Yes, it's still standing.  No, I don't think there are any inside pics.  I have heard that there is/was a pretty grand atrium, though.

I hadn't noticed, but does anyone know how long the barricades have been up in front of this building?

 

It's still standing, and there are no demo permits in the works as of now.

EXCITING NEWS!!!  But first, the background:

 

 

As you guys know, this building was declared a public nuisance by B&I in late January 2005 and has sat barricaded ever since, ostensibly to be held for some savior to come and take on some heavy work.

 

And you also remember that the city decided against $135,000 for stabilization of the structure because it was half demolished already, and there was little faith that any developer would come in and finish the job.

 

In other words, limbo.

 

In November 2005, B&I got a report from Steven Schaefer Associates, Inc. that recommended bringing the building up to VBML code (and out of limbo).  The cost was estimated at $400,000-$600,000.

 

THP Limited, Inc., who had done the original structural assessment before the building was declared a public nuisance, came back in April 2006.  They found severe structural defects with the brickwork and the support structure, which had only gotten worse over that year and a half that the building sat there.  They did believe that the facade brick and stone work could be saved during demolition, but that the structure as a whole was not worth saving.  They estimated the cost of facade restoration at $772,408, plus $20,000 annually for inspection and maintenance.

 

BUT WAIT!  Somewhat brighter news!  In June 2006, O.W. Taylor LLC presented a proposal to stabilize the structure, install new subflooring and stairs, and restore all of the cosmetics and cornices to their original design.  This work could be done for $450,000.  Goodbye, THP.

 

Incidentally, O.W. Taylor did the great job on the Odd Fellows Building in Covington and they are also the ones responsible for the activity at Liberty and Main.

 

This proposed work will only restore the building to an empty structural shell with a restored facade.  It will take more investment for interior finish work to make it a usable space and a subsidy will probably be needed to make that part of the project economically viable.

 

Still, the facade would still be there for years to come among buildings of the same vintage.

 

This $450,000 will come from existing capital improvement project accounts.

 

It is very likely the ordinance releasing this money will pass.  I believe it's in Finance Committee.

 

<i>Huh? $100 dollar difference?</i>

 

<b>Council To Decide Fate Of Kauffman Building In OTR</b>

 

Reported by: 9News

Web produced by: Candice Terrell

Photographed by: 9News

First posted: 9/11/2006 11:48:59 AM

The fate of an historic Over-the-Rhine building will be decided Monday afternoon.

 

That's when the Cincinnati City Council's finance committee will consider two proposals concerning the Kauffman building.

 

They will either rehabilitate it, or tear it down.

 

The building at 1721 Vine Street was built in 1863 and was used to house workers at the Kauffman Brewery.

 

It was destroyed by fire in 2001, and later condemned.

 

<b>There is a $100 difference in the cost to tear it down, versus restoring it.</b>

 

The meeting is set for 1 p.m. at City Hall.

 

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/09/11/building.html

 

<b>Council To Decide Fate Of Kauffman Building In OTR</b>

 

 

Apparently, Councilman Cranley was not interested in placing this on his agenda. There will be a

meeting in the near future in one of the other committees.

My heart breaks everytime I see a building come down in OTR. I am with you dglenn!!

 

What is "Over the Rhine"?

 

When did this phrase take on meaning?  I don't remember it from my youth.  I'd really like to know what areas it includes, etc.

 

Thanks, shaas1

The area north of the Central Business District - basically, the triangle outlined by Central Parkway to the south, then Central Parkway to the west, then McMicken/Mulberry to the northeast, then Liberty to the north...

 

It got its name from the German immigrants from oh, what, the mid-1800's sometime, so I'm sure the name predates you!

 

Here's a cool map that shows its various internal neighborhoods...maybe some of those names will jog a memory?

 

http://www.irhine.com/index.jsp?page=map_intro

Also, Central Parkway used to be a canal.  The neighborhood reminded the German immigrants of their native Germany, specifically the area around the Rhine River.  So, the area north of the canal became known as Over-The-Rhine.

The area north of the Central Business District - basically, the triangle outlined by Central Parkway to the south, then Central Parkway to the west, then McMicken/Mulberry to the northeast, then Liberty to the north...

 

It got its name from the German immigrants from oh, what, the mid-1800's sometime, so I'm sure the name predates you!

 

Here's a cool map that shows its various internal neighborhoods...maybe some of those names will jog a memory?

 

http://www.irhine.com/index.jsp?page=map_intro

_______________________________________________

Thanks for the answer; I've reviewed some of this site.

 

I believe a lot of my relatives lived in these areas, especially the Dotzauer's who were my father's family; they lived in Camp Washington.  I do have a photo of their church; this goes back to the mid-to-late 1800's and early 1900's. How do I post photos?

 

Other relatives lived in Northside, Kenwood, Mt. Auburn, Winton Place (British side of family), etc.

 

 

 

 

The finance committee will be discussing the Kauffman Building Preservation or Demolition on Monday September 25 at 1:00pm.  Your participation and attendance would be greatly appreciated to help save this important part of OTR's history.

3CDC may take building under its wing

Cincinnati Business Courier - September 22, 2006by Dan Monk

 

If Jim Tarbell gets his way, Over-the-Rhine's historic Kaufmann building would have a new friend and protector in the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC).

 

Cincinnati's vice mayor says the group that refurbished Fountain Square has agreed to take ownership of the old Vine Street brewery building, which was declared a public nuisance in 2004 after a fire destroyed much of its interior.

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/09/25/tidbits1.html

I've heard that at the next meeting of the Economic Development Committee, members will vote on a proposal to allocate $450,000 for the Kaufmann building to be paid out of OTR implementation funds.

^ The ordinance for the $450,000 was passed (emergency) a couple of weeks ago in Council.

 

3CDC has proposed two stages:

 

1) Structural engineering services - drawings, specs, cost estimates. 

 

2) After completing this phase, 3CDC will decide whether or not to proceed with the project as proposed.  I would assume that they would stabilize the building, at the very least.

 

3CDC will provide construction mangement services.  Steven Schaefer Associates will be the structural engineer on the project.

 

The city's contract will be with Over-the-Rhine Development LLC, a whole-owned subsidiary of 3CDC.

 

Who knows when work will begin.

 

3CDC may no longer be involved in the Kaufmann Building rehab project.

 

In October 2006, the City passed an ordinance allowing them to enter into a contract with Over-the-Rhine Development, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of 3CDC.  The City would provide a $450,000 grant from capital improvement project funds to 3CDC. 

 

3CDC would supervise the general contractor work of Otis Taylor (O.W. Taylor, LLC), who was looking to buy the building at 1721-1727 Vine St from Abandoned Buildings Corporation.  The money would be spent to stabilize the structure and to study the feasibility of its future use.

 

Within the past couple of months, the Kaufmann Building has come up again in the Economic Development Committee and in City council.  On April 11, 2007, council voted 6-3 to repeal the prior ordinance involving 3CDC.  (Ghiz, Monzel and Berding voted against it.)

 

The old ordinance will be replaced by a new agreement to be made directly with Taylor.  3CDC is no longer mentioned in any of the documents.  The $450,000 will come from the same project account in the form of a forgivable loan.

 

I don't trust Otis Taylor.  He demolished some cool buildings at the corner of 12th and Reading, maybe ten years ago, and he still owns the trash strewn lot to prove it. 

Keep an eye out, I guess.  It's a forgivable loan, which hopefully means that if he's screws up somehow and the project is lost, at least he wouldn't be able to keep the money.

Kauffman Building rehab on track

Building Cincinnati, 11/9/07

 

Demolition of a portion of the Kauffman Building will make its eventual restoration possible.

 

Permits are in route for the razing of the U-shaped, back portion of the building, which is visible from Republic Street.

 

This part of the building, which makes up about 20 percent of the total square footage, has been found by the City's Department of Buildings and Inspections to be in danger of collapse.

 

Over-the-Rhine Foundation Executive Director Michael Morgan says that the demolition will also create room for a parking lot, which will make full-scale redevelopment more viable.

 

Salvaged brick from the demolition will be used to shore up the remaining structure, including its Vine Street frontage.

 

Funds for the work come from a $450,000 forgivable loan approved by City Council in April.

 

Morgan says that restoration work on the main structure is supposed to begin by the end of June 2008 and is required to have a certificate of occupancy within five years.

 

The Kaufmann Building is a four-story apartment building built in 1876 by the Kaufmann Brewery as an investment. Designed by architect George W. Rapp and built in the Renaissance Revival style, it's one of the Findlay Market area's dominant landmarks.

 

The building has suffered two major fires, has been condemned and has been declared a public nuisance. It has been vacant for many years.

 

The "back building"

 

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2007/11/kauffman-building-rehab-on-track.html

 

I just read this thread. Just to clear some facts, the building discussed in this thread (Kauffman Building) was built in 1863, not 1876. It was used as apartments for the brewery workers, and the construction date is still visible on the facade.

 

The 1876 date refers to the construction of Kauffman Brewery, which is on the other side of Vine Street and further South (now Guildhaus).

^ I actually have 1876 in my notes as well and circa 1888 for the actual Brewery Building.  I think that came from Over the Barrel Volume One, Cincinnati Oberserved, and/or a lecture by Walter Langsham (spelling?)  I'll do some checking . . .

Kauffman Building, Over-the-Rhine

Project cost - $2,775,353

Tax credit - $249,999

Address - 1725 Vine St.

Developer - Wael Safi

Details - Built to house brewery workers in 1863, the building sustained two fire in the last two decades. The property is expected to be redeveloped into commercial spaces on the first floor, six residential units above and a new addition housing six more apartments and parking.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1725+Vine+St,+Cincinnati,+OH+45202/@39.1151331,-84.5164902,3a,75y,284.16h,106.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOpFa2UkD6BxB7ht3XMt4_w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DOpFa2UkD6BxB7ht3XMt4_w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D392%26h%3D106%26yaw%3D262.30334%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x8841b3fbe19c27cb:0x23c7cc4cf4f7d302!6m1!1e1

 

This building got historic preservation tax credits at the beginning of 2016. I haven't heard any updates sense. Does anybody know what's going on?

Kauffman Building, Over-the-Rhine

Project cost - $2,775,353

Tax credit - $249,999

Address - 1725 Vine St.

Developer - Wael Safi

Details - Built to house brewery workers in 1863, the building sustained two fire in the last two decades. The property is expected to be redeveloped into commercial spaces on the first floor, six residential units above and a new addition housing six more apartments and parking.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1725+Vine+St,+Cincinnati,+OH+45202/@39.1151331,-84.5164902,3a,75y,284.16h,106.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOpFa2UkD6BxB7ht3XMt4_w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DOpFa2UkD6BxB7ht3XMt4_w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D392%26h%3D106%26yaw%3D262.30334%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x8841b3fbe19c27cb:0x23c7cc4cf4f7d302!6m1!1e1

 

This building got historic preservation tax credits at the beginning of 2016. I haven't heard any updates sense. Does anybody know what's going on?

 

It went before HCB a few months ago.

I'm pretty sure they went to the HCB a while back to get approval for a plan. They are trying to add on to the back, I believe, and it was probably posted in the non-3CDC topic. Not sure exactly where or when the discussion was.

^I think it got approved but actually may have already got approved for the tax credits from the city, paying into the VICA or whatever the streetcar tax is called I always forgot. I think maybe 2-3 months ago, so I'm a bit surprised if they haven't started construction.

 

Actually, it must have been before council's summer recess session?