Back to Fountain Square....I was impressed by how far along Potbelly's was last night.  Also, Graeter's looked packed.  I'll bet they had more customers than most of their suburban locations did last night.

^^ I like Rock Bottom's food, but I hate Sully's and Universal Grill is just okay.

 

I want to suggest a name change from Sully's to Slutty's....yall know what I am talking about! :)

The fountain in 1886:

 

Around 1900:

 

Around 1940.  The Albee Theater is at bottom right, the art deco tower at left is where 5/3 is now. 

 

Bonus:

 

Geez ... this pic is just sick:

 

 

 

 

nada opening tonight, neat but they allowed a urine soaked homeless person to hang out in the restaurant.  Simply unacceptable if you are serving food. 

question: at one point during the holidays when they shut off the water didn't they have Christmas lights running from the Genius' hands to the base of the fountain or is that just me being delusional again? If not, then I think it could look good.

nada opening tonight, neat but they allowed a urine soaked homeless person to hang out in the restaurant.  Simply unacceptable if you are serving food. 

 

^That's disgusting. 

 

I drove past tonight on my way home... do they not have any signage on the building indicating that the place is Nada?  Or is that part of the funky mystique of the place?  Or is it simply on back order?

 

And how was the food???

question: at one point during the holidays when they shut off the water didn't they have Christmas lights running from the Genius' hands to the base of the fountain or is that just me being delusional again?  If not, then I think it could look good.

 

Your recollection about the light strands from the hands matches mine.

The fountain in 1886:

 

Around 1900:

 

Around 1940.  The Albee Theater is at bottom right, the art deco tower at left is where 5/3 is now. 

 

Bonus:

 

 

Well, now I'm depressed. :-(

question: at one point during the holidays when they shut off the water didn't they have Christmas lights running from the Genius' hands to the base of the fountain or is that just me being delusional again?  If not, then I think it could look good.

 

Your recollection about the light strands from the hands matches mine.

 

Ok, so I'm not crazy.  But what happened to that?  Wouldn't it look good?

From a blog on Cincinnati.com

 

PLAYHOUSE EXLPORES FOUNTAIN SQUARE

 

 

This week’s big theater dish: Looks like Playhouse in the Park could embark on its third feasibility study re a move downtown. The first was for The Banks, but the project stalled. Second was Fifth and Race, but the developers are yawning.

 

Current very preliminary conversation (which came up at the theater’s December board meeting, and evreybody is using the word “exploratory”) is high atop Macy’s overlooking Fountain Square. Fifth Third Bank, which owns the air rights, seems amenable – but that doesn’t put a developer at the table. Yet.

 

Jackie Demaline

 

This would be awesome to see the density raised directly around Fountain Square. The Macy's building lacks a wow factor and this would be a great opportunity and time to add that. I guess this is probably pretty far off in the future, but it is great to see the urban core headed in this direction.

I wonder if they would still call it "playhouse in the park"?

 

I wonder if they would still call it "playhouse in the park"?

 

 

How about "Playhouse on the Square" for a name?

This would be awesome to see the density raised directly around Fountain Square. The Macy's building lacks a wow factor and this would be a great opportunity and time to add that. I guess this is probably pretty far off in the future, but it is great to see the urban core headed in this direction.

 

Hmm. love the Macy's building. The height made it ideal for the jumbotron and with Fountain Square serving as a central public space, I'm glad we have that block which is built closer to human scale than 5/3rd, Weston, etc. I find it to be a little refreshing.

 

Why would 5/3rd buy air rights to other buildings? As a precaution in case they want to expand in the future?I heard that building on top of a current structure is extremely costly.

Doesn't that building have piers and columns to sustain something crazy like 40 stories?

Theater at Fountain Sq.?

BY KEITH T. REED | [email protected]

Early talks over a potential new theater above the Fountain Place building, which houses Macy's and Tiffany's, could result in an additional downtown performing arts complex.

 

Executives from Fifth Third Bancorp and the Playhouse in the Park confirmed that they have talked about building an arts facility over Fountain Place, where Fifth Third has owned the air fights since 1995. The building is at the northwest corner of Fifth and Race, just across from Fountain Square.

 

The bank, which originally envisioned its own office tower there but has since built a processing center in Madisonville, broached the idea with the Playhouse last week, a bank spokeswoman said.

 

With the Playhouse interested, other arts organizations are watching closely to see if the idea gains any traction.

 

“If you had a multi-use venue with multiple organizations, it creates excitement,” said Susie Louiso, executive director of The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. “I think it’s really important for the downtown to make it a much more vital place. Retail has moved out to the suburbs, which gives us the opportunity to use theater to help keep it vital and be an economic engine.”

 

Several groups, including the playhouse, Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet and Cincinnati Opera, earlier this year had discussions with Western & Southern Financial Group about developing land at the corner of Fifth and Race streets, across from Macy’s. But that idea fizzled and left the door open for Fifth Third’s overture.

 

In 2005, the Playhouse said it was interested in possibly moving to The Banks, although that idea also died. Playhouse officials said then it was possible they also could build a new theater at its current location in Mount Adams.

 

Officials at the Playhouse are interested in a new home because the Mount Adams complex is now more than 40 years old. Some patrons think sight lines are not good and complain about comfort at the complex, especially the main stage, the 600-seat Marx Theater.

 

The Marx is built as a thrust stage, where the platform the actors perform on juts out into the seating area and can be unwieldy for staging some productions. Some board members have privately that they're interested in building a more traditional prosecnium main stage, featuring a large archway through which the audience - which directly faces the stage - views the play.

 

Downtown already has the Aronoff Center for the Arts, where the Cincinnati Ballet soon will perform "The Nutcracker." The Cincinnati Opera currently performs at Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine, where the opera and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra are considering possible alternations to alter the main auditorium.

Doesn't that building have piers and columns to sustain something crazy like 40 stories?

 

Yes.  Fountain Place was built with the idea that 5/3 could someday add another tower on top of it.  Like the article says, once they moved out to Madisonville those plans were scrapped.  I don't blame them, since 5/3 has more people out there than downtown.  5/3 has two buildings out in Madisonville and owns a third in the same area.  Building a tower over Macy's has to be more expensive then what they have done out in Madisonville.

 

I do agree that Fountain Place is a fine building at 3 stories.  Fountain Square would feel trapped if it had another tower crowding it.

 

I do agree that Fountain Place is a fine building at 3 stories.  Fountain Square would feel trapped if it had another tower crowding it.

 

^

That's a good point, I would like to see an artists rendering of what it would possibly look like.

Doesn't that building have piers and columns to sustain something crazy like 40 stories?

 

Yes.  Fountain Place was built with the idea that 5/3 could someday add another tower on top of it.  Like the article says, once they moved out to Madisonville those plans were scrapped.  I don't blame them, since 5/3 has more people out there than downtown.  5/3 has two buildings out in Madisonville and owns a third in the same area.  Building a tower over Macy's has to be more expensive then what they have done out in Madisonville.

 

I do agree that Fountain Place is a fine building at 3 stories.  Fountain Square would feel trapped if it had another tower crowding it.

 

it would feel like and outdoor room,

 

if you want to keep it feeling open, make it residential and have point towers like they do in portland and Vancouver

^Agreed...I think a tower there could work quite well.  It would be important to keep it slender and set it back a little bit from the overall edges of the Fountain Place structure.  Vancouver (as thomasbw mentioned) does this better than just about any other place in the world.

While I would rather see an office tower, I think the playhouse would be a great use.  It would bring people downtown on a regular basis, is near all the restaurants and bars, they could use the now vacant third floor of Macy's, and the product is time tested and has a lot of season ticket holders.  I hope it does not go the way of the ill fated conservatory project (below)...

 

^Was that suppose to replace Krohn?

I'm not big into theater, but I've been to Playhouse in the Park a few times, and I really like the venue.  If they move, what happens to their current operation near Mt. Adams?  Also, this move would place them near the Aronoff and the Taft (doesn't that occasionally have plays?), not to mention the Ensemble Theater in OTR.  Do you think this would hurt any of those venues or have the opposite effect of bolstering the theatrical community in area?

Building on top of Macys sounds like a construction nightmare.  I imagine they would have to shut down parts of vine and 5th for many, many months in order to make room for the cranes, materials, trucks etc.  Not to mention the effect that this construction project would have on Tiffany, Brooks Brothers, Macys, and Palomino.  It probably would cause headaches for Via Vite, that stupid Brazilian place and Mortons as well.  These are all high-end retail/restaurants that downtown cannot afford to lose.

 

Bottom line: why build on top of a thriving, handsome building (disrupting all of the exisiting tenents) when there are surface parking lots just waiting to be filled in at 5th & Race and 7th and Vine? 

 

Also, now that the Banks seems to be finally set to turn dirt, why not revist that idea? 

^I agree...it should be built on one of the surface parking lots, but the problem with that is getting the owners who own those lots to sell them.  I think banks should be an option as well.

I'm just a little excited that supposedly Fifth Third approached the Playhouse people about doing something. What are they actually thinking as far as big picture for the development. 

Has anyone checked out PotBellys?

It looked nice when I was walking past on my way into Rock Bottom.

that stupid Brazilian place and Mortons as well.  These are all high-end retail/restaurants that downtown cannot afford to lose.

 

:?

 

I guess you didn't mean that downtown can't afford to lose Boi Na Braza but I'm curious, what do you not like about it?

I walked past Boi Na Braza Wednesday night and there wasn't an empty seat in the house - is this the norm?  I hope so, I still haven't been but want to try it!

boi na braza is the perfect expense account place to take clients

Has anyone checked out PotBellys?

 

I picked up Potbelly's Thursday evening for dinner.  They closed at 7, so I was sure to go before then around 6:15 PM. I was the ONLY one in there the whole time while I ordered my food, waited for it to be made, and paid.  Granted the staff was REALLY nice and friendly.  They said it had been crazy at lunch and pretty dead in the evening.  The food was on par with the other Pot Bellys, and the sugar cookie did not disappoint. I just hope they keep their evening hours!!!

^ I haven't been to Potbelly's yet because I usually don't eat dinner before 7 anyway.  Its such a weird time to close.  Also, I bet if they decided to stay open past 4 on Saturdays, Saturday night would make up for it - the square has been absolutely packed with families since the ice skating opened.

Has anyone checked out PotBellys?

 

I picked up Potbelly's Thursday evening for dinner.  They closed at 7, so I was sure to go before then around 6:15 PM. I was the ONLY one in there the whole time while I ordered my food, waited for it to be made, and paid.  Granted the staff was REALLY nice and friendly.  They said it had been crazy at lunch and pretty dead in the evening.  The food was on par with the other Pot Bellys, and the sugar cookie did not disappoint. I just hope they keep their evening hours!!!

 

They have similar issues with their Calhoun Street location...chains are very reluctant to change their corporate model for hours.  So I wouldn't expect them to drop the evening hours anytime soon.  If you staff it right, then it really isn't all that much of a burden (financially) to stay open...you want to get rid of your product before it goes to waste.

Has anyone checked out PotBellys?

 

I picked up Potbelly's Thursday evening for dinner.  They closed at 7, so I was sure to go before then around 6:15 PM. I was the ONLY one in there the whole time while I ordered my food, waited for it to be made, and paid.  Granted the staff was REALLY nice and friendly.  They said it had been crazy at lunch and pretty dead in the evening.  The food was on par with the other Pot Bellys, and the sugar cookie did not disappoint. I just hope they keep their evening hours!!!

 

you should start going down a little before 7 so that the employees/mgr perceive business to be steady late. Of course this would only work if there were more customers that did this than just yourself. ;)

Sorry - not a fan of Potbelly's.  Food isn't what it's cracked up to be.  Decent at best, and way over-priced for the quality of food you get.

Does anyone have an info on any other new places that scheduled to open around FS, or are all the parcels filled now?

All I know is that 5/3 is opening a retail branch on the 1st floor in a space in the "elbow" of the property.  The endcap next to Rock Bottom is still vacant, though.  I see that to be prime retail due to its frontage on 5th, though it is somewhat hidden now by Via Vite.  Not sure what kind of retail it lends itself to - perhaps a clothier?  Jos. A Bank and Brooks Brothers are right across the street, so I don't know of the demand for another high-end retailer like a Polo store, but it could be there. 

 

It seems as though the area is saturated with bar/restaurants, so it's doubtful another one would go there (plus the current restaurants probably have some exlclusions built in their lease).  Especially since you have every target market covered in the restaurant-going demographic.

 

Perhaps an art gallery?  Specialty foods store?  Wine store? 

^You could fit a bar of sorts into a number of those spaces...I'm thinking that just one would go though.  I'm also still hopeful for a bookstore like Joseph-Beth or something, but I'm not sure that these spaces can accommodate a retailer like that.

A book store would be ideal but like you said, you need a bigger space.

I think a Dewey's would work in that corner.  I believe there is also the space on the east side of the passageway to 6th available. 

 

Bookstore and movie theatre are in my opinion needed and the next steps.

I would like to see a local bar\restaurant in one of those spots, something other then the big named chain bars\restaurants.

^ Exactly. We need something like a Northside Tavern there. Something with good music, cool low-key crowd, and not so trendy. I like the idea of a Comet or NST downtown on the square ... break things up a bit. Live music is a must.

Yes. A bar with live music would be cool. 

I would love to see a place like dilly deli

COFFEE SHOP!!! And please not a Starbucks. Something like Lookout Joe.

I'd like another Coffee Emporium (as I'm sipping on my "bucket size" now) in the CBD ... I've thought it would be cool to have someone playing the saxophone throughout the day.

^Isn't there a Lookout Joe's right in the Federated Building on 7th just barely west of Vine?  Is it really that far of a walk?

^Isn't there a Lookout Joe's right in the Federated Building on 7th just barely west of Vine?  Is it really that far of a walk?

 

No, it's not far of a walk, but the Lookout Joe's in the Federated Building closes around 5 during the week and even earlier on Saturdays.  It would be nice to have something local that is open past five on the Square.