Posted March 25, 200520 yr This is great, many parts of the skywalk do need to come down. I will argue though that many of the core pieces need to stay, especially those around Fountain Square and the retail core, where the buildings are heavily dependent on the skywalk. Little-used skywalks may soon disappear Fifth St. span to go, more could follow By Ken Alltucker Enquirer staff writer This summer, the city of Cincinnati plans to demolish an elevated pedestrian walkway linking Fountain Square to the Westin Hotel on Fifth Street. Citing the walkway's deteriorating condition, the city's transportation and engineering department recommends City Council approve a demolition agreement with U.S. Bank and the owners of the Westin.
April 17, 200520 yr According to today's Enquirer, the Planning Commission has approved the demolition and is now going to city council. If approved, it could come down by early summer.
April 18, 200520 yr Damn you Skywalk haters! :x :whip: :shoot: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=509.0 http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=510.0 It's one of the things that distinguishes Cincinnati from other Ohio cities.
April 18, 200520 yr I will say it again. I love the skywalks. It is so short sighted to remove something that works. It is one of the added ways to get around the city and their are businesses that cater to the skywalks that will be hurt. I agree get ride of the ones on 5th & Race but keep all the others. My wife loves them in the winter, she is thin skinned and it helps people like her go downtown without dealing with the elements to do some city shopping.
April 18, 200520 yr Tear that Shite down!! The skywalk is crumbling in places and leaks like crazy in a rainstorm. Skywalks days are numbered!! :clap: :wave:
August 3, 200519 yr From the New York Times Rethinking Skyways and Tunnels By PATRICK O'GILFOIL HEALY Published: August 3, 2005 Like many failed ideas, the skywalks in Cincinnati were built with only the best intentions. They were dreamed up in a fit of 1960's urban renewal - a development guru's idea for making downtown Cincinnati easier to navigate and easier to enjoy. The city erected a small network of second-story bridges that spanned the streets and linked offices and hotels, allowing people to stroll through downtown without stepping onto the sidewalk. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/realestate/03tunnel.html
August 4, 200519 yr I like the idea of Skyways during winter and bad weather, but Cincinnati has allowed the Skywalk system fall apart. I would say take it down, and somehow then reconnect the Mall and offices downtown with street level transportation. I would like to see trollies used in downtown, not the stupid gas powered ones, but electric, rail trollies.
August 4, 200519 yr It's not even that cold in Cincy in the winter! Minneapolis makes sense as well as Canadian cities because it gets so damn cold. Most Canadian cities have their underground cities tied to transit, which makes them good urban spaces anyway. I don't like them either...sounds like they would stink like stale smoke anyway.
August 4, 200519 yr I guess it depends on your definition of cold. Personally, I don't feel uncomfortable unless it gets below 30 degrees, and even then I can at least stand to walk a few blocks. And I consider myself a lightweight when it comes to temperature extremes. How many days a year is the high temp under 30 degrees? 20? Maybe 25? I just think that the Skywalk's drawbacks are more numerous than its benefits.
August 5, 200519 yr Using data from Lunken, counting days where the high temperature was under 30 degrees: 2004/2005: 12 2003/2004: 11 2002/2003: 19 2001/2002: 08 2000/2001: 17 (anyone's free to email/pm me for source data, which has been horked from http://www.weatherunderground.com)
August 5, 200519 yr Actually, a little more data on this...here's every winter going back to 1957/58, showing the number of days where the high temperature, the mean temperature or the low temperature was under 30 degrees. Bad data is indicated by "**". Winter Highs Means Lows 04/05 12 26 75 03/04 11 34 83 02/03 19 49 86 01/02 08 21 76 00/01 17 62 90 99/00 12 ** 81 98/99 11 25 78 97/98 02 12 65 96/97 09 22 68 95/96 ** ** ** 94/95 ** ** ** 93/94 ** ** ** 92/93 07 23 61 91/92 05 21 71 90/91 07 16 62 89/90 17 24 76 88/89 10 22 87 87/88 13 27 74 86/87 06 16 66 85/86 15 34 70 84/85 22 44 76 83/84 23 44 75 82/83 03 12 70 81/82 29 53 95 80/81 16 39 87 79/80 14 37 89 78/79 26 51 88 77/78 40 70 91 76/77 32 59 110 75/76 09 26 61 74/75 03 15 65 73/74 12 29 68 72/73 13 22 63 71/72 12 29 80 70/71 17 39 80 69/70 15 45 101 68/69 12 33 76 67/68 17 45 91 66/67 09 32 84 65/66 16 33 79 64/65 16 32 88 63/64 15 41 92 62/63 19 45 99 61/62 12 34 77 60/61 18 36 87 59/60 11 38 98 58/59 19 41 93 57/58 15 26 81
August 5, 200519 yr I just think that the Skywalk's drawbacks are more numerous than its benefits. Exactly! End of story . . no need for debate . . time to get rid of them. :)
August 5, 200519 yr ^ LOL...there's always room for debate. It's just my personal opinion. Office workers, especially, with think I'm full of sh*t.
August 11, 200519 yr I ran across this article that mentions Cincinnati's skywalks and I thought it might be of interest. This appeared in the New York Times and was picked up by the Salt Lake Tribune, 8/6/05: Decades old, skywalk idea doesn't seem to fly anymore By Patrick O'Gilfoil Healy The New York Times Like many failed ideas, the skywalks in Cincinnati were built with the best intentions. They were dreamed up in a fit of 1960s urban renewal, a development guru's idea for making downtown Cincinnati easier to navigate and enjoy. The city erected a small network of second-story bridges that spanned the streets and linked offices and hotels, allowing people to stroll through downtown without stepping onto the sidewalk. http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_2920299
August 12, 200519 yr :-o That looks like the same article posted on 8/3/05, with the last paragraph missing.
November 8, 200519 yr A web of walkways By Marla Matzer Rose Enquirer staff writer While parts of downtown Cincinnati's 1.3-mile skywalk system remain popular with pedestrians, this section over Vine Street is to be torn down during the Fountain Square revamp. When the first skywalk bridges linking Fountain Square to Cincinnati's convention center were completed in 1971, the city was in the vanguard of a trend. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051108/NEWS01/511080357
November 9, 200519 yr Rosalyn, people have been on this planet thousands of years exposed to the elements. Quit being so damn soft.
November 9, 200519 yr ^ But mankind's ultimate goal is to conquer nature and leave it begging for our mercy! So you can see why this is a step backwards.
November 9, 200519 yr There was a massive skywalk system proposed for Dayton in the late 1960s....about the only thing to come of this plan was the skywalk to Couthouse Square and the ones at Fifth & Jefferson....
January 11, 200619 yr Montecarloss and I were marvelling at how the demolition of the skywalks and stage around Fountain Square really opened it up and made it much more inviting, open space. From the AP, 1/11/06: Elevated skywalks start coming down Once-popular urban fixtures suck life out of streets, planners say By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Issue date: 1/11/06 Section: State By Lisa Cornwell the associated press CINCINNATI - Sunlight is replacing shadows where elevated walkways spanning streets around Cincinnati's downtown square have been torn down. Similar open spaces are appearing in other cities where planners once hoped skywalks would energize their downtowns. "More cities are realizing that skywalks are not what they were cut out to be," said Fred Kent, president of Project for Public Spaces, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that helps communities create and sustain public places. "Instead of drawing additional people and retail to a second level, skywalks have left streets lifeless, presenting a cold and alienating environment." http://www.bgnews.com/media/paper883/news/2006/01/11/State/Elevated.Skywalks.Start.Coming.Down-1322840.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.bgnews.com
January 12, 200619 yr I agree with all the technical reasons to get rid of them, and the square looks so much larger with the section over Vine and Rock Bottom gone. However, on a recent cold night, it sure was nice to pop into the Chemed building lobby to the skywalk, pass through the Chiquita building, some federal government building, the 580 building, and pop out at 6th and Walnut. It was then just a short jaunt through the cold to my favorite bar stool at Nicholson's. (yes I'm a wimp)
June 21, 200816 yr Section of Skywalk coming down THE ENQUIRER http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080621/NEWS01/306210038/ The section of Skywalk over Fifth Street near Saks Fifth Avenue downtown will be demolished Monday. City officials said Fifth Street between Elm and Race streets will be closed from 6 and 11 p.m. while the skywalk is brought down. Detours will be posted. Access to businesses and hotels will be maintained, officials said. That section of Skywalk has not been in use for several years. The work should be completed by June 29.
June 22, 200816 yr The section of Skywalk over Fifth Street near Saks Fifth Avenue downtown will be demolished Monday. City officials said Fifth Street between Elm and Race streets will be closed from 6 and 11 p.m. while the skywalk is brought down. Detours will be posted. :clap:
June 22, 200816 yr Im having trouble visualizing where this on is. I cant remember anything crossing 5th street between elm and race.
June 22, 200816 yr i believe they are talking about the one that crosses 5th from the saks store and leads to the nothing with the parking lot across the street
June 23, 200816 yr i believe they are talking about the one that crosses 5th from the saks store and leads to the nothing with the parking lot across the street If this is the one they are taking down I think a party is in order. It was one of the most obvious signs of the failures of downtown planning.....a skywalk to nowhere....speaks volumes.. I know a lot of people found/find them useful, but there really does seem to be a minor street level renaissance that can be correlated with the removal of these monstrosities.
June 23, 200816 yr If this is the one they are taking down I think a party is in order. It was one of the most obvious signs of the failures of downtown planning.....a skywalk to nowhere....speaks volumes.. There are two that do that for the same failed project. The one over Race street from Fountain Place will still be there. The strange thing is that I really never noticed this one. I drive under it every time I come in from I-75 but I just didn't remember it being there. The one over Race I notice all the time.
December 14, 201113 yr When are they going to finish off demolishing the Skywalk system!? “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
February 5, 201213 yr So I assume the Cincinnati Skywalk is now history. I remember when it was built and used it to some degree when I made my forays into the City. Never thought it was that great, but also recognized I did not use it much. So now it is gone any many seem to be rejoicing. But explain to me why the downtown is now any different from the time before the skywalk was constrtucted? At least with the skywalk there were options as to how to get around between businesses downtown. The only difference I see is there are fewer businesses anyone wants to go to in the first place.
February 5, 201213 yr The skywalk is still largely intact. Guess you haven't been downtown lately to actually know how many businesses are or are not there. Perhaps some businesses left in part because the skywalk took foot traffic of the street. It's easier to keep one story of businesses thriving than two stories (street level businesses and skywalk level businesses). Welcome to Urban Ohio. I recognize you from my time lurking on the city data forum. Hopefully you find what you're looking for here but be warned that the majority of us support the streetcar and do not take kindly to Mason type development areas. Just to save you any frustration! ;-)
February 5, 201213 yr I thought more of it had been demoed since I am always reading about what a horrible idea it is. I did go to another site and found a good set of recent pictures. Some sections appear to be in good condition and others very rundown. You are right about my not being current on what much of downtown looks like. The Aronoff Center and Music Hall have been the only reasons for our going downtown for some years now, and since they both have parking lots nearby that is about all we see. Since my wife now requires a power wheelchair to get around, even these are becoming few and far between as their handicap facilities leave a lot to be desired. I have a 45 year old daughter who is a shopping dynamo, her favorite hobby. She has not been downtown in over 10 years, says no reason to go there. She likes Rookwood Commons and Kenwood Towne Center because they have her favorite store Nordstrom.
February 5, 201213 yr ^kjbrill, for several years I've followed your posts on the "CityData" forum, so here I'm doing two things--first, welcoming you to "UO," but (secondly) questioning what benefit this forum will be to you, a confirmed suburbanite. Here you'll be mixing up your mindset with architects, designers, engineers, artists, civic planners, photographers, merchants, and other business people who cherish urban living and urban ideals. Thus, I wondering if UrbanOhio will be a comfortable fit for you. (just asking)
February 5, 201213 yr ^ hey! Anyone can join this forum. This isn't exclusively for any opinions, and while we all agree on many things, outsiders are always welcome. More of the skywalk was removed this month. Portions over race north of 6th are coming down now and the part in Rusconi Place is also down. KJbrill makes a good point though: while the Renaissance in downtown has dramatically increased the number of restaurants bars and general activities & livelihood (skating, concerts, etc.) when it comes to retail Americans are still largely in preference to the larger suburban mall styles. None of the renaissance of downtown has led to a dramatic increase in retail. tower Place mall is actually now more empty than ever, while the store fronts of the surrounding buildings are all full of great restaurants.
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