February 18, 200916 yr The third crane is up and operating. I confess, it seems like they could have gotten to everything with the other two. But perhaps this one is the most useful/maneuverable at this stage because it's the shortest?
February 18, 200916 yr I think the issue is that as soon as the bottom level of concrete is poured they can no longer operate traditional cranes with tracks in the pit, and they have no level staging area on the exterior of the site for them either.
February 18, 200916 yr Maybe they have so much going on that guys were standing around waiting for a crane to become available to move steel. You don't want guys standing around.
February 24, 200916 yr There is a platform that is a little above street level now. I don't know what it's for, probably the elevator shafts, but it can be seen from Fort Washington Way.
February 25, 200916 yr ^Thanks for posting Jake, it's nice seeing some progress like this downtown. Checked out The Banks webcam today too and it seems to be making some progress.
March 6, 200916 yr Flyover Interactive Animation http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Dato=20090306&Kategori=FLASH&Lopenr=303060009&Ref=AR Interactive: Ohio's tallest skyscrapers http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Dato=20090306&Kategori=FLASH&Lopenr=303070005&Ref=AR Tower will transform skyline Amid global economic skid, high-rise brings jobs, money, prestige By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • March 6, 2009 http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Dato=20090306&Kategori=BIZ01&Lopenr=903080301&Ref=AR For now, the downtown corner at Third and Sycamore is a work site 65 feet below ground. But very soon, the top of the new Great American Building at Queen City Square will rise from the enormous hole - eventually becoming the city's tallest building and the first downtown skyscraper in 17 years. "It's like the Super Bowl of construction projects," says Ken Jones, vice president and manager of the local Turner Construction Co. office. The firm is overseeing 500 workers and four cranes that will construct the tower that will spire 660 feet in the air. "We're building the newest, tallest tower in the city amid one of the toughest times we've seen." As businesses shed workers and development deals crumble across the globe, construction of the $322 million Great American tower is creating and keeping jobs, pumping millions of dollars into the region and finishing plans that have been in the works for more than 20 years. When it's completed in 2011, the tower could house up to 6,100 workers - more than any building in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. It also will reshape the downtown demographic as office workers move into the tower and out of existing workspace. Designers insist that the new skyscraper will be the city's crown jewel, adding to Cincinnati's skyline a shining "tiara" modeled after the crowns donned by Princess Diana. At the same time, development of The Banks riverfront project could provide homes, shopping and dining opportunities for the thousands of tower workers. That synergy between projects, city leaders say, promises to bolster efforts to reverse a decades-long notion that Cincinnati is behind the times.
March 6, 200916 yr haha no 13th floor. Is that common in buildings like this? Yeah, there's no 13th floor in the building I currently work at.
March 6, 200916 yr Reminds me of UC where you can walk into a building and be on the 5th floor. And some buildings you walk in and have to go up 3 flights to get to the 1st floor.
March 6, 200916 yr Ive only seen a 13th floor once in my life and i sure as hell didnt stop there. They are flying with the core concrete work though its virtually impossible to see what they are actually doing. Its pretty well concealed with plywood and plastic sheating. But it seems like overnight the'll bump up the steel form supports a whole floor. Whoa...i just re-read the article. Whats this build from the top down business? I dont see the efficiency in that nore do i see the practicality of jacking the entire building up with every new floor. Plus how do you progressively fit out a building with plumbing etc that way? Crazy. But that does explain how they seemed to make so much progress overnight!
March 6, 200916 yr I don't know if this has been mentioned in the same light but does anyone find it poetic that Carew was built/completed during the Great Depression and QCSII is being built/completed during the Almost-as-Great Recession?
March 6, 200916 yr I don't know if this has been mentioned in the same light but does anyone find it poetic that Carew was built/completed during the Great Depression and QCSII is being built/completed during the Almost-as-Great Recession? That is ironic, isn't it?
March 7, 200916 yr Not sure that I'm a big fan of this rotunda entrance design for the corner of 4th & Sycamore.
March 7, 200916 yr Proportionally, it looks like in needs to be about three or four times as tall in order to not look like a pancake.
March 7, 200916 yr Architect 1: Hey, we're building the new tallest building in Cincinnati, do you think we should but a flagpole on top with the American Flag? Architect 2: No, lets put one on the 4th Street rotunda entrance Architect 1: Wow thats a great idea. That's more patriotic! Architect 2: Lets also put a map on our website labeled "Downtown Cincinnati Map" but only show 2nd to 6th and Main to Sycamore. Architect 1: Hey what time is it? Architect 2: 1:20, why? Architect 1: No reason.
March 7, 200916 yr Not sure that I'm a big fan of this rotunda entrance design for the corner of 4th & Sycamore. I'm thinking it's supposed to compliment the turret on 303 broadway on the opposite corner of the block...In any case that rendering is pretty disappointing. The promenade and Rotunda seem like an after-thought, but I guess it's better than that strange park that was there before.
March 7, 200916 yr I think what's most disappointing is that they used SketchUp or something for their rendering.
March 7, 200916 yr The rendering also doesn't include the 11-story parking garage that will be visible from that perspective in the future.
March 7, 200916 yr The rendering also doesn't include the 11-story parking garage that will be visible from that perspective in the future. How many of those 11 stories will be above ground? I was under the impression that most would be below. That is a mighty deep hole they dug.
March 7, 200916 yr I hope they put some public art or a water feature on the corner where the plaza is going. I think there is something to be said for corporate blandness being contrasted with a cool sculpture or fountain. Also, I hope, though I'm sure this won't happen, that they put a restaurant or gym or something in the arcade that stays open past 9-5 Monday to Friday.
March 7, 200916 yr Jmicha I completely agree. That entrance should be around 4 or 5 stories or something. Maybe a big atrium in the front. But we won't know 'till we know! but who's complaining. The building is a good size.
March 8, 200916 yr It seems to me like the 11 story parking will match the Phase 1 building, since it has the same amount of levels. The garage there blends in pretty well, you can't even really tell it's there. I actually didn't realize the bottom 11 stories were parking until you posted that site plan above. The curtain wall covers it up and hides it completely, which is a very nice strategy in my opinion.
March 8, 200916 yr Who knows, this might spark another highrise boom like we had in the 80's. I'm interested to see what kind of colored lights, if any, will go in that crest at the top.
March 8, 200916 yr Nope this is it for a while - save some midrange buildings in the Banks eventually. Economy and filling in the space opened up by folks moving into QCS will prevent any other big buildings.
March 8, 200916 yr If you go here http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Dato=20090306&Kategori=FLASH&Lopenr=303060009&Ref=AR (it's the same link that oakiehigh posted) and click on the public space tab you'll get a better feel for what it will look like. It also seems to me that the rotunda is alreadly 3 stories tall. How much taller should a doorway be? Three stories seems pretty good to me.
March 9, 200916 yr Parking is a long term source of revenue to assist with the paying the bonds issued by the Port Authority. While the construction of the project will have a positive impact locally over the next couple of years I don't know that the net positive will be all that great given that most of the employees will move a few blocks down the street vacating existing buildings closer to the core but without as extensive on site parking. I would venture to say that most employees will come park and drive back home without ever leaving the immediate area. The public tax exempt low interest financing by the port authority and the TIF district allows Western Southen and Great American to meet the cash flow requirements at a substantially lower outlay than if they were doing so themselves. I think some could question if the public subsidy for consolidating existing employees of one of Cincinnati's wealthiest companies a few blocks from their existing location is really highest and best use of those economic development tools.
March 9, 200916 yr ^ but they were thinking about moving to mason which would have been catastrophic to downtown, and making moves like this will keep those major employers downtown.
March 9, 200916 yr The office shuffle that is occuring is also a net positive for smaller more local companies. It allows them to upgrade their office space due to the overall lurch forward that the market takes with a project like this. The lower Class A tenants move up to better Class A, Class B move up to A, Class C to B, and hopefully the antiquated Class C office spaces are removed from the inventory and replaced with apartments. It's a healthy cycle if you ask me.
March 9, 200916 yr The office shuffle that is occuring is also a net positive for smaller more local companies. It allows them to upgrade their office space due to the overall lurch forward that the market takes with a project like this. The lower Class A tenants move up to better Class A, Class B move up to A, Class C to B, and hopefully the antiquated Class C office spaces are removed from the inventory and replaced with apartments. It's a healthy cycle if you ask me. agreed, such as the old enquirer building. Anyone know when the conversion of that building is supposed to start?
March 9, 200916 yr westbasco don't forget the developer is MED, so you have a good 3 years before those become available. 3 years at the earliest I would say. They are still cleaning up messes at Graydon Place and trying to finish Parker Flats.
March 17, 200916 yr Awesome...thanks for the update. I can't wait until I get back in the Cincinnati area and then take the cut-in-the-hill approach Thursday night. I'm gonna be hit with Cincinnati awesomeness plus 4-5 cranes in the skyline.
March 17, 200916 yr Nice Jake. My friend said she saw you downtown taking some pictures around there.
March 17, 200916 yr That's the elevator shaft they're building first right? This fills a nice skyline gap too. I always wondered what it would be like if buildings were built in that huge parking lot in front of Edge. Ya know the one everyone uses for fireworks parking. Think it's possible?
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