January 13, 201510 yr Downtown Cincinnati’s blockbuster holiday season by the numbers Jan 13, 2015, 7:30am EST Erin Caproni Digital Producer- Cincinnati Business Courier Tens of thousands of visitors made their way to downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine to celebrate the holidays in 2014. Nice weather, new and returning attractions, unique shopping opportunities, and new restaurants contributed to one of the strongest holiday seasons for the urban core in recent history. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2015/01/downtown-cincinnati-s-blockbuster-holiday-season.html
February 17, 201510 yr 312 Elm, Plum buildings sold Bowdeya Tweh February 17, 2015 A joint venture of Rubenstein Partners LP, SCP Elm Plum LLC and Parkway Corp. bought the buildings at 312 Elm St. and 312 Plum St. for an undisclosed sum, the companies said Tuesday. The owners plan to renovate the buildings, including the lobbies, streetscapes and other common area spaces. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/02/17/elm-plum-sold/23553809/
February 20, 201510 yr Investor interest in downtown office is really picking up! EXCLUSIVE: Local investors buy historic downtown office building for $3 million Feb 20, 2015, 11:22am EST Tom Demeropolis Senior Staff Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier Ashley Commercial Group purchased a historic downtown office building for $3 million. An affiliate of the Edgewood-based real estate company purchased the Hooper Building, located at 151 W. Fourth St., on Feb. 18 from Schumacher Dugan Construction Inc. Bill Kreutzjans Jr., partner with Ashley Commercial Group, said there are no plans to make major changes to the more than 100,000-square-foot building. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/02/20/exclusive-local-investors-buy-historic-downtown.html
February 24, 201510 yr No clue where to post this article from the Inimitable Casey Coston http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/022415-cincinnati-west-of-alleghenies.aspx?utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Soapdish%3a+Cincinnati+will+always+be+Queen+City+of+the+West&utm_content=%7bEmail_Address%7d&utm_campaign=Answering+the+call+for+social+entrepreneurs
February 24, 201510 yr After a Crisis Forces Introspection, Cincinnati’s Downtown Finds a Path Forward CINCINNATI — A rapidly growing sector for consumer research, coupled with a boom in construction and redevelopment, is renewing interest in Cincinnati's downtown. One measure of the city's new relevance is the $85 million Global Operations Center for General Electric, with construction to be finished next year, in the Banks, an 18-acre Ohio riverfront development between the city’s baseball and football stadiums. The 12-story office building and the district will be served by a station stop on the 3.6-mile, $148 million Cincinnati streetcar line that is also expected to open next year. G.E.’s operations center, one of five the company is developing worldwide, contains first-floor retailing, parking on the second floor and 10 stories of conference and office space, and can house up to 2,000 workers, 1,400 of them new to Cincinnati. The installation serves big development and manufacturing centers that G.E. operates in the United States, including lighting and aviation manufacturing sites in two Ohio cities. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 25, 201510 yr A good article and publicity overall, but I continue to call bullshit on a few things... "Cincinnati’s recovery follows three nights of riots in 2001, and a plunge in the number of residents and businesses, after the death of an unarmed black man shot by police. " Show me one ounce of data where residents left, a few businesses maybe used this as a convenient excuse as to why they were closing up shop. I continue to maintain my stance that the riots were the most overblown, media driven hype in recent history. A black eye for the city, certainly. But every article written about it makes it sound like the LA riots, which were full blown, city-crippling instances. The ones here pale in a big way in scale, substance, property damage, etc. "In 2005, Fountain Square, Cincinnati’s deteriorated cultural and economic center, was rebuilt, prompting new office and retail development nearby. " A little worn, yes, but deteriorated? Whatever.
February 25, 201510 yr A good article and publicity overall, but I continue to call bullshit on a few things... "Cincinnati’s recovery follows three nights of riots in 2001, and a plunge in the number of residents and businesses, after the death of an unarmed black man shot by police. " Show me one ounce of data where residents left, a few businesses maybe used this as a convenient excuse as to why they were closing up shop. I continue to maintain my stance that the riots were the most overblown, media driven hype in recent history. A black eye for the city, certainly. But every article written about it makes it sound like the LA riots, which were full blown, city-crippling instances. The ones here pale in a big way in scale, substance, property damage, etc. "In 2005, Fountain Square, Cincinnati’s deteriorated cultural and economic center, was rebuilt, prompting new office and retail development nearby. " A little worn, yes, but deteriorated? Whatever. Damage from the 1992 LA riots measured in the billions and 54 people were killed. Damage in Cincinnati ranged somewhere between $3 and $5 million with nobody killed or seriously hurt.
February 25, 201510 yr I'm so sick of the overblown accounts about the 2001 riots. The effect of those couple of days gets exaggerated more and more over time. Maybe Jake's correct but I seem to recall property damages were about $250,000. Perhaps a larger figure takes into consideration estimates of lost business revenue, looting or something. Still, 3-5 million dollars seems high. And I agree with The_Cincinnati_Kid that Fountain Square could hardly be characterized as deteriorated. I wonder who told the Times that falsehood? Probably someone from 3CDC if I had to bet. At any rate downtown did decline -- long before 2001. Retailing was changing all over the country and we weren't exempt. The demise of the downtown shopping hub model was helped along here in part due to Kenwood Towne Center and then Rookwood Commons. I-471 enabled the rapid residential growth of Anderson Township, which didn't help matters here in the city. Suburban sprawl to Mason and Westchester would've happened anyway, riots or no riots. Cincinnati Public Schools and high tuition for private schools in the city probably had more to do with white flight than anything else. The NYT article was okay. It's good to get some national attention. However, marketing-related businesses being located here is hardly news, they've been a presence as long as I can remember. The boom in downtown residential is definitely newsworthy but the ugly photo accompanying the article didn't come close to showing our city at its best. It seemed that the writer strained to make the story fit the narrative that incidences of cops killing young black men ruin cities.
February 25, 201510 yr I looked back at the article where I got that figure and much of that expense was police overtime and the wages of other service personnel. I was not living here when it happened but I am still struck by how people's first-hand accounts vary so wildly. I have a friend who worked for the Cincinnati Opera at the time and had no idea the riots were happening until he came home and saw footage on the news. It had been a completely ordinary day at Music Hall, which is a block from District 1.
February 25, 201510 yr I too hope for the demise of the riots meme in the next round of these national news articles. Please focus on brewing heritage, once being the 5th biggest city in the US which gives us a great urban core, etc. www.cincinnatiideas.com
February 25, 201510 yr Yes I am sure as time passes this will fade further and further away. It was still a nice article that highlights Cincinnati downtown momentum and growth. Good to get this in the New York Times which is a highly regarded rag, for the most part!
February 25, 201510 yr ...The boom in downtown residential is definitely newsworthy but the ugly photo accompanying the article didn't come close to showing our city at its best... I totally agree. That photo was awful. There are so many better angles that would show both the site of GE's new building and the rest of downtown.
February 26, 201510 yr I looked back at the article where I got that figure and much of that expense was police overtime and the wages of other service personnel. I was not living here when it happened but I am still struck by how people's first-hand accounts vary so wildly. I have a friend who worked for the Cincinnati Opera at the time and had no idea the riots were happening until he came home and saw footage on the news. It had been a completely ordinary day at Music Hall, which is a block from District 1. I can appreciate your friend's experience. The local news media hyped the riots so much it was effing ridiculous. I've said this before on UO but to repeat myself, I kept seeing the same burning garbage can over and over on each WLWT news report I saw about the riots. It was a close-up shot and made it seem like a MAJOR conflagration had burned down OTR. No doubt it succeeded in frightening people who wouldn't know any better and probably did more to hurt downtown than the actual riots. I went to Globe Furniture at Findlay Market during those few days (it was still open at that point) and had absolutely no problems. Media can be downright shameful at times and that was one of them.
March 12, 201510 yr Contemporary Arts Center lobby: CAC set to unveil new lobby after $1.1M renovation job Casey Weldon Mar 11, 2015 http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/contemporary-arts-center-lobby-cac-set-to-unveil-new-lobby-after-11m-renovation-job Construction started Jan. 6 and will officially open to the public Friday. There will be soft unveiling Thursday morning to special guests and members of the media. ... Part of the $1.1 million makeover included the installation of a new café operated by Collective Espresso. It will serve artisan blend coffees and offer breakfast and lunch options seven days a week. I'm very excited about this. Downtown doesn't have many good coffee options these days, so this is much needed.
March 12, 201510 yr ^True, but I've never found Collective Espresso in OTR to be a great experience or very welcoming, so I wish it was operated by someone else. Still a +1 for the area, though.
March 12, 201510 yr Contemporary Arts Center lobby: CAC set to unveil new lobby after $1.1M renovation job Casey Weldon Mar 11, 2015 http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/local-a-e/contemporary-arts-center-lobby-cac-set-to-unveil-new-lobby-after-11m-renovation-job Construction started Jan. 6 and will officially open to the public Friday. There will be soft unveiling Thursday morning to special guests and members of the media. ... Part of the $1.1 million makeover included the installation of a new café operated by Collective Espresso. It will serve artisan blend coffees and offer breakfast and lunch options seven days a week. I'm very excited about this. Downtown doesn't have many good coffee options these days, so this is much needed. French Crust has great coffee.
March 12, 201510 yr ^True, but I've never found Collective Espresso in OTR to be a great experience or very welcoming, so I wish it was operated by someone else. Still a +1 for the area, though. I have the exact opposite feeling about Collective, but perhaps your experience reflects the nature of their space and setup on Woodward. The key to the CAC location is going to be quality and efficiency; the museum lobby chic surroundings will probably dictate the vibe.
March 12, 201510 yr Where? There is already one 1/2 a block away in the 580 Building. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 12, 201510 yr ^It is relocating from its interior 2nd floor location to street level on 6th in the 580 building.
March 12, 201510 yr I can't believe its taken them this long to do this! "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 13, 201510 yr I can't believe its taken them this long to do this! The big holdup was figuring out what type of store to be. Right now the Skywalk location is just a Tall (smallest merchandise category) Cafe store. The new 580 location at street level is going to be a Starbucks Reserve Store w/Clover. They're going from the worst type of store to the absolute best. Starbucks 4th & Vine was always their showcase store for conventioneers and it was a tough battle for the company to allow that focus to shift to 6th street.
March 13, 201510 yr ^True, but I've never found Collective Espresso in OTR to be a great experience or very welcoming, so I wish it was operated by someone else. Still a +1 for the area, though. I have the exact opposite feeling about Collective, but perhaps your experience reflects the nature of their space and setup on Woodward. The key to the CAC location is going to be quality and efficiency; the museum lobby chic surroundings will probably dictate the vibe. The layout of their space on Woodward is definitely part of it, but I actually like the location. The rest isn't worth getting into. Good luck to them at the CAC. I hope it's a great addition to the lobby and to downtown.
March 13, 201510 yr I'm with Jimmy_James on this one. I've never had a good experience at Collective Espresso. I've decided that I'm just not their niche though, so whatever. Best of luck to them. I miss the old CAC lobby though.
March 13, 201510 yr Collective espresso is a good place to get coffee not a good cafe. The coffee is great, with good roasts and brewing methods they produce better coffee then the average shop. the cafe is that horrible uncomfortable modern trend that I see too much of in Chicago also like a Chicago cafe it closes way to darn early. Give me the highland over that any day. (Also despite having a Julus Meinl Chicago has a terrible cafe culture even the good ones close at 9pm)
March 18, 201510 yr Business Courier coverage: It'll soon be easier to get Starbucks downtown "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 18, 201510 yr Seeing the pics of the new lobby, what the heck are they thinking (not in terms of the cafe, but in terms of all the extra color they added - the building has an elegant simplicity that they just ruined): http://5chw4r7z.blogspot.com/2015/03/collective-cac.html Also I'm really hoping that the wrapping on the outside of this building is temporary... Its kind of a disgusting middle finger to the original architecture.
March 19, 201510 yr The wrap is temporary but is no different than the many other building wrap exhibits over the years. It's a contemporary art museum. Displaying contemporary art on the exterior makes sense. I'm quite fond of this building and think this is a great use of a large flat canvas on the facade for a very Cincinnati-based piece of contemporary art. The interior looks a little busy, but again, it's a contemporary art museum. The lobby was originally left intentionally sparse to allow for varying exhibits and designs to flow in and out of the lobby space. That really hasn't happened and seeing this actually makes me happy. The column lights though I'm never a fond of. They will always look, "80s corporate office lobby" to me. See: Queen City Square.
March 20, 201510 yr I'm glad the wrap on the outside is temporary because it's simply unattractive. Is the Windows 3.1 screensaver looking finish on the inside temporary too? I think it would actually look better if it actually were a Windows 3.1 screensaver. Usually when there are unimaginative, unattractive exhibits at the CAC one can find solace in the fact that they'll be gone soon. I'm still hoping the whole new lobby is just a big performance piece, and one day it'll all be back to what it was.
March 20, 201510 yr I'm glad the wrap on the outside is temporary because it's simply unattractive. Is the Windows 3.1 screensaver looking finish on the inside temporary too? I think it would actually look better if it actually were a Windows 3.1 screensaver. Usually when there are unimaginative, unattractive exhibits at the CAC one can find solace in the fact that they'll be gone soon. I'm still hoping the whole new lobby is just a big performance piece, and one day it'll all be back to what it was. Or flying toasters.
March 20, 201510 yr I am not an architect or design specialist or anything like that. I don't think there is any issue with it, it looks fine and interesting. I bet 99% of people will think that as well, but maybe not...
March 20, 201510 yr I really don't like the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful brightly-colored designs that they put on vacant buildings around the city. I think it screams "HEY! I'M A VACANT BUILDING!" rather than helping the building blend into the neighborhood. So, I'm really not a big fan of seeing that same design applied to the CAC.
March 20, 201510 yr ^Ever seen season 4 of The Wire? Those boards could be stark, basic plywood. I'm glad for the color that the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful doors provide. I think the CAC is really trying to integrate more with its surroundings, as the building was originally intended to do. I was thinking about this last night. The whole ground floor design objective of the CAC is based on the idea of the continuation of the urban fabric. When it was built, I think the lobby appropriately reflected the surrounding urban fabric, but in recent years, I think it reflected less of it's surroundings by remaining static, as the rest of the area underwent major change. The 6th and Walnut corner is the most colorful and active in the city, and I think it's appropriate for the CAC to try to build on that. Since the CAC opened at 6th and Walnut the 580 building has been transformed and dramatically opened up at ground level, Nada moved in next to the Aronoff bringing a bright, colorful, and transparent restaurant to the corner, 21C and its bright yellow penguins have taken over the old Metropole, and the 5/3 garage has been covered with the Stanczak art installation. I'd say the new color and cafe in the lobby more accurately reflect 6th and Walnut in 2015. I tend to agree with most here that the lit columns have the potential to be a little garish, but I think they could actually look really cool at night. They'll make the lobby glow, which will illuminate the corner without potentially tacky exterior lighting. It's not like they're hanging a giant 'chandelier' over Walnut ;-) Collective adds a great coffee and lunch option, and makes the CAC more of a public space than it currently is. Overall, I definitely think their changes are an upgrade. As for the art installations on the exterior of the building, I have mixed feelings. It looked really cool when they installed the JR piece last year, but as it began to fade and peel, it looked horrendous. I also don't have a problem with the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful doors being on there now, but I worry that they will again tarnish the exterior when they begin to fade and deteriorate.
March 20, 201510 yr ^Ever seen season 4 of The Wire? Those boards could be stark, basic plywood. I'm glad for the color that the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful doors provide.
March 20, 201510 yr I really don't like the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful brightly-colored designs that they put on vacant buildings around the city. I think it screams "HEY! I'M A VACANT BUILDING!" rather than helping the building blend into the neighborhood. So, I'm really not a big fan of seeing that same design applied to the CAC. I kind of like know which buildings are vacant. Also, someone took the time to paint the ugly plywood boards. That's a visual cue that the neighborhood is cared for, even if some of the buildings are currently vacant and in disrepair.
March 25, 201510 yr The former TJ Maxx building complex is on the market, being marketed as a potential conversion to residential with a rooftop garden.
March 25, 201510 yr I'm going to guess, with all that's happening on 4th these days, that this won't take long to be sold off and converted. I'm glad to see that it probably won't sit unused for long.
March 25, 201510 yr Who owns the building that the Starbucks is in (right next to these buildings)? It is a beautiful building that needs some work but looks like a great place for apartments.
April 8, 201510 yr EXCLUSIVE: Masons explore redevelopment at iconic downtown temple http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/04/08/exclusive-masons-explore-redevelopment-at-iconic.html?page=all The owners of the Cincinnati Masonic Center and Taft Theatre are working with commercial real estate firm DTZ to determine the future of the historic Fifth Street buildings. The Cincinnati Masonic Center at 317 E. Fifth St. is home to the Valley of Cincinnati, the local branch of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. ... Tom Powers, executive managing director with DTZ, and Digger Daley, vice president at DTZ, are leading the effort to help the organization decide what’s best for it, the property and the city. “We are working with them to figure out what they should do with the Masonic Center,” Powers said. “It may be nothing is done. They asked us to help them figure out what, if anything, should be done with that complex.” Daley said no options have been ruled out at this point. “It could be an out-right sale, it could be they sell a portion of it, it could be potentially a tear-down, build-to-suit,” Daley told me.
April 9, 201510 yr Study: Downtown is no longer just where we work Apr 9, 2015, 7:23am EDT Staff Cincinnati Business Courier The perception of downtown Cincinnati as simply a business center has faded, which is fueling growth in a number of ways, according to a new study from Downtown Cincinnati Inc. Downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine have 15,500 residents, the Enquirer reports. That’s up from 13,500 in 2013 and 6,962 in 2004. There were 93 condo sales in OTR this year, which represents a boost from 40 in 2010. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2015/04/study-downtown-is-no-longer-just-where-we-work.html
April 24, 201510 yr EXCLUSIVE: Staffmark moving its downtown Cincinnati HQ Apr 24, 2015, 1:42pm EDT Tom Demeropolis Senior Staff Reporter-Cincinnati Business Courier Staffmark, the national commercial staffing firm based in downtown Cincinnati, is moving its corporate headquarters after more than 20 years on Elm Street. Staffmark signed an eight-year lease for more than 37,000 square feet of space at Omnicare Center. The company, which has 200 employees in its downtown office, is expected to move before the end of the year. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/04/24/exclusive-staffmark-moving-its-downtown-cincinnati.html
April 27, 201510 yr How long can Downtown hotel boom continue? Downtown Cincinnati is seeing its biggest hotel development boom since the 1980s. Five new hotels have opened since 2011, ending a nearly 30-year drought since the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati started serving guests in 1984. Now, hoteliers are adding three more Downtown hotels as two new Northern Kentucky river city hotels are being developed. The aggressive addition of rooms without increasing room demand is forcing owners to consider changes – or face a fate similar to that of the now shuttered Terrace Plaza hotel. "Any time there's new competition coming into the neighborhood, it makes you sharpen your pencil and bring your A-game," said Mick Douthat, general manager and sales director for the Garfield Suites Hotel, where its owner is considering a multimillion dollar renovation. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
April 27, 201510 yr The Garfield Suites definitely needs a renovation. Looking at the photos on TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60993-d95115-Reviews-Garfield_Suites_Hotel-Cincinnati_Ohio.html#photos - it makes me think that this building might make more sense as apartments/condos. The balconies would be a nice amenity for apartments, and the top floors have patios that could be nice for larger, two-story units.
April 27, 201510 yr ^Actually when it was first developed in the 1980s, it WAS an apartment building.
April 27, 201510 yr Interesting that it was an apartment building. I had no idea. One benefit for the Garfield is that they are the closest large hotel to OTR. I think it would be a successful site regardless of use (hotel or apartments). With all of the new hotels opening, though, it might be wise for them to take advantage of the downtown housing boom.
April 27, 201510 yr ^Actually when it was first developed in the 1980s, it WAS an apartment building. Interesting! Any idea how long it was before it was converted into a hotel?
April 27, 201510 yr While it seems like they might go... It should be reminded that they are one of the only long term stay. Each unit has a kitchen, etc. One of the two new hotels in the Enquirer building is a direct competitor in that aspect.
April 27, 201510 yr The article makes it seem like the renovation is pretty much a done deal (which is great news), and it'll be converted into a DoubleTree Suites Hotel: The Garfield Suites Hotel also is primed for a renovation. Indiana-based Hotel Capital bought out a partner in a joint venture and Douthat said renovations could begin this fall to turn the 16-story, 153-room property into Hilton's Collection Series DoubleTree Suites Hotel.
May 4, 201510 yr I really want the City to come out with a target number of downtown residents it wants to reach by the year 2020 or 2025. Not just a number, but a well thought-out plan for achieving the goal (that doesn't include 2 parking garage spaced per unit). I'm pretty sure Charlotte has a number, and I'll bet other peer cities do, too. As long as the subsidies per unit are small (and keep decreasing with each building), it is a terrific financial win for the city. What do people think is a good number to shoot for? 25,000 by 2025 has a good ring to it. Study: Downtown is no longer just where we work Apr 9, 2015, 7:23am EDT Staff Cincinnati Business Courier The perception of downtown Cincinnati as simply a business center has faded, which is fueling growth in a number of ways, according to a new study from Downtown Cincinnati Inc. Downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine have 15,500 residents, the Enquirer reports. That’s up from 13,500 in 2013 and 6,962 in 2004. There were 93 condo sales in OTR this year, which represents a boost from 40 in 2010.
Create an account or sign in to comment