Some photos from today...

 

1. Looking southeast along Erie Avenue.  You can see the exterior material pretty well in this photo.

 

2. Looking southwest along Erie Avenue

 

3. Looking south from Erie Avenue

Geeze, these are moving so very slow.

Ugh, I hate overhead power lines...

looking good.  thanks randy!

Yeah, I love the way these are looking!

Nice... Cincinnati is notorious for being an architecturally conservative city, but many of the new projects around town are refreshingly modernist while still being sensitive to their context. I wonder if some of the the high-profile projects on the UC campus and downtown have awakened a desire for fresh design ideas, and created a snowball effect?

 

I like the exterior cladding material on this project... Is that slate?

A little unrelated, but it still bothers me that Michigan Terrace is still vacant at the street level.  That building was meant to anchor the northern(?) portion of the square much in the same way that the building with Vineyard Cafe and Indigo anchors the south(?) end.  If the space is awkwardly designed, they need to re-do it, because that retail space needs to be filled.  There's no excuse for a great space right on Hyde Park Square to sit empty.

I think something is up with this project (as I said above).  It is going about as slow as The Pallisades in Mt. Adams.  They have been hanging that exterior cladding for at least 5 months and are getting nowhere fast as Rando's pictures show.

A little unrelated, but it still bothers me that Michigan Terrace is still vacant at the street level. That building was meant to anchor the northern(?) portion of the square much in the same way that the building with Vineyard Cafe and Indigo anchors the south(?) end. If the space is awkwardly designed, they need to re-do it, because that retail space needs to be filled. There's no excuse for a great space right on Hyde Park Square to sit empty.

 

When i suggested the same thing to the agent in charge of leasing, I was told that the million dollar condos above prevented any retrofit.  It is a shame, because there is tons of interest in the space, just not boutique retail.

A little unrelated, but it still bothers me that Michigan Terrace is still vacant at the street level. That building was meant to anchor the northern(?) portion of the square much in the same way that the building with Vineyard Cafe and Indigo anchors the south(?) end. If the space is awkwardly designed, they need to re-do it, because that retail space needs to be filled. There's no excuse for a great space right on Hyde Park Square to sit empty.

 

Oh I'm pretty sure that there's a good excuse...

 

 

 

 

^It doesn't have much to do with the economy, as that space has sat empty well before the economy crashed.  I really hope they can do something with it. Maybe even offer the space as a community art gallery, playing off of the success of the HP Art Show?

>I like the exterior cladding material on this project... Is that slate?

 

I don't know what kind of rock it is, but it definitely looks expensive.  The quality of this building is similar to some of the big condos that went up recently along Portland's streetcar line.  The streetcar has the potential not just to repopulate Over-the-Rhine, but to encourage new construction that is higher quality than possible otherwise. 

 

 

 

When i suggested the same thing to the agent in charge of leasing, I was told that the million dollar condos above prevented any retrofit.  It is a shame, because there is tons of interest in the space, just not boutique retail.

 

A restaurant would be cool.

 

Can't really do a restaurant due to lack of mechanical chase for hood, and a deed restriction against alcohol sales.

5-25-09:

I took a tour of this building today. It's certainly unique for the area, but my overall impression was negative.

 

Pros: Tall ceilings, big windows, huge bathrooms.

 

Cons: Insultingly cheap finishes. The kitchen cabinets were all IKEA. The bathroom cabinets and even the window blinds were also IKEA. I'm not sure, but I think the flooring and bathroom fixtures might have been as well. There's nothing wrong with IKEA, but at $300-$400 per square foot, that's a big mistake.

 

In general, the price point was way way too high. $680,000-$750,000 for a large ~2000, 2br/2bath is completely absurd, even at Hyde Park square. You literally have bigger, nicer houses for about half the price just down the block.

 

In general, the price point was way way too high. $680,000-$750,000 for a large ~2000, 2br/2bath is completely absurd, even at Hyde Park square. You literally have bigger, nicer houses for about half the price just down the block.

 

 

That was my reaction to the pricing too.  But that price range seemed to work over on Allendale.

 

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,8930.0.html

 

Done.