32 minutes ago, Rabbit Hash said:

They get skyline-transforming. We get suburban.

The nonsense people say. lol.

Edited March 17Mar 17 by 646empire

1 hour ago, Rabbit Hash said:

They get skyline-transforming. We get suburban.

Even with them building this. Cincys skyline is still more impressive. 

Sheathing going up on convention center:. 

 

 

 

This looks like UC's athletic/training complex.

20 hours ago, 646empire said:

The nonsense people say. lol.

Wouldn't you rather have their convention center hotel rather than the one we are getting?

35 minutes ago, Rabbit Hash said:

This looks like UC's athletic/training complex.

I don't remeber if there was ever any explanation of this exterior design, but I've never liked it. Looks like something a child would draw. Unless the finish material wow in some way, a total fail for a building with such great mass to be stuck with. This is the third exterior on this building I will have seen in my lifetime, so likely the last I will ever know.

Does anyone have info about whether Duke Energy will remain the sponsor or if the convention center is likely to get a new name?

21 hours ago, TheCOV said:

I don't remeber if there was ever any explanation of this exterior design, but I've never liked it. Looks like something a child would draw. Unless the finish material wow in some way, a total fail for a building with such great mass to be stuck with. This is the third exterior on this building I will have seen in my lifetime, so likely the last I will ever know.

Im convinced people just say things just to say things. A miserable world we are living in.

 

Edited March 19Mar 19 by 646empire

22 hours ago, Rabbit Hash said:

Wouldn't you rather have their convention center hotel rather than the one we are getting?

Nice try pivoting after calling this “suburban”. Lol. This hotel which I do already know more soon to be released details about is going to be top notch period end of story. 

 

Edited March 19Mar 19 by 646empire

Calling it suburban was harsh but there's no debating Indy's will be much more skyline transforming.  Like most things built in Cincy it would have been much cooler and skyline altering if it was 5 - 10 stories taller.  We always tend to go shorter and cheaper.  

Edited March 19Mar 19 by Cincy513

30 minutes ago, Cincy513 said:

Calling it suburban was harsh but there's no debating Indy's will be much more skyline transforming.  Like most things built in Cincy it would have been much more cooler and skyline altering if it was 5 - 10 stories taller.  We always tend to go shorter and cheaper.  

But that’s the silliness in and of itself, no one is debating “which is more skyline transforming”. Those that are saying it are just trying to spark a debate about the 2 properties. This isnt about shorter or cheaper they are the same size hotels at 800 rooms and both buildings cost generally the same hovering around the 500 million mark. The 2 cities and project sites are very different which had alot to do with the overall design. The Cincy hotel was designed to utilize the entire plum site which called for a “wider building” that will actually look impressively huge in person. The hotel was also designed to compliment the convention center design and surrounding block which it does extremely well. If the site was let’s say 7th and Vine it certainly would be much taller. If we wanna play the “ I rather have” game here ya go I’d rather have Raffles Doha design. Lol.

 

 

Edited March 19Mar 19 by 646empire

On 3/18/2025 at 11:00 AM, ucgrady said:

Sheathing going up on convention center:. 

 

 

 

Just walked past and I love it! The pictures don’t do it justice it’s very dramatic in person. W. 5th street going to look very different soon!

 

Edited March 19Mar 19 by 646empire

4 hours ago, 646empire said:

Im convinced people just say things just to say things. A miserable world we are living in.

 

As I said- "unless finish materials wow in some way". Yea- i don't like the design. The giant triangles feel like they are trying to cover up the building. The former facade had the same problem with the granite blocks and small openings...its like you can tell there is a building under there, but why are they trying so hard to hide it? Just make it have more glass surface so when convetioneers walk out of the exhibition halls, they feel like they are out in the city and feel motivated to go explore. In the previous designs, you always came out of the halls into those uninspired spaces that felt more akin to a dated airport terminal. This new design doesnt appear to rectify that very much. I don't say it to be part of the "miserable world we live in". i say it for discussion sake. Isn't that why we are here on this page?

If you are involved in the project and are taking it personally, I apologize. But no harm was meant on my part.

1 hour ago, TheCOV said:

The former facade had the same problem with the granite blocks and small openings...its like you can tell there is a building under there, but why are they trying so hard to hide it?

Maybe because it's a big box. and, with a little paint could be an IKEA.

22 hours ago, 646empire said:

Just walked past and I love it! The pictures don’t do it justice it’s very dramatic in person. W. 5th street going to look very different soon!

 

Very nice!

 

And, the convention center hotel is going up across the street from there, correct?

 

Starting from the convention center / hotel going east, with also the Carew Tower renovation, it's going to be a "brand new" corridor on W 5th street all the way to Fountain Square.

 

Now, once they start improving the area between Fountain Square and OTR (I would guess this would be 3CDC's next big projects? Filling up surface lots with mid rises?) it will be a really contigious area of new development.

22 hours ago, TheCOV said:

The giant triangles feel like they are trying to cover up the building.

 

As the renovation is now starting to take shape, the following characteristics can be observed:

 

1. The 2006 addition (where the WCPO studios stood for many years) doesn't appear to be under any sort of significant modification, inside or out.  This includes the Cincinnati sign, Union Terminal mosaics, Sixth St. exterior, and Fifth St. exterior. 

2. The tortilla chips appear to only cover the Fifth St. facade between Elm St.  and the junction between the 1980s addition and the 2006 addition. 

3. There is no modification whatsoever underway on the 6th St. side of the convention center, all the way from Elm St. to Central Ave.  So this 800-foot expanse will continue to appear exactly as it has since 2006, with the exception of the recent removal of skywalk that served two parking garages.  It's possible that this situation is temporary and we'll see a new skywalk over Sixth St. soon.

4. There appears to have been no significant structural modification to the original 1960s section of the convention center, meaning the original loading dock section with its low ceiling and diagonal support beams is probably still in there in pretty much the same form that its existed in for the past 50 years.  So this means that part of the main exhibition floor right by the main entrance will continue to hide in the shadows and not be able to collect high fees.  

 

In summary, anyone with their own eyeballs and trusting of their observations can see that this is yet another half-ass renovation that didn't get us any new exhibition space and doesn't solve the fundamental problems with the convention center's layout.  And for some reason we're supposed to act like the closure of Elm St. and the brightly-colored murals aren't boring. 

 

 

I sure would hate to be you.

The renovation still has 8+ months remaining, so I'm not sure how any definitive statements can be made yet unless you've seen the construction plans.  

46 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

As the renovation is now starting to take shape, the following characteristics can be observed:

 

1. The 2006 addition (where the WCPO studios stood for many years) doesn't appear to be under any sort of significant modification, inside or out.  This includes the Cincinnati sign, Union Terminal mosaics, Sixth St. exterior, and Fifth St. exterior. 

2. The tortilla chips appear to only cover the Fifth St. facade between Elm St.  and the junction between the 1980s addition and the 2006 addition. 

3. There is no modification whatsoever underway on the 6th St. side of the convention center, all the way from Elm St. to Central Ave.  So this 800-foot expanse will continue to appear exactly as it has since 2006, with the exception of the recent removal of skywalk that served two parking garages.  It's possible that this situation is temporary and we'll see a new skywalk over Sixth St. soon.

4. There appears to have been no significant structural modification to the original 1960s section of the convention center, meaning the original loading dock section with its low ceiling and diagonal support beams is probably still in there in pretty much the same form that its existed in for the past 50 years.  So this means that part of the main exhibition floor right by the main entrance will continue to hide in the shadows and not be able to collect high fees.  

 

In summary, anyone with their own eyeballs and trusting of their observations can see that this is yet another half-ass renovation that didn't get us any new exhibition space and doesn't solve the fundamental problems with the convention center's layout.  And for some reason we're supposed to act like the closure of Elm St. and the brightly-colored murals aren't boring. 

 

 

Pretty sure the Convention Center added 15k square feet or so of exhibition space with the renovation  but the rest of your opinion on the project have at it.Looked it up 80k square feet of additional meeting space and 13k for exhibition space is being added after renovations.

Edited March 20Mar 20 by ucnum1

Of course, the convention center will reopen just as the I-75 reconstruction gets underway disrupting access to the west side of downtown. 

8 hours ago, Lazarus said:

 

As the renovation is now starting to take shape, the following characteristics can be observed:

 

1. The 2006 addition (where the WCPO studios stood for many years) doesn't appear to be under any sort of significant modification, inside or out.  This includes the Cincinnati sign, Union Terminal mosaics, Sixth St. exterior, and Fifth St. exterior. 

2. The tortilla chips appear to only cover the Fifth St. facade between Elm St.  and the junction between the 1980s addition and the 2006 addition. 

3. There is no modification whatsoever underway on the 6th St. side of the convention center, all the way from Elm St. to Central Ave.  So this 800-foot expanse will continue to appear exactly as it has since 2006, with the exception of the recent removal of skywalk that served two parking garages.  It's possible that this situation is temporary and we'll see a new skywalk over Sixth St. soon.

4. There appears to have been no significant structural modification to the original 1960s section of the convention center, meaning the original loading dock section with its low ceiling and diagonal support beams is probably still in there in pretty much the same form that its existed in for the past 50 years.  So this means that part of the main exhibition floor right by the main entrance will continue to hide in the shadows and not be able to collect high fees.  

 

In summary, anyone with their own eyeballs and trusting of their observations can see that this is yet another half-ass renovation that didn't get us any new exhibition space and doesn't solve the fundamental problems with the convention center's layout.  And for some reason we're supposed to act like the closure of Elm St. and the brightly-colored murals aren't boring. 

 

 

You’re wrong about so many things here, I can’t even. Yikes Lol.

On 3/19/2025 at 11:19 AM, Cincy513 said:

Calling it suburban was harsh but there's no debating Indy's will be much more skyline transforming.  Like most things built in Cincy it would have been much cooler and skyline altering if it was 5 - 10 stories taller.  We always tend to go shorter and cheaper.  

 

My point. Didn't realize "suburban" was such a nerve-tweaker. But it's def an intended exaggeration. Yes, I am unashamedly all about height.

 

On 3/19/2025 at 11:43 AM, 646empire said:

But that’s the silliness in and of itself, no one is debating “which is more skyline transforming”. Those that are saying it are just trying to spark a debate about the 2 properties. This isnt about shorter or cheaper they are the same size hotels at 800 rooms and both buildings cost generally the same hovering around the 500 million mark. The 2 cities and project sites are very different which had alot to do with the overall design. The Cincy hotel was designed to utilize the entire plum site which called for a “wider building” that will actually look impressively huge in person. The hotel was also designed to compliment the convention center design and surrounding block which it does extremely well. If the site was let’s say 7th and Vine it certainly would be much taller. If we wanna play the “ I rather have” game here ya go I’d rather have Raffles Doha design. Lol.

 

 

 

Appreciate the breakdown on the "why" the two are similar yet different. 

Construction update:

 

Anyone have an update on the brand of convention center hotel?

On 3/30/2025 at 4:19 PM, taestell said:

Construction update:

 

Renovating the Terrace Plaza would do so much for this district, I hope it pushes forward.

2 hours ago, IAGuy39 said:

Renovating the Terrace Plaza would do so much for this district, I hope it pushes forward.

 

This new park has a lot of potential to improve this entire side of downtown. It will make this area much more livable and attractive for investment.

36 minutes ago, Miami-Erie said:

 

This new park has a lot of potential to improve this entire side of downtown. It will make this area much more livable and attractive for investment.

Shame the building that actually sits on it isn't built for it. at all.

^ ha!  i was just typing the same thing.... so unfortunate the way the park hits dunhumby.  Dunhumby spent so much money on their building and thought about how it would expand down into the parking garage if needed, how the stich connected it to the city and the views out...  they would have totally designed it different had they know there was going to be a giant city park directly to their west.  the Mural is not cutting it.  i would rather sacrifice 20-30' of park space and get a ribbon of building that faced the park and made the thing look finished

like this skinny cafe building along the edge of citygarden sculpture park in st louis:

Edited April 8Apr 8 by jack.c.amos
added photo

that seems like a no-brainer. The only explanation I can think of for not addressing it is that the park is just a placeholder for expansion...except that it appears they're putting significant money into the design? 

On 4/8/2025 at 3:27 PM, jack.c.amos said:

^ ha!  i was just typing the same thing.... so unfortunate the way the park hits dunhumby.  Dunhumby spent so much money on their building and thought about how it would expand down into the parking garage if needed,

 

After 15+ years of waiting for something to be built on the former Nordstrom dept store site, the Dunhumby Building was a dud.  It's Dun-ugly.  It's sad, cheap, and awkward.  Then to top it all off, it ended up blocking a logical expansion of the convention center toward Race St. 

 

I have to think that the grass lawn is literally a placeholder for that day when Dunhumby is torn down and the convention center is expanded eastward to Race St.   

 

 

 

 

On 4/8/2025 at 3:40 PM, zsnyder said:

that seems like a no-brainer. The only explanation I can think of for not addressing it is that the park is just a placeholder for expansion...except that it appears they're putting significant money into the design? 

There will be a standalone cafe/bar in the middle of the new park along with restrooms. I think they don't want to place retain against that area because for larger events they plan on closing this park off to be an indoor/outdoor extension of the convention center space which would block access to those retail restaurants. There is also the possibility to line up food trucks along the closed portion of Elm Street similar to what they do with Fountain Square during the summer. 

Is there still a possibility of moving the winter ice rink to the Convention Center Park instead of having it at Fountain Square? I can't remember if that's an idea that was thrown out by 3CDC or the city, or if people were just making that suggestion. 

 

14 minutes ago, taestell said:

Is there still a possibility of moving the winter ice rink to the Convention Center Park instead of having it at Fountain Square? I can't remember if that's an idea that was thrown out by 3CDC or the city, or if people were just making that suggestion. 

I think so, yes. I definitely remember people from 3CDC saying they wanted to use this new plaza area for a bigger, better ice rink than what can currently fit on Fountain Square.

26 minutes ago, taestell said:

Is there still a possibility of moving the winter ice rink to the Convention Center Park instead of having it at Fountain Square? I can't remember if that's an idea that was thrown out by 3CDC or the city, or if people were just making that suggestion. 

i made the suggestion. I suggested a backdrop of the Albee Facade could sit behind the icerink/reflection pool. and was poo pooed by many of my fellow UOers. i like archies.

On 4/11/2025 at 9:41 AM, taestell said:

Is there still a possibility of moving the winter ice rink to the Convention Center Park instead of having it at Fountain Square? I can't remember if that's an idea that was thrown out by 3CDC or the city, or if people were just making that suggestion. 

 

Leeper over the holidays on Thats So Cincinnati said it was going to be at that park next year, 2025. Think it's moving. 

7 hours ago, stashua123 said:

Leeper over the holidays on Thats So Cincinnati said it was going to be at that park next year, 2025. Think it's moving. 

If it moves, ban the advertising that create ugly. instead of making it a gigantic billboard. Make it pretty so people can take romantic holiday photos. Why does everything need to look like Athens?

Ohio, Georgia, or Greece?

8 hours ago, taestell said:

Ohio, Georgia, or Greece?

you forgot Athens KY. You probably never heard of it because KYers say A-thins. It's east of Lexington. Αθήνα   Athína

Edited April 13Apr 13 by RJohnson
added images

Glass is going up on the south facade, major work on the east and north facades as well, despite what some people belive that side is being updated too, and the standalone building in the new park is framed up. 

 

 

Speaking of the dramatic triangular panels, the night shot that was presented some time ago shows what could be solar panels. That many panels could save the convention center lots of money over the years.

I'm not sure mounting panels vertically along Fifth Street, where most of the direct sunlight is going to be blocked by buildings across the street, would generate all that much electricity. Put some on the roof, though!

1 hour ago, taestell said:

I'm not sure mounting panels vertically along Fifth Street, where most of the direct sunlight is going to be blocked by buildings across the street, would generate all that much electricity. Put some on the roof, though!

Well, i thought about that too. The new hotel is tall, but it is narrow. imo, it will not stop much sunlight because the long south side of the center will only be partially blocked for let's say two hours a day. But the roof idea is a great one. A huge unobstructed building facing south with that many transformers should pay for something. Plus, the state of Ohio is giving them away.😁 I'm not downtown much anymore, but in the summer, the convention center gets all day sun. 

On 3/20/2025 at 2:19 PM, Lazarus said:

 

As the renovation is now starting to take shape, the following characteristics can be observed:

 

1. The 2006 addition (where the WCPO studios stood for many years) doesn't appear to be under any sort of significant modification, inside or out.  This includes the Cincinnati sign, Union Terminal mosaics, Sixth St. exterior, and Fifth St. exterior. 

2. The tortilla chips appear to only cover the Fifth St. facade between Elm St.  and the junction between the 1980s addition and the 2006 addition. 

3. There is no modification whatsoever underway on the 6th St. side of the convention center, all the way from Elm St. to Central Ave.  So this 800-foot expanse will continue to appear exactly as it has since 2006, with the exception of the recent removal of skywalk that served two parking garages.  It's possible that this situation is temporary and we'll see a new skywalk over Sixth St. soon.

4. There appears to have been no significant structural modification to the original 1960s section of the convention center, meaning the original loading dock section with its low ceiling and diagonal support beams is probably still in there in pretty much the same form that its existed in for the past 50 years.  So this means that part of the main exhibition floor right by the main entrance will continue to hide in the shadows and not be able to collect high fees.  

 

In summary, anyone with their own eyeballs and trusting of their observations can see that this is yet another half-ass renovation that didn't get us any new exhibition space and doesn't solve the fundamental problems with the convention center's layout.  And for some reason we're supposed to act like the closure of Elm St. and the brightly-colored murals aren't boring. 

 

 

 

Guys, he's gotta be doing a bit.

This renovation is touching every inch of the building. It’s going to a be top notch facility when finished.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53177138@N04/albums/72177720319478882/

 

Edited April 25Apr 25 by 646empire

Are we ever going to get an announcement on the hotel?  The county is going to cost themselves millions of dollars by not having this started before the pre tariffs.

They haven't announced any changes to the parking garages north of the convention center, have they? When I went to the top deck of the garage to take the photo that I posted here last month, I walked past a couple of people who were living in the stairwell. Just odd to see the convention center getting a full refresh but connected to very old garages with no security.

53 minutes ago, taestell said:

They haven't announced any changes to the parking garages north of the convention center, have they? When I went to the top deck of the garage to take the photo that I posted here last month, I walked past a couple of people who were living in the stairwell. Just odd to see the convention center getting a full refresh but connected to very old garages with no security.

Not yet, The Convention Center, Hotel, Whex Garage and Former Saks right now, Then The North Garage and 5th and Elm next.

58 minutes ago, Cincy513 said:

Are we ever going to get an announcement on the hotel?  The county is going to cost themselves millions of dollars by not having this started before the pre tariffs.

It’s ready from what I understand. 

7 hours ago, 646empire said:

This renovation is touching every inch of the building.

 

 

It appears that the 2006 addition, which is 1/4 of the building (and roughly 5 million square inches), isn't getting touched at all:

 

The ballroom will remain 2006 vintage, the 2006 escalators are being kept, and the exterior isn't being changed at all (including the "Cincinnati" sign and Union Terminal murals).  In many photos you can see that the dividing wall is drawn across the seem between the 1980s and 2006 section, hinting that the main hall expansion isn't being altered at all.

On 3/20/2025 at 10:54 PM, 646empire said:

You’re wrong about so many things here, I can’t even. Yikes Lol.

 

I turned out to be right about everything:

 

Allow me to revisit my fourth point, which I was able to accurately deduce without setting foot inside the building, since I am extremely familiar with it. 

 

The low-rent, low-ceiling section where the original 1960s loading dock was located remains perfectly intact:

 

This view of the low ceiling, diagonal pillars, and hanging skywalk hallway is completely unchanged...I remember it looking exactly like this 1985: