January 10, 201312 yr That area south of the Freedom center, is that where phase 2 of the banks is going? Whats going on with it if it isn't? Is it just a staging area for construction? kinda takes away from the looks of everything else
January 10, 201312 yr There are going to be two freestanding restaurants, one of which, The Yard House, is currently under construction. The central portion of that block will become a small park. I don't believe anything has been said though what exactly that space will look like. Phase II of The Banks is the block west of the Freedom Center which already has the garage constructed underneath the site.
January 10, 201312 yr I recently received the pamphlet for the annual APA conference in Chicago this year and one of the presentations being offered is about rejuvenation of planning in Cincinnati and the results its getting. Any chance you can scan and upload that? It may be interesting to see what the nation is stating about us.
February 6, 201312 yr PNC Bank to announce "major gift" to Smale Riverfront Park: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/02/04/pnc-bank-to-make-major-gift-for.html Come on PNC! Beat P&G!
February 6, 201312 yr Does the Oasis rail line ROW travel the most southern portion of the park? It looks like it will but I don't recall seeing or hearing a definitive answer. Thanks!
February 6, 201312 yr I really hope "major" means an amount that is major relative to the project, i.e. will allow for major progress, rather than "major" as in will not put much of a dent in the project cost but would be nice lottery winnings. My guess is it's the latter. Not that that wouldn't be good news.
February 6, 201312 yr My guess is $500k. I don't see how PNC could come close to or top P&G. PNC's home is Pittsburgh, not even Cincinnati, and while they are a great corporate partner for many Cincinnati events, I don't see anything above $500 or $600k. Fifth Third on the other hand, definitely could step it up and give something around $1 million.
February 7, 201312 yr Cincinnati Parks Facebook Page just posted this: PNC Bank announces a $450k grant to Smale Riverfront Park for the Grow Up Great Adventure Playground! "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 7, 201312 yr ^Nice! Glad to see. It's not gobs of money, but moving the playground forward will be nice. I see kids down there all the time with little for them to actually do. This will make the park have a lot more staying power.
February 7, 201312 yr gawsh... they should just have a DAAP intern design it. I'm sure they could get something for cheaper... /snark
February 7, 201312 yr ^Haha. Sign me up! I'd love designing a playground. Way better than some silly freestanding restroom ;)
July 17, 201311 yr Smale Park donation will expand water features Water features will surround the Vine Street Plaza that is expected to house the Smale Riverfront Park carousel. Staff Cincinnati Business Courier Another former Cincinnati business leader has donated to Smale Riverfront Park’s progress. Former Kroger Co. CEO and chairman of the board Joe Pichler and his wife, Susan, have given an undisclosed amount to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation that will be used to support construction of fountains and water features that will be part of the new Vine Street Plaza at the riverfront park. The new features will be added as the park extends west of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2013/07/smale-park-donation-will-expand-water.html
July 18, 201311 yr Not only that, but according to the renderings of the playground it is more than just some standard equipment placed on a pad like usual. It actually looks really cool. I wish I was a kid again so I could enjoy it once it's built.
July 18, 201311 yr Feels like we are about due for a summer video. This project makes me more impatient than any other in the city. Even the streetcar.
July 25, 201311 yr Great photos, Jake. The new park (especially with the lighting features) is really photogenic.
August 18, 201311 yr I am a bit surprised by the presence of a single street light in the center of the roundabout. Although I understand that design guidance states that the center island should be devoid of prominent features, I have never seen this sort of lighting application, and I am a traffic engineer in roundabout-happy Maryland. I am a bit surprised there are no low profile landscaping features around the roundabout. It looks sort of naked, for being a gateway into the city. That said, I love these updates. All major construction projects should do something like this. This park is shaping up quite nicely.
August 18, 201311 yr I am hoping the roundabout gets a makeover soon. Wouldn't really be expensive. The light isn't necessarily a bad placeholder, as it means there is an electric line to use for a better lighting feature(s) in the future. The roundabout is there, and it seems functionally well built. With improving functionality out of the way, aesthetics will hopefully come in the near future. Seems like something the Downtown community could get done with a little bit of lobbying. If I were a resident, I'd be squeaking about this and the generic concrete paths (especially the riverwalk) in the park, hoping to get some of that proverbial oil.
October 21, 201311 yr I tried to post a link to the new fall 2013 video update on YouTube, but I'm not allowed to post external links. But it's there, if you want more of that awesome guitar music along with an update on the park.
October 21, 201311 yr That new update is pretty wonky! Half the video is on retaining walls. Still, great to see how intense the retaining wall work is going to be.
October 21, 201311 yr I tried to post a link to the new fall 2013 video update on YouTube, but I'm not allowed to post external links. But it's there, if you want more of that awesome guitar music along with an update on the park. You can post links after 4 posts. Spammers ruin it for everyone!
October 21, 201311 yr I tried to post a link to the new fall 2013 video update on YouTube, but I'm not allowed to post external links. But it's there, if you want more of that awesome guitar music along with an update on the park. FALL, 2013: Smale Riverfront Park Construction Update "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
October 21, 201311 yr This guy is doing a great public service with these updates, showing what is involved underground, in producing a first class surface amenity that we'll all enjoy. They could have taken a less detailed approach, but I'm glad they haven't. The streetcar and other large public works could use this as a model of how to communicate both costs and benefits to the public.
December 12, 201311 yr Donation to fund pavilion at Smale Park Written by Ally Marotti A foundation named for two philanthropist sisters donated $1.5 million to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation to help fund construction of a pavilion and two rooms at the Smale Riverfront Park. The Cincinnati Park Board announced the donation from the Anderson Foundation Wednesday, but it’s something that Joyce Kamen, public information officer for Smale Riverfront Park, said has been ruminating for some time. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131211/NEWS/312110147/Donation-fund-pavilion-Smale-Park?nclick_check=1
January 14, 201411 yr ^Haven't been down to look at the park in a bit, which wall are you speaking of?
January 14, 201411 yr ^Haven't been down to look at the park in a bit, which wall are you speaking of? [/quote Where the new water features and carousel is going to be. Urban Ohio won't let put the picture up
January 14, 201411 yr That's the one I figured. I can't wait for the carousel to open. It's going to look fantastic.
January 16, 201411 yr From today: "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
January 16, 201411 yr Feels like they skipped an update video. Wonder if it's due to cold weather or if they plan to space them out more now. I liked the frequency of them.
January 16, 201411 yr Was someone requesting a video update? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvo4xHLRVcY
January 17, 201411 yr Wow... I'm continually blown away by this project. What an absolute gem this will be for the city & region when 100% completed. Let's hope there's a critical mass of everyday users to keep the vandals and other undeseriables at bay.
January 17, 201411 yr So awesome. Other than Louisville, I'm not privy to what other regional cities have in way of waterfront parks, attractions and amenities. But I can't imagine this and the Banks is not on the level of world-class; competing with like spaces in Chicago, LA, etc. I thought I caught Dave allude to the passageway being the Water Street Connection. This made me think... Wouldn't it be nice if Smale (and the entire Banks area for that matter) had some sort of markering system that paid homage to the history of the bottoms there. Something similar to the one you see for Fort Washington up on Third Street. For instance, it may be interesting to know that Water Street once used that underpass. Even something simple like they did in the garage and MLH for home plate and first base.
January 17, 201411 yr Regionally, Pittsburgh has a wonderful riverfront and looking at Smale Riverfront Park, I immediately thought it will be on par with Pittsburgh's. Congrats Cincy!
January 17, 201411 yr Water taxi would be nice... "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 22, 201411 yr Family makes significant donation to Smale Riverfront Park Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier The Oliver Family Foundation has given the Cincinnati Parks Foundation $1 million for the endowment of Smale Riverfront Park. The endowment will be used to maintain the 45-acre park in the future. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/01/family-makes-significant-donation-to.html
January 22, 201411 yr Family makes significant donation to Smale Riverfront Park Chris Wetterich Staff reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier The Oliver Family Foundation has given the Cincinnati Parks Foundation $1 million for the endowment of Smale Riverfront Park. The endowment will be used to maintain the 45-acre park in the future. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2014/01/family-makes-significant-donation-to.html Glad to see that donors are putting money towards the long-term maintenance of the park, not just paying to put their name on a new playground, carousel, etc.
January 23, 201411 yr Whoever is in charge of fundraising for this park is doing a fantastic job. I can't remember another project in the area getting support from such a wide net of donors. Most of the major corporations have donated, and individual family foundations seem to be coming out of the woodwork to support this project.
January 23, 201411 yr Whoever is in charge of fundraising for this park is doing a fantastic job. I can't remember another project in the area getting support from such a wide net of donors. Most of the major corporations have donated, and individual family foundations seem to be coming out of the woodwork to support this project. Absolutely! It's really great, and illustrates one of the enormous advantages Cincinnati has over most peer cities. Gotta be some advantage to having all those Fortune HQ's, eh?
March 6, 201411 yr Sweet! Smale Riverfront Park gets millions in federal funding Erin Caproni Digital Producer- Cincinnati Business Courier The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) allocated $4.5 million to be used at Smale Riverfront Park, Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Wednesday. The funding will be used to control erosion and prevent flooding of Cincinnati’s new riverfront park. It’s part of the fiscal year 2014 work plan. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/03/05/smale-riverfront-park-gets-millions-in.html
March 13, 201411 yr Pretty excited about the carousel. Here's an update: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/03/heres-how-cincinnati-s-riverfront-carousel-will-be.html
March 13, 201411 yr I would rather have a Ferris wheel (I'm more about views, less about old timey rides), but I'm sure this will be very well done. Still I'm excited about this and I think it will help the park be more of a destination, and not just a connector between two stadiums. Right now it seems like people come for other reasons to the riverfront, and look at the park while theyre there. But soon people (especially people with children) will be coming to the riverfront specifically for this park.
March 13, 201411 yr I saw today that they appear to be tearing up the reasonably big surface parking lot south of Mehring Way and immediately west of the Roebling Bridge (as opposed to the huge surface lot north of Mehring Way and west of Roebling). I hope that this means that parking lot is going away for good. Any time you see urban surface parking lots being replaced, especially in a prime location like this, is a great thing.
March 14, 201411 yr Great pics! Thanks. Edit: The first one looks like it's the playground. Is that opening this Spring or next?
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