LOL!!!

You all can laugh but the skyline will start to look major.

Uhh... yeah, take my comments seriously - that was my intent :roll:

 

Newsflash, Cincy's skyline looks great already - this is just going to add even more dimension.

Just a quick recap since we lost some posts with related information.  The tower will have 825,000 square feet and its main occupant will be Great American Financial Group from Cincinnati.  Their existing office space is currently spread out throughout Downtown, but mainly within 525 Vine and the 580 Building.  This news will give these other two buildings essentially three years to lease out the space that Great American will leave behind.

 

Great American will occupy 22 floors and roughly 530,000 square feet of space in QCS II.  Their company name will go on top of the tower most likely at the base of the designed tiara.

 

What's Next?

The design for the tower is subject to approval from the City of Cincinnati Design Review Board (which is completely normal).  That recommendation will then go on to the decision makers for a final say.  Most likely this design has already gained a soft approval from city staff and even possibly the DRB so don't expect any hiccups in the near future.  The tower should break ground this coming spring, as planned, and Great American Financial should start moving into their new space in 2011 (the same time their leases run up at their current spaces).

 

Additional Information:

Downtown Office Trends - UrbanCincy

One stop location of all QCS renderings/images - Cincy Images

Diana inspired QCS's 'tiara' - Cincinnati Enquirer

AFG to anchor new tower - Cincinnati Enquirer

Queen City Square News Release (PDF) - Eagle Realty

 

Image from Cincy Images

^---Yup, I went from a 675 post count down to a 585 post count. And I was getting so close to getting another star! Waaahhh!  :-(

>That stinks that a lot of the post are gone.

 

^---That pic just cracks me up J! LOL

^

atleast that post is back.

We need the images of the city and QCS II back up!  They were really good.

Here's one,,,new and improved!

 

And another I did, but never posted...

 

It will beef up the skyline as viewed from Kentucky, but it's going to have a huge impact as you look at it coming down 71. 

 

Nice images, Ronnie.

Could it also have a big impact, when you are coming down from I-75 heading towards downtown.

^---I don't think it will be quite as visible coming down 75. Even though it will be the tallest, that is the worse view of the CBD and I think you will probably see maybe 1 or 2 floors and the tiara at the most.

 

I'll see if I can dish up an image from that angle.

These renderings are really good!  BUT...

 

Are they representative of how "thick" QCSII will be?  For instance the view from Covington above - I would have thought that QCS would look the same thickness of Atrium 2 or Scripps from this angle.  OR it would be about the thickness of Phase 1 next door...look closely.  If that is actually how "thick" it ends up being...mmmmeh.  Don't get me wrong I love it but it just seems so............fat.

 

What about the view from Columbia Pky??  Think about how impressive that will be!

QCS will be wider than 303 Broadway. Those renderings are approximate when it comes to height vs width. I simply resized the original renderings and kept the aspect ratio equal, so if I resized it by say 30% in height, then it is also 30% in width. QCSII is simply fat. Remember, it's only 40 floors, but yet has over 800,000 sqf! That's a lot space to fit in 600 feet, so it has to have a big footprint to fit all that space.

^Thanks for the explanation.  Personally, I would rather have another 10-12 floors as opposed to the girth, er...large footprint.

 

But, WOW!  This is really going to change the personality of the skyline!

I agree. I sent an e-mail to Barrett saying, that although I thought the building was beautiful, it was somewhat "stocky." and I hoped by adding several floors including a two-leval observation deck it would top out at over 700 feet.

Atrium II does not front 3rd St., the In-Between Tavern, a pair of row buildings, and an alley take up a bit of the south part of the block. QCS, like the Scripps Center, will front 3rd St. and because of the gap caused by the In-Between Tavern and its neighbors Queen City Square will be much more dominant when viewed from I-75 and Devou Park than would have been the case otherwise, although new construction on the riverfront should reduce that tendency somewhat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya, I would rather it be taller then wider, but we can't always get what we want now can we.

On a side note.....I had a dream that P&G released an announcement that they were going to construct a new skyscraper as well.

 

What about the view from Columbia Pky??  Think about how impressive that will be!

 

That is the view that I would really like to see.  Right now, when you are heading into downtown on Columbia Pkwy from the eastside you can see the top of the Carew Tower peaking over Mt. Adams.  I cant wait to see what it looks like when QSII and the Carew are visable from this angle.  Conisdering that QSII is both taller and about 4 blocks further east than Carew I a imagine that QSII will look huge.

I had a dream that P&G released an announcement that they were going to construct a new skyscraper as well.

 

 

I didn't have that dream, but have been thinking about that lately!  I would love to see a modern day Crysler/Empire bldg race here in the Nati.   (Economics aside - just a pipe dream if you will)

i have always had issues with the proportions of this building...its simply massive when compared to the rest of the buildings downtown.  and keep dreaming about P&G building anything anytime soon.

^---The building's not all that big. Only 84 feet taller than Carew. If it was 700, then I would start wondering. But even then Cleveland would still rank #1 as far as out of proportion skyscrapers. Also, I would bet this is going to stretch the envelope for Cincinnati anyway. Will anyone break QCSII? Not anytime soon, but I would expect some more 500+ footers to get built in the near future.

I guess someone would think that P&G would want to have a play in having the tallest building since they are such a powerhouse in Cincinnati.

I would think if they ever wanted a tallest, they would have done that the first time. P&G's current headquarters are regarded as one of the best twin towers around. Yea, they are no Petronis Towers, but they still have their own elegance. I would actually be disappointed to see P&G leave their current home. Edit: Unless they built something far more spectacular.

O.K. If P&G wouldn't build a new skyscraper anytime soon, then who would possibly be a good contender to do so next?

I would think if they ever wanted a tallest, they would have done that the first time. P&G's current headquarters are regarded as one of the best twin towers around. Yea, they are no Petronis Towers, but they still have their own elegance. I would actually be disappointed to see P&G leave their current home. Edit: Unless they built something far more spectacular.

 

I agree.  The twin towers are so cool looking and well proportioned that you barely notice that they are only about 15 stories high.  P&G makes great use of the two blocks that they occupy downtown.  You could cram all of their square footage into one tall building and take up one quarter block, but it is much better the way it is.  They fill up two blocks with handsome smaller building and a very nice garden and green space on 5th street. 

O.K. If P&G wouldn't build a new skyscraper anytime soon, then who would possibly be a good contender to do so next?

 

I would have said Convergys a couple of years ago, but that got ruined. But lately I have been wondering as to when 5/3 Bank in Dayton is going to consolidate since they have offices in 5 or more different locations downtown. How many locations are they spread out in Cincinnati? That might be a good indicator. Or maybe Chase since they have expanded into this area? What building(s) does Chase lease in Cincinnati?

^Kenwood Tower

 

 

Realistically, I know PG won't ever leave what they got. 

I personally think this will be the tallest structure for awhile (possibly decades).

^---Oh yeah, there's no doubt about that. But I do see some filling the gap between say Scripps and QCSII sometime or another. Maybe Fifth and Race finally getting off it's ass?

There are still two law firms Downtown that are looking to significantly expand, but hopefully one of these takes up the space left behind by Great American.  There is also 5th & Race (as has been mentioned) that will be built within the somewhat near future and probably be about 35 stories.  I think 5/3 is a long shot, but there is always that possibility with their acquisition growth model.

 

In addition to all of this I still think there is an out of town firm (or two) that are considering relocation to the Cincinnati Metro and in particular - Downtown.  I wouldn't imagine any being large enough to warrant a major skyscraper, but a 20 story building at The Banks or another 20 story or so building in the CBD.  As for residential, I think you've got a real good possibility of a 20-30 story tower at the 7th & Vine lots (with a grocery at the base of course).

7th and vine: that would be a great location, one block from the streetcar, two from the square. Right on a park. I would buy there, (and apparently the www.urbancincy.blogspot.com poll shows a lot of people want to live downtown). Right near a bunch of bars and restaurants. across the street you could put a little 6 story building next to Rockin robins.

There are still two law firms Downtown that are looking to significantly expand, but hopefully one of these takes up the space left behind by Great American.  There is also 5th & Race (as has been mentioned) that will be built within the somewhat near future and probably be about 35 stories.  I think 5/3 is a long shot, but there is always that possibility with their acquisition growth model.

 

There always seems to be a rumor that 5/3 wants more space in the 580 Building.

When I hit the Powerball jackpot there's going to be big things happening a week after that check clears. 

^So we can assume you're taking the lump sum?

^LOL that would be sweet......

Hey Jake, if you win, I've been a good guy to ya, right? :-D

5/3 wont be building any new tower anytime soon. They just built that ugly complex up 71 instead of building ontop of the Macy's and Palominos location. They still own the air rights though! Plus, they recently built buildings in Lexington and Detroit. Oh well!

^ Didn't that used to be the US Shoe building?  Not really my part of town, so I could be wrong.

Yep. That was a pretty big deal when they put that project together. It was the first suburban style office park built in the city limits at the time.

Yes, I was going to say that ugly complex off I-71 was there well before 5/3 moved in. Also what building were you (Lanskieth17) referring to in Lexington that just got built? If you are talking about the Lexington Financial Center (Lexington's tallest), that was completed in 1987.

 

I wouldn't expect 5/3 to build something over Macy's as far as a headquarters. But I do expect them to consolidate sometime or another. It's not cost effective to run offices in several different buildings and 5/3 is growing fast.

Well 5/3's (yes, an improper fraction with an 's) situation is still a lot more respectable than Nationwide's.  3 mediocre towers and 3,000 people sent out to a cadre of mediocre suburban buildings in French Guiana, er, Dublin. 

 

Anyone ever thought that P&G keeps its parks, especially the one in front of the older P&G building, as a site for a future tower?  I believe P&G actually bought up that property south of the old building at the same time it built the new towers on the block to the east, it was formerly the site of some motley buildings. 

 

 

^Interesting...

Some motley and some historic. One of the city's great Catholic churches was torn down for P&Gs gardens.

Reply to Uncle Rando (how does one reply to a specific comment made in this blog?) Do you have anything more definite about the fifth and race building being as high as 35 floors?

Some motley and some historic. One of the city's great Catholic churches was torn down for P&Gs gardens.

 

I thought that was the Wesley Chapel (which would have made it Methodist).  And I'm pretty sure that P&G were willing to pay to have it moved but no one wanted it.

From wikipedia:

 

Wesley Chapel was a Methodist church in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in 1831 on the north side of Fifth Street between Broadway and Sycamore, it was a simple red brick Georgian structure copied after John Wesley's original Methodist church in London. With 1,200 seats, it was the largest meeting place west of the Alleghenies and the largest building in Cincinnati, Ohio for many years. It was the seat of Methodism in Cincinnati.

 

The funeral of William Henry Harrison took place there in 1841.

 

In 1845, former president John Quincy Adams spoke at Wesley Chapel, dedicating the new Cincinnati Observatory being built on Mount Adams. In the years before the Civil War, political rallies and anti-slavery meetings frequently were held there.

 

During the early years, a cemetery was near the Chapel on Fifth Street, when the Wesleyan Cemetery, was founded in 1843 many of the bodies were moved to the new cemetery.

 

A long struggle took place between 1965 and 1972 between the Procter & Gamble Corporation and the people who wanted to save the oldest surving church in the city, Wesley Chapel. P & G offered several options, including moving the building across the street. The congregation elected to build a new church in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Wesley Chapel was demolished in 1972.

 

http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASHa983/80dfdf69.dir/ocp000263pccpc.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Wesley Chapel was a Methodist church in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in 1831 on the north side of Fifth Street between Broadway and Sycamore, it was a simple red brick Georgian structure copied after John Wesley's original Methodist church in London. With 1,200 seats, it was the largest meeting place west of the Alleghenies and the largest building in Cincinnati, Ohio for many years. It was the seat of Methodism in Cincinnati.

 

The funeral of William Henry Harrison took place there in 1841.

 

In 1845, former president John Quincy Adams spoke at Wesley Chapel, dedicating the new Cincinnati Observatory being built on Mount Adams. In the years before the Civil War, political rallies and anti-slavery meetings frequently were held there.

 

During the early years, a cemetery was near the Chapel on Fifth Street, when the Wesleyan Cemetery, was founded in 1843 many of the bodies were moved to the new cemetery.

 

A long struggle took place between 1965 and 1972 between the Procter & Gamble Corporation and the people who wanted to save the oldest surving church in the city, Wesley Chapel. P & G offered several options, including moving the building across the street. The congregation elected to build a new church in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Wesley Chapel was demolished in 1972.

 

http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASHa983/80dfdf69.dir/ocp000263pccpc.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, Max!

When I hit the Powerball jackpot there's going to be big things happening a week after that check clears.

 

I've always thought the same thing (and I'm sure others as well)...that if I ever won a jackpot like that, that the first thing I would do is build a numerous buildings and/or do numerous renovations in and around Downtown/Uptown Cincinnati.  Too bad I don't play the lottery.

 

Reply to Uncle Rando (how does one reply to a specific comment made in this blog?) Do you have anything more definite about the fifth and race building being as high as 35 floors?

 

Just speculation about the current market conditions.  In order to do something affordable you need density...and high-end isn't really all that doable right now or really anytime in the near future.  They have been pitching affordable and I think that they are going to keep upping the density in order to make the numbers work...there is always that possibility that I'm wrong though.

Old St. Paul's was in that neck of the woods too.