I actually think it would be cool if the entire northern wall was glass - unless the original wall is still there, of course. It wouldn't get direct sunlight, so it would be great for office users by providing natural light, but not shining into their eyes. It would create an attractive side facade that would contrast with the neighborhood.

That stretch of Reading actually used to have a pleasant streetscape!

 

I wonder if anyone back then complained about the streetcar wires  :wink:.

 

Reading Rd between McMillan and Forest is unbelievably depressing now and very unwelcoming.

Outstanding photo.  Here's one from a bit earlier in the 1920s, before Sears was built at all.  You can see bits and pieces of this gas station in the photo above.  Talk about classy. 

 

There could be a surprising amount of that north wall still intact, though certainly goobered up.  It may not be so hard to restore as expected, but we'll just have to wait and see. 

Jack Hannah talks about his cuddly bearcat at 2:00:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-wR3DKP2fo

Recent Picture from WCPO. So which part is getting "restored" again? Just the top of the tower i guess.

Yeah I'm sort of confused as well. I thought more was staying. Is that structure staying but they're just gutting it and doing something new or do they plan on recreating details? We need more details.

Have they ever released a rendering for this project? Hopefully they are not doing a Tangeman University Center-style thing where they save one iconic element and build a new unrecognizable building around it.

I thought the exact thing when I drove by. Really does not seem like they are saving the building. From the looks of this, it will likely end up like TUC.

Good grief, what's the point anymore? 

This is really disappointing.

Without any renderings, my guess is that they infill everything with a glass curtain wall, so you'll have a central historic tower surrounded by a glass box. It's not the end of the world - the building was an old department store, which are notoriously difficult to renovate because of the window configuration (or complete lack thereof, like we see at Terrace Plaza).

^ But this building had a lot of windows on the 3rd floor, and of course all along the sidewalk.  The 2nd floor could have been opened up with windows to match the 3rd without compromising the original design in any way. 

It is sad that most of the brickwork and masonry details will be lost. At least the building is still situated right next to sidewalk on Reading. If they had torn it down, I'm sure they would have set it back from the street. So... if for only that reason, I'm glad they are "renovating" the building, even if they're stripping it of most of its historic character. UC seems incapable of building new construction with zero setback from the street.

I haven't seen any renderings. And I'm not an architect. Is there any chance that they removing all of the exterior facade to clean it and prep the main structure for rehab and will replace the facade?

It's always a possibility but without knowing any details of the condition of the walls that have been removed, the structure, what work they're doing, how carefully (or not) the brickwork was removed, etc. it's more or less impossible to know. I don't have a good feeling about it, but we'll see.

The one thing that gave me hope for this was when I drove by at an earlier iteration of it being dismantled, the more ornate stone/brickwork was being carefully removed before the wall came down. I kept telling myself that maybe they were taking it down for repairs (but this was before everything was taken down). However, once I saw entire walls come down I gave up on this idea. So who knows at this point without renderings. Everything is speculation.

UC has a history of removing the unique details of buildings they're demolishing. All the detailed stonework from the demolished performance hall next to DAAP (I'm blanking on its name) are at their asset utilization building sitting in the parking lot.

^Wilson Memorial Hall

Come to Chicago if you want to see this building in its former glory...  Ravenswood Sears (which might close soon anyways).

^ Ours is was nicer. 

Ours did have more masonry detailing... but it's interesting how similar the two buildings are in the general form, the color of the brick, and the central tower. The Chicago Ravenswood Sears appears to have had larger windows (now boarded up with vinyl siding), so it might be more easy to re-purpose.

Not much change over the last few weeks, but with the temporary lighting inside I think it's safe to say that what little we see left of the structure is going to remain.  Not sure about the tower, but one can hope.  Still, this whole corner, and much of Reading Road and MLK is, as James Howard Kunstler would say, entropy made visible. 

Deaconess for sale; UC taking back psychiatric unit

The former Deaconess Hospital building in University Heights will be sold, and UC Health is planning by this fall to bring its inpatient mental health care unit out of Deaconess Health Campus back to the main hospital, officials said Monday.

 

In a memo last week to UC Health staff, Dr. Richard Lofgren, president and chief executive officer of UC Health, said the new care facility will have 60 beds on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Ridgeway Pavilion at the Burnet Avenue Business Center. The psychiatric emergency services will be on the A level of Ridgeway Pavilion and will add three overnight-observation beds.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/03/21/deaconess-for-sale-uc-taking-back-psychiatric-unit/82075230/

Sigh, kinda wish they would do something else with that building, it's so close to UC and could be something beneficial to the campus. But hospitals are good, just seems as if there are still plenty up there.

Sigh, kinda wish they would do something else with that building, it's so close to UC and could be something beneficial to the campus. But hospitals are good, just seems as if there are still plenty up there.

 

What do you mean by "do something else with that building"? Deaconess says they're working with potential buyers, but haven't identified who the buyers are. It's not clear to me if *all* of the Deaconess buildings (there are 3 big buildings on their campus) will be sold, or just one of them. Deaconess also owns all of the parking garage and empty parcels on the north side of Straight. I'll be interested to see how many of these properties Deaconess is looking to sell. This could be a very large re-development opportunity.

I hope this is redeveloped, this will take pressure off tearing down more historic fabric for student housing.

It would be interesting if UC simply purchased Deaconess and used it as part of University Hospital. However since they're moving their patients out of the building, they may not be interested in that. The historic hospital building facing Calhoun (just north of Hughes HS) is beautiful and could make a really nice conversion to some other use. I don't think if anyone would complain if the various modern additions to the back of Deaconess along Straight Street were demolished.

"What do you mean by "do something else with that building"?"

 

Use your imagination, I'm sure there are a multitude of other potential uses besides a hospital. Could be a hotel, indoor horticulture center, racquette club, dance hall, apartments, Artist studios, a whole foods, I dunno but I wouldn't say that it has to be a hospital.

Sigh, kinda wish they would do something else with that building, it's so close to UC and could be something beneficial to the campus. But hospitals are good, just seems as if there are still plenty up there.

 

What do you mean by "do something else with that building"? Deaconess says they're working with potential buyers, but haven't identified who the buyers are. It's not clear to me if *all* of the Deaconess buildings (there are 3 big buildings on their campus) will be sold, or just one of them. Deaconess also owns all of the parking garage and empty parcels on the north side of Straight. I'll be interested to see how many of these properties Deaconess is looking to sell. This could be a very large re-development opportunity.

 

I know the Beta house has wanted to buy the empty parcel next to their house from Deaconess for years for future house expansion. Deaconess didn't want to sell because they had plans to turn it into a parking garage. Thank god that possibility just got significantly smaller.

^Yeah, absolutely. I just wasn't understanding if you were talking about the Deaconess's decision to sell their building, or UC's decision to use the Ridgeway Pavilion (also an interesting building).

 

As for the Deaconess site, it's possible that one of the other hospitals in the area would like to buy it, though I think that's less likely than it being re-purposed for non-medical use. There's a ton of demand for housing on that side of campus. Interestingly, it's right across the street from the Law School which UC wants to replace (either moving to the Banks or another site on main campus). So, that area could look quite different in 5-10 years.  With the Deaconess's 8-story parking garage across Straight and several empty parcels, it could support a lot of new development that wouldn't need to build/provide any new parking.

:|

 

UC unveils plans for $16M renovation of historic Sears building

 

 

The $16 million transformation of a 1929 department store into a research and innovation center for the University of Cincinnati is well underway in Avondale.

 

“The building is designed for space for work between outside companies and the university. There will likely be offices, labs, and open work areas. The interior has opportunities for collaborative areas and open areas with flexible workspace layout,” University architect Mary Beth McGrew said.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/08/uc-unveils-plans-for-16m-renovation-of-historic.html

UC plans $2M expansion of DAAP shop space

Apr 12, 2016, 3:01pm EDT

Tom Demeropolis

Senior Staff Reporter

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The University of Cincinnati is planning to expand its woodshop facilities in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

 

UC is proposing improvements that will reconfigure and expand the 3000 level shop areas of the Edwin S. Wolfson Center for Environmental Design. As a result of growing enrollment and shop usage, the existing facilities for woodworking, welding, sculpting, painting, machining and foundry are overcrowded and “less than ideal in terms of work flows and student/staff safe operating perimeters,” according to the request.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/04/12/uc-plans-2m-expansion-of-daap-shop-space.html

Looks like the County Coroner will move out of their current building at the corner of Eden and Goodman. I assume UC will want to buy that land.

 

The budget for the new Coroner's office is $40 million. I wonder if they'll try to stay in the Uptown area to be close to the hospitals. It'd be nice to get the Coroner and NIOSH to team up to make a new health sciences complex over near MLK and Reading. 

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/18/coroners-new-home-cost-40-mil/83184110/

Here's an aerial photo of the Coroner's office. Built in 1973, it's like a parody of bad design with no windows and an inefficient site plan. Can't wait to see it torn down. Sure hope the new building is designed to last more than 43 years.

 

^There are definitely some big changes coming to that part of East Campus! New Allied Health Sciences building is in the works.

Here's an aerial photo of the Coroner's office. Built in 1973, it's like a parody of bad design with no windows and an inefficient site plan. Can't wait to see it torn down. Sure hope the new building is designed to last more than 43 years.

 

 

I agree that the current building is unattractive, but in regards to the windows - keep in mind it is a morgue.  Windows probably aren't going to be too prominent on the replacement either!

Lots of scientific labs need spaces with no windows... but that doesn't mean the entire building should be windowless. People who work in these buildings also need spaces to work at computers, have meetings and those spaces absolutely can and should have windows.

Ordinarily, I would completely agree with what you've said regarding windows.  But the practical necessities of a Coroner's office on the scale of Hamilton County's with a budget of just $40 million represent one of the few times that those types of design principles just aren't very important.

 

A Coroner's office really only has two components; large refrigerated chambers and sealed laboratories containing extremely expensive and sensitive scientific instruments.  Saying a lack of windows on a county-level morgue is a parody of bad design is like saying a lack of windows on the International Space Station is a parody of bad design.  In a perfect world, more windows would improve the user experience of both structures, but the concept is entirely unrealistic because it would make each simultaneously (much) more expensive AND more challenging for them to perform their functions efficiently.

 

Edit: parody of design changed to parody of bad design.

Lots of scientific labs need spaces with no windows... but that doesn't mean the entire building should be windowless. People who work in these buildings also need spaces to work at computers, have meetings and those spaces absolutely can and should have windows.

 

Or in the absolutely factual series CSI MIAMI, all glass and lens flare.

^ Lens flare is what made that show.

Who says the windows have to be functional?

Ooh boy, don't want to go down the faux-window path. It's a hot mess.

 

Windowless buildings can look really beautiful, it's just exceptionally difficult and requires a competent architect team and a builder who is willing to go the extra mile to make it so. Which, obviously, is very rare.

If we have to build a windowless building, can we stick it in some odd parcel in Uptown where it would be harder to build an urban mixed-use building anyway?

There's clearly only one way to build a windowless building properly.  Cover it in silver pushpins!

 

Museo Soumaya

http://www.archdaily.com/452226/museo-soumaya-fr-ee-fernando-romero-enterprise

 

Selfridge's Birmingham:

If we have to build a windowless building, can we stick it in some odd parcel in Uptown where it would be harder to build an urban mixed-use building anyway?

 

Maybe you could put the morgue in the Terrace Plaza Hotel...

 

I don't get this discussion because it seems to me you could wrap the windowless labs with offices with windows if an architect was trying to be cognizant of this sort of thing.

Yes that is done routinely. Witness several research lab buildings at UC

While we're watching the Joseph family try to tear down the Hannaford-designed Dennison, let's take a moment to appreciate that UC is renovating the Health Professions Building <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1396892,-84.5050194,3a,75y,273.51h,96.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1su9vwCeaeYAtJagG-V_1YMg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656">(streetview)</a> which was built by Hannaford in 1918.

 

The new windows are going in now and look gorgeous.

 

Here's the press release from when the renovation was announced: http://healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/25028/

 

 

From the May 20 planning commission packet, a rendering of the new UCMC Neurosciences outpatient facility, to replace the Piedmont Mews apartment complex (demo to start this month):

 

 

 

 

Oh no! Needs to leave room for light rail! https://cincinnatiideas.wordpress.com/uptown-light-rail/

Would like the building to address the corner a little better - there is not a specific point on the Medical Campus that ever invites the pedestrian in.  I always found that odd as students are pedestrians 90% of the time. 

Still if the east skin is a nice double-skin like it looks, perhaps this will be a good looking building with operable windows.