June 17, 200717 yr Thats why we hire those crackhead ambassadors though, isn't it? Thats really insulting. Glad to know you are so much better than a street sweeper.
June 18, 200717 yr “You come down here, you eat and then it's like, well, it's time to go home," said Beth Miller of Eastgate. People from Eastgate should not be allowed to comment on anything. I think she just misses the real Cincinnati cultural mecca known as Eastgate Blvd.
June 19, 200717 yr Here is the response I got from C3PO-R2D2 about dogs on the square. Blah Blah Blah...I wonder if horse pee has a different chemical balance than dogs? First, we simply follow the rules set by City Ordinance and the City Manager rules. We encourage asking the City Manager's office if this is a rule that could be changed. Second, there are many people who use the Square and are afraid of dogs. Also, even if owners clean up messes, they can't get it all up. Granite is porous and can stain and even hold odors if not cleaned immediately. Finally, even cities like Chicago and NY have public spaces that aren't available to dogs.
June 19, 200717 yr Thats why we hire those crackhead ambassadors though, isn't it? Thats really insulting. Glad to know you are so much better than a street sweeper. Im actually not. Not at all. I don't consider myself better than anyone. But I guess some of my comments make it seem otherwise.
June 19, 200717 yr I love the downtown ambassadors. We had them in St. Louis too. They are very helpful and they seem to always have a smile on their face.
June 19, 200717 yr I'll admit it -- I don't like dogs very much. There go my chances of being a politician.
June 28, 200717 yr Special liquor permits OK'd COLUMBUS - Ohio legislators approved a bill Wednesday authorizing special liquor permits for groups such as the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. to sell beer and liquor during downtown events. Sen. Robert Schuler, R-Sycamore Township, said his bill gives nonprofit groups more flexibility to sponsor street fairs and other downtown events, particularly at Fountain Square. Current Ohio law requires an organization like 3CDC to apply for a liquor permit for every event it organizes, as well as provide advance notice to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, the state Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement. This restricted the number and type of events such groups could sponsor, according to Schuler. Senate Bill 102 streamlines the process by allowing F-8 liquor permits - good for nine months - to be issued to certain nonprofit organizationswhile requiring that the organization secure the space where the event is held. This grants organizations the flexibility they need when planning and hosting events, Schuler said. The bill has the support of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, and is expected to be signed into law by the governor. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/NEWS01/706280335/1056/COL02
June 29, 200717 yr Free movies playing this summer on Fountain Square Cincinnati Business Courier - 9:56 AM EDT Friday, June 29, 2007 From now through September, the giant screen over Fountain Square will play two free movies on Saturday nights. The idea is to make the square a place for affordable family fun, Fountain Square Managing Director Bill Donabedian said in a news release. "Think of this as a free drive-in without the cars," he said. This week's movies are "The Incredibles" and "Batman," and the weekend of July 21 will offer a Harry Potter double feature in honor of the release date of the seventh book in the popular series. Beach Weekend is set for Sept. 1, with "Finding Nemo" and "Jaws." Movies start at 8 p.m. each Saturday, and the Square's snack bar will be open during the showings. More information is available at www.myfountainsquare.com. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/06/25/daily54.html?jst=b_ln_hl
June 30, 200717 yr Designing city's 'hot spot' BY JIM KNIPPENBERG | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER June 29, 2007 DOWNTOWN - Nine months after showcasing Fountain Square’s $42 million renovation, its director says entertainment is developing as planned and even expanding, helping to turn the square into a bustling city center. “We’re going to make Fountain Square a city hot spot, even if it kills me trying,” said managing director Bill Donabedian. Donabedian has been in charge of programming Fountain Square entertainment since its October soft opening. The project is designed to rehab the garage, move the Tyler Davidson Fountain and reconfigure the space. The final phase, the North Grove at the base of Fifth Third Bank, opens in early September. The 2-acre square is owned by the city, managed by the nonprofit 3CDC (Cincinnati Center City Development Corp.) and programmed by 3CDC’s Fountain Square Management Group. Donabedian, 40, a downtown resident who co-founded the MidPoint Music Festival six years ago, said he wants to have at least three events a day on the Square. "Right now, we’re about 15 a week. The goal is to get people downtown to experience the square, then head off to the restaurants and bars to spend money.” Events, most of them with light snacks and newly permitted beer sales, include Friday night concerts, Tuesday karaoke and almost daily lunchtime programs. But beyond scheduled programming, new seating on the Square is attracting more life than usual after dark. Sean Rugless, president of the Regional Tourism Network, said the entertainment makes the city more attractive to visitors. “The hallmark of a great city is a meeting or gathering place at its heart. The square now provides that. The availability of something like 1,600 hotel rooms within walking distance is a plus.” Andi Burke, in from Chicago to visit her daughter and two grandchildren in West Chester Township, agrees. “I visit twice a year and always stay with (daughter) Debby. But my ex-husband told me he came in to visit, and to do (Taste of Cincinnati) and stay downtown and how much fun it was. “I listened to him for once and stayed right down the street (from the Square). I walk everywhere, Debby and the girls come down, and we all go out to lunch or just walk around. The only time I’ve been in a car was a ride to the (Newport) Aquarium.’’ On a scale of 1-10, with 1 “blah” and 10 “a hot spot,” Donabedian ranks the square a 6. “We’ll be a 9 next year, and two or three years down the road, a 10. Moving Taste (of Cincinnati) here was a tremendous help. Oktoberfest will just reinforce that.” Not that there haven’t been complaints about the redesign, Donabedian admitted, especially “lack of shade and not enough seating. The shade will take care of itself as the trees grow. We recently ordered more tables and chairs, so that problem is taken care of.” Free programming Tuesday-Saturday (through early September), plus valet parking ($7) Wednesday-Saturday and beer sales, is helping draw evening and happy-hour crowds into the hundreds, including: -- Tuesdays: 5:30 p.m. karaoke, with singers shown on the big screen atop Macy’s. There now are beer sales. -- Wednesdays: Game Show Night recreates classic TV game shows at 5:30 p.m. Players must pre-register at [email protected]. -- Thursdays: Dance Out is like a wedding reception – great DJ music – without a bride or groom. Last week’s 5-7 p.m. session ended with an impromptu break dance performance. -- Fridays: Rock the Square (5:30-8:30 p.m.) is a free concert with three local bands playing. Next week: Delusionals, Tonefarmer and Noctaluca. -- Saturdays: Movie Night is a carless trip to the drive-in. Pull up a chair, grab a drink and munchies from the snack bar and enjoy. Tonight: “The Incredibles” and “Batman” at 8 p.m. Hearing the films is never a problem, because Donabedian insisted on a state-of-the-art sound system to go with the screen. Lunchtime programming is also getting attention: -- Acoustic Thursdays (11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.) offer a quiet lunchtime soundtrack. -- Fine Arts Wednesdays invite a local arts group down to meet the lunch crowd. -- On July 11, ArtWorks displays work of its student artists. Donabedian and staff have a lineup of special events: -- Today it was the McCormick & Schmick’s Fish Toss, where teams of four competed passing raw fish down a line. -- At 5:30 p.m. Monday a badminton tournament called Little Wimbledon. -- At 5:30 p.m. July 9 is a volleyball tournament. -- Noon July 13, it’s a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. “There’s no question that the redevelopment is a success,’’ says David Ginsburg, president and CEO of .Downtown Cincinnati Inc. “There’s an energy and a buzz there that tell you this is an important time downtown.”
June 30, 200717 yr >the weekend of July 21 will offer a Harry Potter double feature I bet Mark Glove will be there with his imaginary girlfriend.
June 30, 200717 yr Hey all, first time/long time! I have just posted current pictures on my new blog natilife.blogspot.com (shameless plug :-D)
July 1, 200717 yr The Square is really starting to come into its own. We went down for the first feature of Movie Night on the Square last night. We brought our own camp chairs, which made the viewing angle of the screen very comfortable. The sound was also pretty clear and at a good volume. The video was also sharp, with good contrast. The crowd was good - a few hundred - and included families and couples. Lots of people who were definitely not hanging out on the old FS, or downtown period, two years ago. Via Vite is coming along now, it has a roof and most of the glass is in place. It is going to have a second floor covered balcony on the corner facing the Fountain.
July 7, 200717 yr Does anyone know what the deal is with the Crew's clock? It has been gone forever. I was under the impression that it was just getting cleaned.
July 16, 200717 yr I was finally able to spend some time at Fountain Square this weekend. And I've got to admit, I'm pretty impressed. Stopped by after dinner and there was a pretty large crowd there on Friday night watching the Reds game on the big screen. The Mrs. and I stayed to watch the final three innings and it was quite lovely. They've done a great job creating what feels like a safe, clean environment in the heart of downtown. The weather was great and it was tremendous to watch the mix of people that were there--very racially and economically diverse group. This really is great for the city. Well done.
July 20, 200717 yr Morton's pioneers changes BY JOHN ECKBERG | [email protected] PHOTO: http://cmsimg.enquirer.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AB&Date=20070720&Category=BIZ01&ArtNo=707200341&Ref=AR&Profile=1076&MaxW=315&border=1 Plenty of firsts will be found at the new Morton's the Steakhouse in Carew Tower. With the opening only weeks away, workers were scrambling Thursday to put the finishing touches on the restaurant's new location on the second floor of the tower at the southwest corner of Fifth and Vine streets. "This is the first Morton's with windows in the dining room," said Jason Kersey, sales and marketing manager at the 9,200-square-foot restaurant, which is only open for dinner. It is also the first Morton's to have a glass-enclosed, walk-in storage room dedicated to wine, a conference room with windows, and the first with second-floor access to an adjoining hotel. "If I was somebody asking for a reservation, I would ask for table No. 12," Kersey said, strolling on new wood floors to lush carpet through a room trimmed with cherry-stained oak. "This booth has a view of Fountain Square that is hard to beat." A bar area, known as Bar 1221, also has a zone where regular customers can maintain a personal wine locker. The climate-controlled wine room and personal wine lockers offer regular customers an opportunity to call ahead and have a bottle waiting for themselves or guests, Kersey said. The new Morton's opens Aug. 6. The existing restaurant in Tower Place closes next week, officials said. Tower Place officials couldn't be reached for comment about what will happen to the space. Morton's is a national chain of 74 restaurants and is based in Chicago. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/BIZ01/707200341/1076/BIZ
July 21, 200717 yr Is the Morton's going to have any signage? It seems to be directly above Boi Na Braza.
July 21, 200717 yr Here's hoping that if they do, it's not at the expense of the clock, which still hasn't been reinstalled.
July 21, 200717 yr >Is the Morton's going to have any signage? If they aren't careful that big brass fish is going is going to fall victim to another Elder scavenger hunt. That or if the Bengals win the Superbowl I can already see a hooligan climbing up on that thing, then deciding to go throw it in the fountain.
July 21, 200717 yr Fountain leaking -- by design By Joe Wessels For The Post The Tyler Davidson Fountain is leaking water into the parking garage below it. But it's supposed to. Some were wondering why the Genius of Water's hands were dry for much of the last two weeks - the water was turned back on Thursday - and thought maybe there might be something wrong. There was, but it was minor. "Apparently there is a leak," said Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell, who added that it is not a problem and will be fixed. "Because it's a new system there is no way predicting if it would be 100 percent until they used it for a while." Below Fountain Square, in the area directly below the fountain, there is a room full of pipes, pumps and monitors that send water up into the fountain itself. An approximately four-foot-by-four-foot "cinder block shower" stall is built directly beneath the center of the fountain where water from the fountain rains constantly below and flows into a drain. To someone seeing the pump room for the first time, it might look like the 136-year-old fountain - which underwent a massive yearlong $2 million revitalization that was completed in May 2000 - might not be in good shape. But those who are familiar with the fountain's design said it's always been that way. That was the best technology available in 1871, when the fountain was dedicated. "At the time that is how it was built. It's not water tight, the physical part of the statue," Munitz said. "So as the water comes down her hands, that water makes its way inside the body of the fountain and comes straight down through the pump room. We knew it was going to have water coming through it." Crews turned off the fountain for a routine cleaning on July 10 and found small tears in the large bottom collection basin or "bowl" that is treated with a waterproofing rubber and plastic mixture to prevent a large amount of water from seeping into the garage below, said Chad Munitz, executive vice president of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., or 3CDC, the organization responsible for the redevelopment of Fountain Square. The fountain was turned back on July 12. It was shut off again Tuesday and the area where the tear was spotted was barricaded off and a dye put into the water to try to determine if the tear would leak into the parking garage and pump room below. Nothing was spotted and the fountain was turned back on Thursday. The company that put in the waterproofing has agreed to fix the tear free of charge because the work is still under warranty. That work should be done during another routine cleaning later this summer or early fall, Munitz said. Puddles of water that were spotted in the southern end of the north parking garage - underneath Fifth Street, near the entrance to the Westin Hotel - led some to believe that the recent overhaul of the square that included waterproofing the garage had failed. That's not the case, Munitz said. Officials knew the garage was leaking and had planned to tear up the pavement along the south side of Fifth Street to repair and seal the leaking areas. While the area was exposed, rain downpours caused large amounts of water to seep in. The sidewalk is finished and the new seal is in place and repairs will be made soon to the damaged walls in the parking garage stairwell area, Munitz said. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070721/NEWS01/707210339
July 22, 200717 yr Posted by: cramer Here's hoping that if they do, it's not at the expense of the clock, which still hasn't been reinstalled « Reply #1281 on: May 09, 2007, 05:51:25 PM » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I bet they put up a huge neon steakburger on the corner, they have to compete with the big fish across the street. Go 3cdc!
July 23, 200717 yr I'm in my office on the 22 floor of the Carew Tower looking at Fountain Square right now. There is a free concert going on. Man, I haven't seen it this packed since Taste of Cincinnati. Cops have vine closed off. Wish I could post a pic. Also, the iCam seems to be in some utility room right now (http://www.timewarnercable.com/cincinnati/community/icams/fountain.html)...pretty funny.
July 23, 200717 yr Gerald Albright, some jazz saxophonist. It's kicking off Macy's Music Fest next weekend.
July 23, 200717 yr I'm in my office on the 22 floor of the Carew Tower looking at Fountain Square right now. There is a free concert going on. Man, I haven't seen it this packed since Taste of Cincinnati. Cops have vine closed off. Wish I could post a pic. Also, the iCam seems to be in some utility room right now (http://www.timewarnercable.com/cincinnati/community/icams/fountain.html)...pretty funny. I was there, I would say a few thousand people?, overflow capacity
August 14, 200717 yr Potbelly signs Fountain Square lease Business Courier of Cincinnati - 4:00 PM EDT Monday, August 13, 2007 Fifth Third Bank added to its list of official Fountain Square tenants with the signing of Potbelly Sandwich Works to a 2,400-square-foot space. The sandwich shop will occupy a spot on the northwest portion of the Fifth Third Center, facing Fountain Square, the bank said in a Monday news release. It plans to open in the fall. Potbelly was one of the rumored tenants for the retail space Fifth Third (NASDAQ: FITB) owns on the ground floor of its headquarters buildings. In May, Graeter's signed on for 1,750 square feet on the square, and Cadillac Ranch, a bar and grill featuring country music, opened this summer on the northern side of the Fifth Third Center, at Sixth and Walnut streets. Potbelly, headquartered in Chicago, has more than 150 stores nationwide. Locally, it operates sites on Calhoun Street in Clifton Heights; in Sycamore Plaza in Kenwood; and in Rookwood Pavilion in Norwood. Another location, on Princeton Pike in Springdale, is scheduled to open this fall. Its stores feature sandwiches, shakes, salads and live local music. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/08/13/daily13.html
August 14, 200717 yr I heard through the grapevine that Potbelly's has signed a lease at the T-Mobile location on Fountain Square, in the bottom of the 5/3 tower. ;) Blizzam!
August 22, 200717 yr Saw that the LED lights were on behind the new facade last night. Very cool. Had my camera but the batteries were dead, and Kinkos was sold out of AA batteries, and CVS and Walgreens were closed, etc. etc. May try to get a couple pics tonight if I have time. Also heard that the crane will be taken down this weekend. Looking good.
August 23, 200717 yr I love the new lights...they really make the scene look exciting as you are heading east on 5th Street. Turned out much better than I expected.
August 24, 200717 yr i was down on the square last night... the lights look fantastic! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Also i was talking to one of the waiters at Rock Bottom and they are going to have an outdoor patio that will seat 100...that's pretty big... it will also provide some action on the square Any news on the Whiskey Restaraunt??
September 2, 200717 yr We walked by the square last night around 8:30. Movie night was going on. I couldn't beleive how many people, mostly families were down on the squeare for the show. It reminded me of the drive-in when we were kids. I'm pleaseantly suprised how well that idea has attracted people to the square on Saturday nights.
September 2, 200717 yr I was there at 8:30, if you saw a guy walking around with a tripod, that was me. I will post my photos later.
September 2, 200717 yr I saw the new backlight glass facade on the low 53 bank building, it looks great
September 2, 200717 yr Hey, I was there too: http://www.citykin.com/2007/09/review-movies-on-square.html
September 2, 200717 yr Here are photos of Fountain Square that I took last night: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=13985.0
September 3, 200717 yr I'm not surprised at all that the movie nights were so popular. I thought it was a great idea from the start. Two years ago, my husband and I went to California. One night, we stopped by City Walk at Universal Studios in Hollywood. They featured a free movie night on a large outdoor screen. There were a lot of families there with blankets and chairs. I thought that was a great idea, and an inexpensive option to take a family out. I was really happy when I saw the movie nights on the schedule for Fountain Square.
September 4, 200717 yr Does anyone know how long the movie nights will go for? It would be great for them to stretch it out as much as possible...late spring through early fall maybe.
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