W&S Realty owns a bunch of the buildings in and around that area that are pretty much vacant/mothballed.  For example, the east side of lower Broadway (South of the U Club).  Not the one immediately adjacent (the medical arts building that was being renovated this summer), but the old Police Station (very cool space) as well as some Italianate homes lined up in that alley around the corner from the station.    Would be very cool if they did something interesting with those holdings.

Any more pics of the demolition?

I was just down there last night.  It it mostly gone, but does not look much different than the photos from a couple weeks ago.  I guess now that they are up close to the surrounding structures that work is moving at a much slower pace.

Yes - I went to the Reds game last night and took a look, and it is now going to be really slow - apparently until October according to an earlier post.  I have to quit paying attention as I just want to see some steel rising out of the ground.  Maybe sometime in February-March I guess.

Interesting!

^

That is for Phase 2 not QCS 2.

Huh? what's the difference?

Queen City Square is the entire project including phase 1 (303 Broadway) and phase 2 (Great American Insurance Building).  This is one project with two phases.  I think oakiehigh might have been thinking that this was a subtle sign that there is another QCS project on the horizon.  That's not the case as of right now, and I wouldn't expect that to change.

No no, I hadn't seen this parcel plan and I just thought I'd throw it out there.   

Sorry, didn't mean to cause any confusion!    albeit (QCS II )  instead of Phase 2   

I somewhat remember somebody talking about the remaining parcels on that block a few pages back and thought that this gave a pretty good visual.

I wonder what kind of retail will be at street level.  Or, what would be good to have for that area. Hmmmmm.

Laundromat, coffee shop, fitness center.  There is a decent amount of residential over in that area, and much of it is in older buildings that don't boast many of the built-in amenities that people desire.  That's why I think these would make the most sense.

One thing I've noticed in New York, is a lot of fitness centers in business centers to cater to people before/after/during work. I don't recall many in downtown Cincy. Coffee shops always. I don't know about a laundromat, but maybe a dry cleaner?

FYI- there currently is a Baba Budan's coffee shop in phase 1.

Also, there is a fitness center in Scripps Tower that a lot of people use, however the east end of 4th could certainly use another.

Doesn't CRC have a fitness center in the lower level of the Boathouse too?

Any other suggestions out there?

Fitness centers are in the basement of Carew, the YWCA on Walnut, and the Cincinnati Athletic Club on Shillito Place.  And then the Central Y just over the edge on Central Parkway in OTR.

AlabamaExPat should be able to weigh in with some good suggestions here.

From a site visit this AM:

 

-Standing structure demolition seems to be about 3/4 done.  Right now there is no structure demo occurring.  It seems they are in a removal mode instead.

-Overall demolition and removal of rubble is probably only 1/3 done.  There will be alot of concrete to remove plus the removal of dirt to build the pilings and underground portion.  If I had to guess we won't see above ground structural steel going into place until 3/09.

-They have started to bring in and install the outer foundation pilings that will form the "slurry" or retaining wall.  This is being started at the SE corner of the lot on 3rd Street.

-Right now it is easy to get a sense of how large this garage was.  With is mostly gone the lot size looks huge!  This thing was relatively tall for a garage and deep (when imagining it from the 3rd street perspective.)

-You can also fully see the exposed west wall of 303BW and the planned connecting portions to QCS2.

-Heading south on Sycamore, you now have a nice unobstructed view of GABP.  Also the huge wall viewed from 4th and Sycamore will finally be gone!

Is there any news about an observation area being put at the very top in the "crown"? I know a few ideas were floating last year on what they should put up there.

AlabamaExPat should be able to weigh in with some good suggestions here.

 

Well, there's what I would like, and then there's what I expect.

 

What I would like:

 

[*]Another Jean Robert restauruant similiar to JeanRo, Lavomatic, etc

[*]A nice wine/beer shop (open late of course)

[*]A small urban grocery store (like a small Tesco's or something)

 

What I expect (given office workers in the building will far outnumber residents at that end of town)

 

[*]Another Starbucks

[*]Some type of Deli that closes at 2:00 pm

[*]A Stroud's (or whatever those gum, magazine, shops are called in all the office buildings)

[*]A bagel shop or some other business catering to the office crowd for a quick breakfast, or munchies to the conference rooms on the floors above (closed on weekends of course)

[*]A mini-bank

 

Sorry if I sound cynical, but that atrium will be there to cater to the hoards of people working in that and neighboring office buildings, similar to what's in the ground floors of every other high rise downtown. 

 

^ Unfortunately, I have to agree with what will probably be in the new building.

A dunken donuts would be hilarious.  We know where all the cops would park:)

Thursday August 21, 2008:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the photos.

Those pictures are sweet.  They remind me of post 9/11 WTC and for some reason the movie Cloverfield.

awesome!

 

Those pictures are sweet.  They remind me of post 9/11 WTC and for some reason the movie Cloverfield.

 

They remind me of Terminator. Awesome pics jmeck

Thanks VERY MUCH for the  pics!

Incredible pictures jmecklenborg

I got these this morning but they suck after seeing yours.

 

 

 

 

What I would like:

 

[*]Another Jean Robert restauruant similiar to JeanRo, Lavomatic, etc

[*]A nice wine/beer shop (open late of course)

[*]A small urban grocery store (like a small Tesco's or something)

 

Agreed.  However, how many unique restaurants can Jean Robert realistically run?

 

 

What I expect (given office workers in the building will far outnumber residents at that end of town)

 

• A bagel shop or some other business catering to the office crowd for a quick breakfast, or munchies to the conference rooms on the floors above (closed on weekends of course)
  

 

 

Actually, an Einstein Bros. bagel shop would be a nice addition.  Yes, it's a chain, but we don't have any in the area yet and their pizza bagels and bagel dogs are awesome.

It put up a good fight, but the garage is officially down as of this morning.

Now that the garage is down we need a web camera!  Anyone know when/where they will be placing it?

Does anyone know if the steel is going up yet? Is the project still on schedule?

how would the steel be going up . . . they still have to empty the area and do work underground . . . patience man, patience

Does anyone know if the steel is going up yet? Is the project still on schedule?

 

The garage is no more, but the site is still a mess.  Its a big dusty pile of concrete and metal.  They will be digging out the rubble for months I would imagine.

In the year 2490 they will build skyscrapers that quick lol.

They built Carew Tower in 13 months for like $26 dollars.

So much for progress.

i forget how poorly sarcasm translates in print

^I laughed at your sarcasm twice...and both times my post was deleted by someone.

^I laughed at your sarcasm twice...and both times my post was deleted by someone.

 

It was me.  Just trying to keep the thread manageable for everyone to read.  Then again what is a few posts going to do when it's 51 pages as of now?

Here was the view on Saturday, August 30.

 

They've uncovered the stone foundations of buildings that occupied the "park" on the north half of the site.  Some might remember that one of those row buildings survived until about 2001. 

That is a huge space.

Yea this building will be a monster.  The other thing is we won't realize the true size until it's topped off.  I was coming up 75 N from Kentucky( ya know the absolute best view of cincy anywhere) and you can get a sense of the scope of this building.  If you go to the bible college in Price Hill, you can get a great idea too. 

The view from Devou is not too shabby, also.

How much of that lot is phase 2 gonna fill?

^All of it.

Here was the view on Saturday, August 30.

 

Jake was that taken with a D300 w/ 17-55mm 2.8 Lens?

Yeah, the sunset was incredible that night.  I barely touched this image in photoshop although I probably underexposed on purpose.  With that kind of light I was mad I was stuck at the game instead of walking around town.  I've had the 17-55 for over a year and it has good results at all focal lengths and distances.  It's an expensive lens but I think it's worth it.     

is this dialouge some kind of plug for a camera company?

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