Drove by the building today and saw a crane parked and an area fenced off by the part that burnt down years ago. Anybody know anything about this? I hope they are not demolishing any more of that building...

I sure don't.  I haven't been there since WhoDey and I went by there a year and a half ago.  It was in pretty bad shape in parts even then.

 

All I can think is that it became so unstable it had to be demolished, but I'd sure like to know exactly what happened.

I just looked up the owners of the buildings in question, since the addresses weren't listed in the Weekly Major Reports or the vacant/condemned building list. 

 

The part closest to the jail is a long narrow lot that actually fronts on Fifth St.  Its owners are West Fifth Lofts LLC.

 

The one just to the east of that fronts on Sixth St., and it's owned by Hudepohl Square LLC.

 

I have no idea who these people are.  Surely they aren't putting lofts next to the lockup!

I went by there today and they're tearing the hell out of one of the buildings.  They were even spraying it with a fire hose to keep the dust/who knows what else down.

Damnabit!

 

From channel 12 online:

 

A portion of a long-time Cincinnati brewing company is now rubble. Wednesday crews demolished two buildings that used to house the Hudepohl Shoenling Brewing Company in Queensgate. The buildings are being demolished to make room for development. Hudepohl ended its 116 year history in Cincinnati in 2001. Developers are attempting to save some of the historic pieces of the building, including the smokestack bearing the Hudepohl name.

 

What for more jail space?? ugghh

"West Fifth Lofts."  "Hudepohl Square."

 

Sounds like condo development to me.  I certainly hate to see the old brewery go, but if we can get quality infill (and residents) in it's place, then i'm excited about it.

Really!?! That's what they're calling it. I can't picture any residential there. It's so industrial (scrap yard, train tracks) with businesses (UPS, Butternut). I use to work where the Natural History Museum storage building is now. Not to mention the jail. Granted most of the people are there for minor DUI types offenses, but would you want to live near that? There is a chance for daily entertainment with the basketball court and the girlfriends/wives showing their men some love. . . Maybe the new owners know something we don't. Is the jail moving?

It would seem like an odd place for a condo...separated from downtown by a highway and not near anything but light industry and a jail.

 

It would have to be a massive, mixed-use project to even make sense.

 

We shall see....

That would be a great place for a condo! And can you imagine the smell coming from butternut bread every morning.. yum! It would be cool to have a loft inside of one of the fermenting tanks.

There is a chance for daily entertainment with the baseball court and the girlfriends/wives showing their men some love.

yea the girls always bring their babies there to wave at their fathers in jail lol

mind you my post was complete speculation.  I have no idea what the plans are for the site, just saying the names of the LLC's sound like condo developers.

 

Hudepohl Square would be a pretty cool name for a historic neighborhood IMO. 

The teardown is slow going. Still curious what the plans are.

 

 

 

Near Hudepohl, this building looks to have been redone. I wonder how long ago. It didn't look like this when I worked next door. Granted that was 3 plus years ago. This developer also has signs posted near the railroad tracks across the street.

 

Just to update this....

 

The building complex was condemned in early January (801 W Sixth).  This is mainly because it is still in a state of collapse and bricks are falling everywhere.  The wrecking permit has expired.

 

They were given orders allowing 30 days to remedy the situation, or to demolish the rest of the building, which they have not done.

 

It's entirely possible that this will move to a civil fine stage.  Or, if deemed dangerous enough, it could be the subject of a public hearing and the City may eventually decide to demolish the structure itself.

 

I'll try to keep on this one.

 

Old Hudepohl brewery ailing

BY JON NEWBERRY | [email protected]

 

Hudepohl Brewing Co. stopped making "cold 'n' golden" beer at its Queensgate brewery 20 years ago, but its 170-foot smokestack remains a landmark along the Sixth Street Expressway, a towering reminder of Cincinnati's past as a major U.S. beer-producing center.

 

Now, the plant's physical condition and its future have been called into question by a complaint to the city's Buildings and Inspections Department.  The site was the subject of a condemnation order issued by the city in January, which stated that the building is in a partial state of demolition and excessive deterioration. "The building and portions remaining are dangerous and unsafe, posing a high risk for collapse," it said.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070320/BIZ01/703200360/1076/BIZ

I have toured the remaining buildings many times and after getting an update from Safi - one of the owners - the project still remains up in the air.  The only structures that where demolished where the oldest ones which where in bad shape as access to the other buildings was needed as well as parking space for whatever development will happen. 

As far as the remaining ones, they are very sound, steel reinforced concrete construction engineered to hold 200 to 300 pounds per square foot.  Although they look a wreck from the outside, they are prime for redevelopment but the owners lack financial backers.  As far as the old smokestack... it is very well intact as I have climbed up the inside!  Although I have never seen mothers with babies to visit people in the jail next door, the area would be safer than most places! 

 

 

Hudepohl property may still be developed

By Kevin LeMaster, Building Cincinnati | June 15, 2007

http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2007/06/hudepohl-property-may-still-be.html

 

Plans are still on for the redevelopment of the Hudepohl property at 801 West Sixth Street, though hurdles still remain.

 

In April pre-prosecution hearings for the condemned property, Hudepohl Square showed Buildings & Inspections (B&I) plans for the redevelopment of the site as residential lofts and commercial space.

 

A few days later a meeting was held between B&I and the building owners on site. Saeed Safi, a partner in Hudepohl Square, discussed an ongoing lawsuit between the owner and its demolition contractor that was contributing to the holdup on demolition.

 

Public safety still being the major issue, B&I instructed the owners that the site had to be fenced in. The structure has been used by the homeless and has been plundered by thieves.

 

Meetings with Community Development and Planning occurred soon after, and redevelopment plans were again presented.

 

In the meantime, Hudepohl Square will be applying for a Vacant Building Maintenance License (VBML) until building permits can be worked out and the lawsuit is settled.

 

Still not known is the impact the future Brent Spence bridge project might have on the property, or whether Hudepohl Square can line up financing.

I'm sure this will end up being another victim to the interstate system.  :clap:

Hudepohl redevelopment still in play

By Kevin LeMaster, Building Cincinnati | January 11, 2010

http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2010/01/hudepohl-redevelopment-still-in-play.html

 

Cincinnati City Council is considering an ordinance allowing the City to apply for a grant of approximately $300,000 through the Ohio Department of Development's Clean Ohio Assistance Fund for environmental assessments at the former Hudepohl brewery site in Queensgate, a move that could push the complex closer to redevelopment.

 

The property, at 601 W Sixth Street, is in a partial state of demolition and has been eyed for office, light industrial, or residential redevelopment by owners Hudepohl Square, LLC, which purchased the long-dormant plant in 2004.

 

But a three-year legal fight against demolition contractor Demetrius Ball, which began in 2005, eventually ended in the owners' favor, but left them without the money to complete demolition or proceed with the redevelopment.

 

Since then, the building has been open to the elements and has required City barricading on several occasions. Public Services crews have been called out to take care of the abundant weeds and litter.

 

The building was declared a public nuisance in March 2009 due to "excessive deterioration to the walls, floor, ceilings, windows and roof structures".

 

In December 2009, brothers Saeed and Safi Safi of Hudepohl Square, LLC were found guilty on three misdemeanor counts for fire code violations and were granted admission to a compliance program, on the condition that they provide a timeline for work that was satisfactory to both the Cincinnati Fire Department and the Department of Buildings and Inspections.

 

That timeline was submitted just before Christmas and, although details have not been made public, the owners have stated their intent to save as much of the structure as possible – including its signature smokestack.

 

In the meantime, the City has ordered the 1.6-acre property fenced in and all openings within 10 feet of the ground sealed shut.

 

If the grant application is approved by Council, a 45-day public review and comment period will be held prior to its submission.

 

The City has made it clear that environmental assessments must be undertaken before any remediation and redevelopment will even be considered.

As a FYI, there seemed to be a demolition crew at the Hudepohl site today.

Cincinnati Port Authority buys iconic Hudepohl brewery

Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority purchased the former Hudepohl brewery property and another piece of property in Queensgate this week for a total of $650,000.

 

The Port Authority purchased the former brewery, located at 801 W. Sixth St., from brothers Safi Safi and Saeed Safi for $400,000. It purchased an adjacent property, 840 W. Fifth St., from West Fifth Lofts LLC for $250,000. The brewery is best known for its highly visible "Hudepohl" smoke stack.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/05/22/cincinnati-port-authority-buys-former-hudepohl.html

The latest version of the city budget has $2 million going to the Port to redevelop the old Hudepohl brewery.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/05/19/cincinnati-finds-2m-for-port-authority-to.html

 

Not directly related to the Hudepohl redevelopment... but an affiliate of SFA Architects just purchased 555 Carr St, which is near the old Hudepohl factory.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/22/one-of-cincinnati-s-largest-architecture-firms.html

 

A big architecture office would be a pretty significant change for Queensgate, since the current businesses are pretty much all industrial/logistics related.

 

Even though that area is far from the CBD, it's got a cool vibe with the elevated train tracks, flood wall, and industrial buildings. I could see a mini cluster of office space being successful there.

Heard the Port Authority recently inspected the smokestack to see if it could be preserved. Would be a major win if it is!

Port authority: Hudepohl smokestack can’t be saved

 

The iconic Hudepohl smokestack that graces the former brewery in Queensgate will have to be torn down because it will cost nearly $1 million to salvage, according to a letter from Laura Brunner, CEO of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, which owns the site.

 

“[T]he costs associated with salvaging the smokestack make it economically unfeasible to preserve,” Brunner wrote to the Cincinnati City Council. For these reasons, I want to inform you that we will move ahead toward demolition this fall.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/07/28/port-authority-hudepohl-smokestack-can-t-be-saved.html

 

The report shows over $600,000 of the estimated cost being a new refractory lining. WTF?

Wouldn't the thing simply be capped after its repaired? No refractory lining needed if it won't be used.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2017/08/29/iconic-hudepohl-smokestack-coming-down-after-asbestos-cleanup-old-brewery-site/609771001/

 

Cleanup is underway and the demolition is scheduled to begin in ~6 months.

That sucks, and I also call BS on the price to move the top ~70 as was proposed to the brewery district. That would be significantly less than the $1 million shown in stories.

 

I think it would be a great way-finding and iconic presence on the north end of OTR. I feel like between city council, local donors, or even some of the local breweries throwing their weight around they could get this thing saved. Is there even a fundraising effort going on at all? Kickstarter or gofundme?

I absolutely agree the smoke stack should be preserved. It would be such a cool landmark for the Brewery District, and absolutely could serve as a wayfinding tool. Pittsburgh saved the old smoke stacks at the Homestead development, formerly the site of a mill that my grandfather worked at, actually. The stacks lend a bit of character to an otherwise bland development.

Well the brewery heritage district plans to rebuild it in otr. They will collect the bricks once it's demolished.

Well the brewery heritage district plans to rebuild it in otr. They will collect the bricks once it's demolished.

 

So they're going to take this thing down brick-by-brick?  Like The Dennison?

 

 

Well the brewery heritage district plans to rebuild it in otr. They will collect the bricks once it's demolished.

 

Well the brewery heritage district plans to rebuild it in otr. They will collect the bricks once it's demolished.

 

So they're going to take this thing down brick-by-brick?  Like The Dennison?

 

 

That is not exactly correct. We have been in discussion with the Port on what architectural elements can be salvaged from the building but realistically very little of the stack would be salvageable if knocked down or imploded. We currently do not have a specific plan for these items past storing them, however we are investigating integrating them into future phases of the Brewing Heritage Trail.

I'm not sure to be quite honest.

 

Here's the article in early august about there plans to reassemble the smoke stack

 

http://www.fox19.com/story/36035085/group-wants-to-save-iconic-hudepohl-smokestack-despite-demolition-plan

 

I imagine it will be In otr. It doesn't make sense anywhere else.

 

So is it still unknown what the process of demolition will be?

 

If allowed, is rebuilding the stack even something that would be considered?

I read on here once that Cincinnati doesn't allow bricks to be resued except for things like roads and walkways.

I'm not sure to be quite honest.

 

Here's the article in early august about there plans to reassemble the smoke stack

 

http://www.fox19.com/story/36035085/group-wants-to-save-iconic-hudepohl-smokestack-despite-demolition-plan

 

I imagine it will be In otr. It doesn't make sense anywhere else.

 

 

That article misquoted me, I said we would love for it to happen but we did not have a plan or the budget to do it.

 

No desire to start a go fund me/kickstarter? I imagine it would cost quite a bit but I know quite a few people who would donate to the cause, me included.

 

Again assuming there is somehow any potential of reusing the bricks to rebuild the stack.

No desire to start a go fund me/kickstarter? I imagine it would cost quite a bit but I know quite a few people who would donate to the cause, me included.

 

Again assuming there is somehow any potential of reusing the bricks to rebuild the stack.

 

We are in the middle of fundraising for the Brewing Heritage Trail, so it is a little hard for us to pivot to fundraise for such a huge project so quickly.

Looks like it's about to come down. 

 

 

Demolition continues.  The Brewery District CURC was able to salvage the entry as well as one of the old neon sign boxes.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 20196 yr by mcmicken

Smokestack demolition confirmed for 7A this Sunday 06/16.

I got a few shots with my medium format film camera before they knocked down the smokestack: