November 23, 201014 yr You can see it from Cin-Day Rd @ I-75 (along with Carew) pretty clearly. That's the furthest I've been able to see it. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 23, 201014 yr Talk about making it even easier to give directions. As all Cincinnatians know in their bones their relationship to the river, this will make it easier to share w/ outsiders.
November 23, 201014 yr I'm not making this up. Yesterday while I was out with my dad, we were heading south on SR 747 (Princeton Glendale Road), and after passing through the intersection at Hamilton Mason Road, I saw the QCS tiara (as well as the top of Carew Tower) in the distance! I wasn't driving, so I was able to get a good look at it to confirm that's what it was. I never would have thought I'd see it from that far away, but there it was...the white tiara stood out against the gray clouds. That's a distance of just over 19 miles straight-line. From that distance, the top of the tiara was definitely higher than the top of CT.
November 24, 201014 yr I'm not making this up. Yesterday while I was out with my dad, we were heading south on SR 747 (Princeton Glendale Road), and after passing through the intersection at Hamilton Mason Road, I saw the QCS tiara (as well as the top of Carew Tower) in the distance! I wasn't driving, so I was able to get a good look at it to confirm that's what it was. I never would have thought I'd see it from that far away, but there it was...the white tiara stood out against the gray clouds. That's a distance of just over 19 miles straight-line. From that distance, the top of the tiara was definitely higher than the top of CT. On route 42 in front of Ell Farm in West Chester you can definitely tell that QCS is taller than Carew...both look great at night and in the early morning.
November 24, 201014 yr It is really great to have that sort of visual connection in a region that usually acts and plans things in a very disconnected way. I would like to see what a 700' + tower would do to the region. Over time it will be very interesting to see what this (and hopefully a taller tower) does to peoples responses as far as where they are from. Do people continue to identify more with their neighborhood or with the city of Cincinnati? What about people from NKY when they leave the area do they tell people Covington or Cincy? In cities without basins that blocks views of downtown towers, the omnipresence of the towers present a strong mental connection to the urban core as a place to which people are a part. This was especially poignant to observe in London as being able to view 30 Mary Axe replaced being able to view St. Peters in the qualification of Downtown views. (it also seemed to change the mentality of my neighbors in Zone 2)
November 26, 201014 yr In cities without basins that blocks views of downtown towers, the omnipresence of the towers present a strong mental connection to the urban core as a place to which people are a part. That just means we need to make our towers even taller :)
November 26, 201014 yr What about people from NKY when they leave the area do they tell people Covington or Cincy? We say either Kentucky or Cincinnati, because places like Covington are meaningless to someone from outside the area. I've found that most people from NKY say Kentucky, because Cincinnati implies Ohio, which isn't correct. But I just say Cincinnati. Even though it is less accurate, saying Kentucky gives people the impression of rolling hills, white fences, and horses, which is really more like Lexington than NKY. After all, if the river wasn't there, Covington and Newport would likely be Cincinnati neighborhoods.
November 26, 201014 yr After all, if the river wasn't there, Covington and Newport would likely be Cincinnati neighborhoods. Maybe even all the riverside cities. If everything from Ludlow to Dayton was part of Cincinnati the population would be over 400,000. It's no wonder we have such an awesome skyline.
December 10, 201014 yr I thought the night views of Cincy shown by the network during the nationally televised Bengals/ Pittsburg football game were very beautiful and impressive! And had to make a positive impresssion on viewers...do you guys agree?
January 2, 201114 yr http://cincinnati.com/blogs/developingnow/ Ribbon Cutting at 1:11PM on 1/11/11. I guess they think the Great American Tower is #1? or #11...
January 3, 201114 yr Not till 1/11/11 at 11:11AM!! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
January 3, 201114 yr Not till 1/11/11 at 11:11AM!! Don't forget to hold off clicking the button until 11 seconds after that.
January 3, 201114 yr I really like this building from the side view, the one where it appears skinnier. Im not sure what I think about the wide view of it... Something just seems off. Overall a nice addition to the Cincinnati Skyline!
January 4, 201114 yr That won't be finished until the end of February: Great American Tower preps for opening By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • January 3, 2011 DOWNTOWN - Moving Day is fast approaching for the first new occupants of Great American Tower at Queen City Square - the region's newest, tallest skyscraper. By mid-January, Great American Insurance Co. expects to begin moving the first of 2,500 employees into the 41-story tower, which is nearing completion after more than two years of construction. The $320 million skyscraper is the largest construction project downtown since the Bengals and Reds stadiums were built in 2000 and 2003. "It's a huge undertaking," said Keith Jensen, chief financial officer of Great American Insurance Co. and executive vice president of parent company American Financial Group. "There's certainly a lot of anticipation. I think our people are excited, especially those who have seen this building rise and change the skyline." "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 4, 201114 yr The building was financed with $225 million in bonds (debt financing) from the Port Authority (a city government agency). Where is COAST!? Why aren't they standing up demanding that parts of the building be sold off as scrap metal to fund the police & fire unions overtime budgets? Clearly they aren't really worried about debt or debt financing. Those $225 million in bonds put the $64 million for the streetcar to shame! I'm glad they mentioned the funding, I had no idea.
January 4, 201114 yr Wasteful spending for a tower that will cause office vacancy rates to increase in downtown! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
January 4, 201114 yr Wasteful spending for a tower that will cause office vacancy rates to increase in downtown! Maybe in the immediate short term, but it's a perfect example of densification. More downtown office space now means the rest will become cheaper and and thus more accessible to other businesses. Supply and demand.
January 4, 201114 yr He was joking. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 4, 201114 yr I forgot to put one of these :-P after that. :-( “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
January 5, 201114 yr What about people from NKY when they leave the area do they tell people Covington or Cincy? We say either Kentucky or Cincinnati, because places like Covington are meaningless to someone from outside the area. I've found that most people from NKY say Kentucky, because Cincinnati implies Ohio, which isn't correct. But I just say Cincinnati. Even though it is less accurate, saying Kentucky gives people the impression of rolling hills, white fences, and horses, which is really more like Lexington than NKY. After all, if the river wasn't there, Covington and Newport would likely be Cincinnati neighborhoods. Be honest, saying Kentucky gives people another impression. :)
January 7, 201114 yr its pathetic they don't have the signage completed. They've got 4 days, 1 hour, and 4 minutes.
January 7, 201114 yr its pathetic they don't have the signage completed. They've got 4 days, 1 hour, and 4 minutes. Better get moving quick! They only have 4 days 1 hour and 2 minutes left now! :O
January 7, 201114 yr Again... that won't be complete until February per this article: Great American Tower preps for opening "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 7, 201114 yr Again... that won't be complete until February per this article: Great American Tower preps for opening I know and its terrible
January 11, 201114 yr Region's tallest tower opens Tuesday American Financial, Western & Southern worked to build 41-story Great American Tower By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn • [email protected] • January 10, 2011 When a ribbon is broken Tuesday for Cincinnati's newest and tallest skyscraper, executives of two Fortune 500 firms will share pride in a project that even a historic recession couldn't stop. Leaders of insurance giant American Financial Group Inc. and developer Western & Southern Financial Group have worked for more than five years to bring the 41-story Great American Tower at Queen City Square out of the ground. The waiting ends Tuesday, 1/11/11 at 1:11 p.m., when up to 250 of Cincinnati's top business and government leaders gather at the corner of Fourth and Sycamore streets to officially open the $320 million tower. Nationwide, it's the largest office tower scheduled to open this year. cont. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 11, 201114 yr Follow-up article with information on a new tenant Great American Tower now open for business By Mike Boyer • [email protected] • January 11, 2011 Cincinnati's tallest building, the 665-foot Great American Tower at Queen City Square was officially opened shortly after 1:11 p.m. Thursday, an event developers and the city hope will help spur an economic renaissance downtown. Underscoring that theme, John Barrett, chairman and CEO of Western & Southern Financial Group which teamed with American Financial Group to develop the structure, announced the building's newest tenant would be Lafayette Life Insurance Co. - the Western & Southern unit in Lafayette, Ind., which it announced earlier in the day would be consolidated here, bringing about 150 jobs. It will join Great American Insurance Group, the building's main tenant, and the law firm of Frost Brown Todd which will occupy four floors. cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 14, 201114 yr Queen City parking garage to open Feb. 1 An expanded parking garage at Great American Tower at Queen City Square will begin monthly parking at the start of February. The garage will add more than 1,600 new parking spaces. Ampco System Parking, manager of the parking garage, currently is accepting requests for monthly parking contracts that would start in February. Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/01/14/queen-city-parking-garage-to-open-feb-1.html “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
January 14, 201114 yr 2,200 total parking spaces in Phases I and II, does anyone recall how many spaces the old garage had before it was demolished?
January 15, 201114 yr Off hand I think it was around 750 or so. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
January 29, 201114 yr So... as far as anyone knows, no effort is being made to make the tiara more visible in the daytime? If this is possible, I don't know.
February 7, 201114 yr Check out the rendering of QCS at the Current at the Banks website: http://www.currentcinci.com/ Loving that shiny tiara...
February 8, 201114 yr Check out the rendering of QCS at the Current at the Banks website: http://www.currentcinci.com/ Loving that shiny tiara... too bad the tiara will never have that kind of resolution.
February 8, 201114 yr Off hand I think it was around 750 or so. It was more than that. Low end I want to say 1200, but I think it was more like 1600.
February 17, 201114 yr Signage on the north side of the tower is complete and illuminated tonight. Scaffolding still needs to come down... "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 23, 201114 yr Not sure why they choose to change their logo from "American" being the color blue to it being white... Nothing new in this article: Sign shines from tower The first of two signs has been installed atop the Great American Tower at Queen City Square, Cincinnati’s newest and tallest skyscraper. Contractors recently put into place a north-facing logo and the final letters of the Great American Insurance Group sign on the top of the 665-foot tower. A south-facing logo and sign is expected to be completed by the end of March – in time for the Cincinnati Reds opening day game. cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 24, 201114 yr A story about a sign on the tower...with no photos included. I feel like I'm reading the New Adventures of Mark Twain through a small hole in the wall.
February 24, 201114 yr ^the actual link to the story on the website features a small pic of the tower with logo. Gotta love the lazy media in Cincinnati. http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BIZ&nav=4
March 18, 201114 yr Signage on the north side of the tower is complete and illuminated tonight. Scaffolding still needs to come down... South facing signage was illuminated tonight. I saw it from 275 crossing the Licking River. The only thing that stands out at that distance is the red logo.
April 1, 201114 yr Did anybody else notice that they had red lights shining on the building on opening day morning?
April 1, 201114 yr ^Yup. They were on Wednesday evening as well. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 24, 201113 yr The signage did wonders for the tower. It feels taller, better proportioned, and at night the sign gives the tiara the look of a glimmering white rainbow as it hangs in the sky. A dramatic improvement indeed!
June 25, 201113 yr So, when is it going to be finished? :-D I asked a buddy of mine what he thought of the tower as we were passing by. He told me that he was glad that Cincinnati has a new tower, although it may be too much office space for downtown, and with all that steel exposed it just doesn't look finished.
July 21, 201113 yr Vorys will move to new tower 2:49 AM, Jul. 21, 2011 Written by Lisa Bernard-Kuhn DOWNTOWN – The law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease has signed a long-term lease for more than two floors of newly built Great American Tower at Queen City Square. The upcoming move will nearly fill the 1 million-square-foot tower – less than seven months after the city’s newest and tallest skyscraper opened. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110721/BIZ01/307210017/
July 21, 201113 yr They are in Atrium 2 right now, right. The vacancy rates in the Atrium buildings must be sky high with Cincy Bell being nearly out of there and Convergys not taking up as much space as they intended.
Create an account or sign in to comment