!
October 31, 200618 yr I believe this project is a pretty big chuck of the Brewery District plans. Here's an old thread that discuss some other ideas. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5707.0
November 25, 200618 yr Cincinnati, Life Breathes Anew in Riot-Scarred Area By CHRISTOPHER MAAG The New York Times Published: November 25, 2006 CINCINNATI — A few years ago, Jim Moll, a real estate agent, turned to his friend Bill Baum, a developer, and asked whether anyone would ever sell condominiums on Vine Street, the epicenter of race riots here in 2001. “Not in our lifetimes,” Mr. Moll recalls Mr. Baum replying. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/25/us/25cincy.html?em&ex=1164603600&en=dfab95c25ea61a91&ei=5087%0A
November 25, 200618 yr But early in the morning of April 7, 2001, Stephen Roach, a white police officer, shot and killed Timothy Thomas, an unarmed African-American, after a foot chase. A protest march two days later devolved into riots. Many Over-the-Rhine businesses were looted. Man, do I hate three-sentence summaries of the riots...
November 25, 200618 yr The pre-riot renaissance of OTR is much ballyhooed, but as far as physical, residential renovation and restoration, much more has been done since 2001.
November 25, 200618 yr That's a pretty good article from the Times. Here are the photos from the story:
November 25, 200618 yr <i>"Thousands of renters receiving federal rent subsidies left the neighborhood."</i> - Wow, that's an eye opener . I've always heard that when given a chance, low income people would bail on OTR. And yet the agencies stay. <i>"The neighborhood’s rapid growth makes some people worry that low-income families will be pushed out."</i> - This is an automatic response by some people. Are these same people oblivious to the fact that thousands left OTR by choice? <i>"This time, the biggest threat to revitalization . . . from Over-the-Rhine’s buildings themselves. Many sat vacant for so long that they are on the verge of collapse . . ."</i> - Of course this is the most ironic part of all. The "I-Team" will have an update on their Vine Street story from a few years ago. There also is a link about their "Vision of Vine" story. http://wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/iteam/visionsofvine/. The link also contains previous stories they did about OTR. There were a few I wasn't aware of. Is Verdin Bell still in Pendleton? They threaten to leave in 2002. I'm convinced that only large scale development like what 3CDC has planned can save OTR. <b>Visions Of Vine Street Sequel Documentary To Air This December</b> The I-Team's Laure Quinlivan investigates what's changed on Vine and Main streets since the 2001 riots rocked the heart of our city. This special newscast segment airs on 9News Sunday, November 26 @ 11 p.m. and Monday, November 27 @ 6 p.m. Also, join WCPO for a special I-Team documentary, a half-hour sequel to the 2001 documentary, Tuesday, December 5, from 9:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
November 25, 200618 yr >few are significant individually. My older relatives to this day insist that the city should tear down all of Over-the-Rhine except Music Hall and the churches. I think their attitude is indicative of the way a lot of people still think, especially people who are retired and have savings that could go into refurbishing buildings. OTR was *always* a place in their lifetimes that people strove to move up and a out of, it's absolutely incomprehensible to them that people would not only want to to live there, but would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so. I think as well those of us born after the steam era can't remember how hellaciously loud and smoky the downtown area must have been, with steam engines and whistles on the CL&N tracks, aside from all the other street clatter. And the steam engines would have been firing up in the middle of the night, too. >But together they create a historic district with a scale and grace reminiscent of Greenwich Village in New York. I made the mistake when I first left for college of casually mentioning something along these lines two or three times, but I quickly learned it wasn't worth trying to prove this point. Even in Cincinnati, the majority of people don't think this way about Over-the-Rhine and won't open up to the neighborhood until major media outlets start running cheesy bits about it and until it looks like a tourist trap.
November 26, 200618 yr ^People share a limited perspective on what makes a city great or even good; the "grass is greener on the other side" mentality can be broken with press like this. Was this article also shared in the Enquirer?
November 26, 200618 yr The pre-riot renaissance of OTR is much ballyhooed, but as far as physical, residential renovation and restoration, much more has been done since 2001. I agree. There seems to be so much happening and from so many quarters (at least comparative to what was done pre-riot) I think the riots had the unexpected benefit of pushing out those who may have had no real love of otr, who perhaps were not really committed to the long term health of the area-they simply were riding the crest of the development wave. Anyway it appears that those who are there now are the real deal.The truly ardent supporters who are walking the walk. There seems to be a real difference to the quiet renaisance taking place this time. The national media has begun to take note....how great is that? Regardless of that, the opportunity to preserve for future generations this priceless collection of 19th century urban fabric is within our grasp and building momentum. These really are exciting times. :clap: p.s. cant wait to hear what Laurie Quinliven and the I-TEAM have to say
November 26, 200618 yr But unlike the last boom, where small developers rehabilitated buildings one at a time, Over-the-Rhine’s current wave of gentrification is driven by Cincinnati’s corporate and philanthropic elite, whose strategy is to buy entire blocks. The largest player is the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, known locally as 3CDC, which was created in 2003 with $80 million raised by the city’s corporate leaders. In the last 18 months, 3CDC invested $27 million in Over-the-Rhine, buying 100 buildings and 100 vacant lots, said the organization’s president, Stephen Leeper. It completed 28 new condominiums on Vine last year and is building 68 more. This sounds pretty good as it demonstrates the movers and shakers in Cincy are supporting preserving the neighborhood with their money. This: "...whose strategy is to buy entire blocks." ...sounds a lot like was originally proposed for the Oregon district in Dayton in the 1960s, where the approach was to rehabilitate the neighborhood as one package rather than an individual house by house approach that was eventually used. Their exodus left 500 of the neighborhood’s 1,200 buildings vacant, according to the Trust for Historic Preservation. Thats over 40% of the buildings in OTR. The place doesn't seem that vacant driving through. .
December 6, 200618 yr WCPO's 30-minute New Visions of Vine Street documentary aired last night. Overall, it was better than I expected from a local news station, though it was still peppered with bits of sensationalist narration. But the biggest thing I noticed -- or didn't notice -- was that there wasn't a single reference to the 2001 riots. The most encouraging thing were the parents of art academy students who moved in at 12th and Vine (though of course they were from out of town). The most depressing part was watching city leaders get duped by La Shawn Pettus-Brown.
December 6, 200618 yr You can watch the entire documentary from this link: http://wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/iteam/visionsofvine/
December 21, 200618 yr Author Bringing back history The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. is working on the first phase of its project to rejuvenate Over-the-Rhine. The project, known as Gateway II, calls for 48 market-rate condos and 12 rental units in half a dozen buildings at or near Vine and 12th streets (a block from the recently opened Gateway development). The condos will range in price from about $86,000 (studios) to $268,000 (three-story townhomes). In addition, 130,000 square feet of retail space will be opened in renovated buildings within the next couple of years. The buildings under renovation are scheduled to be available for occupancy starting in the spring. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061221/BIZ01/612210321/1076/BIZ
December 21, 200618 yr Good to get an update....these projects are continuing to move along, a big difference will be noticeable not too long from now!!!
December 21, 200618 yr The Kroger parking garage is ugly? OK, so they are challenging your concept of what a parking garage should look like. Its better looking than most I've seen. Maybe its not sensitive to the neighborhood but thats a whole different story. I thought Gateway and the garage were awesome additions to the corner, they could have just thrown up a concrete slab garage and then were would we be.
December 21, 200618 yr I like modern architecture as much as the next person, but that building was designed by a firm in Miami Fla, and looks like it belongs there. Stucco and exposed wall slate do not fare well in this climate, as demonstrated by missing pieces, and the shifted planes in the elevation are boring IMHO. The first floor "work/live" spaces are a bad idea right on Vine Street. I think the lack of condo sales in that building speaks volumes as to how well the design works. They did some things right, like building up to the street on all sides, independent balconies, and making it 4 stories tall; and the garage portion is fine for a garage. By the way, I keep hearing about 3CDC buying even more properties in this area, so they really are committed to a big change here.
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