Architecture : Development News

Each year the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) hosts an exhibition that highlights the creative output of that year’s graduating class.

The exhibition regularly draws visitors and companies from around the nation to view the final works of DAAP’s graduating class.  Graduating students often will discuss their projects on display with those visiting and field questions on their research or design.

The College boasts several top-ranked programs nationally, many of which are known and respected  internationally.  In this end-of-year exhibition, works from the following programs will be shown:

• Architecture
• Art Education
• Digital Design
• Fashion Design
• Fine Arts
• Graphic Design
• Industrial Design
• Interior Design
• Urban Planning

The almost week-long exhibition will run from Tuesday, June 9 to Saturday, June 13 in the Peter Eisenman-designed Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the corner of Clifton Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.  Displays are also set up at the Meyers Gallery located in the Steger Student Life Center.

In addition to the installations, the ever-popular Fashion Show put on by the College’s premier Fashion Design program will take place on Friday, June 12.  In past years, the Fashion Show has sold out so quickly that many people have been unable to view the show.  As a result, this year’s Fashion Show will also be webcast at 8pm.

The DAAP Works exhibition is free and open to the public and is open 5pm to 9pm on Tuesday, 9am to 9am Wednesday through Friday, and noon to 4pm on Saturday.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning
Photography by Randy Simes

Lower Price Hill was rocked with the explosion at the Queen City Barrel site just a few years ago.  The event brought attention to the deplorable state of many of the industrial properties along the Mill Creek corridor that run right through the residential neighborhood.

Following much discussion and debate the community worked with the city of Cincinnati to come up with a redevelopment strategy that would not only clean up the area, but set it up to be successfully economically in the future.

A key component to that development is the $25 million MetroWest redevelopment project which will eventually create 250,000 square feet of space and an estimated 400 new jobs.

This redevelopment process will occur in several phases over the course of its life.  The earliest phase is nearing completion and consists of the demolition and cleanup of the project site which should be complete next week says Sam Stephens, senior development office with the city of Cincinnati’s Department of Community Development.

Once complete, the construction phase can then ensue, but will be subject to market demands.  “The economy is the economy, but we remain optimistic,” says Stephens.  There is the possibility that one or two speculative buildings be built, but that is not the first choice for the city.

The new buildings will include a number of green buildings.

A complimentary project next door is also moving forward using LEED building construction.  The new Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) engineering office building is coming along with much of the steel work now visible.

“This shows the best of intergovernmental cooperation,” says Stephens who mentioned that the city and MSD engaged in a land swap so that the MSD received adjacent land for the additional office space they wanted, while the city received more property with the MetroWest redevelopment project.

The city is currently helping with the financing for the MSD office building project and will lease the building to MSD and eventually transfer the building and the land to the MSD once the lease is complete.

The city is currently engaging commercial realtors to help with the marketing of the MetroWest site, but the MSD has also been very aggressive in trying to find additional users who might be interested in the space.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Sam Stephens, senior development officer, City of Cincinnati Department of Community Development
Photography by Randy Simes

This coming Saturday will see the Gateway Expansion Tour which will afford an up-close look at the newest loft condos in historic Over-the-Rhine’s Gateway Quarter.

So far, the first phase of concentrated redevelopment has resulted in over one hundred new residential units with almost as many sales.

More than $81 million in investments have poured into the the area over the last four years with dozens of popular new businesses and a booming residential district to show for it. Already, nearly  80 percent of the neighborhood's new units from the phase I have been sold with some 12 percent under contract for the next phase of another one hundred plus units.

The Gateway Quarter is not only one of the most unique living environments in the Greater Cincinnati area, it is one of the most active residential markets, averaging a new sale a week even in this depressed housing market.

The tour will feature the area's newly renovated buildings including Mottainai , Good Fellows Hall, Lackman Lofts, City Home and Falling Wall which account for another 46 of the next 106 newly built or renovated residential units in the Gateway Quarter.

City Home is located on Pleasant Street, just north of Washington Park, and represents the first newly constructed single-family homes in Over-the-Rhine in decades.

Those taking the tour will also notice the new streetscaping project currently underway along Vine Street.  The first phase of the new streetscaping will reach from 12th Street to 14th Street along Vine and include new lighting, street trees, bicycle and newspaper racks, buried utility lines and new sidewalks.

Those interested in taking the tour are asked to register at the corner of 12th and Vine on Saturday.

The Gateway Expansion Tour will last from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature prizes, food, music and shopping.  For more information contact Holly or Stacy at (513) 621-4283.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Holly Redmond & Stacy Rickert, Gateway Quarter
Photography by Randy Simes

A century old church in Bellevue, Kentucky that has sat vacant for seven years is about to see new life as contemporary urban lofts.

St. Anthony Church began its life in the late Nineteenth century serving a primarily Irish congregation.  Over time, the church began serving the many German immigrants that began calling the area home.

Most recently the church was combined with another area parish which left the building without a congregation.

Ashley Commercial Group (ACG), plans to invest roughly $1 million into the structurally sound building to convert the vaulted interior space into five contemporary urban lofts that will each feature preserved stained glass windows, hardwood flooring, private outdoor living space and dedicated off-street parking.

This is the first project for ACG in Bellevue and is a sign of increased interest in urban redevelopment projects for the group.  Both Hargis and ACG’s president, J. Kampinga live in the area and are urban residents themselves.  Hargis in particular lives just a short walk away from the St. Anthony Lofts project and was the one who saw an opportunity in the structure.
 
"This is a passion project for us and is very important for the community."  The end result could have been much different had someone from out of town come in and tried to do something different says Hargis.  “We wanted to maintain the integrity of the building.”

Rookwood Pottery got its start back in 1818, but is currently in the midst of an exciting period of expansion and growth.  Christopher Rose brought the historic company back to life in 2006 and has been responsible for the revival of the brand and its history ever since.

The fruits of that labor have led to the relocation of the venerated business from a small Corryville operation to a new 100,000 square-foot location near Findlay Market in the historic neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine.  So far, the company has invested $2.3 million into the building.

Plans are to quickly move into the second phase of the project which includes an additional 55,000 square feet of renovated space featuring a retail component and Race Street facade that will quickly become a neighborhood landmark.

Once complete, the $5.5 million first and second phases of the rehabilitation work will be completed within two years, with an additional future investment of $18 million also being a possibility.

Rookwood Pottery is working with GBBN Architects on the rehabilitation work that will lead to a complete reprogramming of the space. The new structure will eventually house their main operations, storage of raw materials, a museum and showcase area, retail space, and a Japanese arts and crafts style garden on the roof suitable for entertaining.

Rose says they receive a number of requests from around the country to tour their operations and learn more about Rookwood’s rich and venerated history.  As a result, the building is being designed to handle some 200,000 visitors per year, many of whom will be from out of town.

Rose is also working to ensure that the rehabilitation work is environmentally friendly.  In addition to the rooftop garden, they are also looking to incorporate as much solar power as possible, says Rose.  According to recent estimates, Rose hopes to take 90-95 percent of the building off the grid once complete.

“I chose this location so that we could be right on the streetcar line.  If you want to start looking at a return on investment, for the streetcar, then you can look at us.  We’re going in here with the streetcar in mind,” says Rose.

Also important is the close proximity to Findlay Market and the opportunity to be a secondary anchor for that part of Over-the-Rhine.  Future plans include monthly meet-and-greets so that people can visit the new facility.

Rookwood Pottery also hopes to leave a lasting impression on Cincinnati’s urban core by encouraging Over-the-Rhine developers to use Rookwood finishes in their buildings, and especially on the exteriors of their redeveloped properties.

"Over-the-Rhine has great Italianate architecture and we could really make this unique by leaving a Cincinnati touch on the street-level finishes of these buildings," says Rose.  Rookwood is currently working on several Over-the-Rhine projects including Lackman Lofts, Fourteenth & Vine and the exterior of Twist on Fourth Street.

Throughout the rest of the year, Rookwood Pottery plans to host several fundraising events at their new Over-the-Rhine location.  Those interested in staying up-to-date on the latest Rookwood news can sign up for the First to Know Rookwood Club.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Christopher Rose, owner, Rookwood Pottery; Suzanne Blackburn, public relations & managing manager, Rookwood Pottery

Illustrations provided
Race Street facade
Japanese arts and crafts style rooftop garden

If you have ever driven along Interstate 75 through Camp Washington, you have almost assuredly been greeted by one of the most visible pieces of Cincinnati history laying vacant and in disrepair.

Originally built in 1929, the Crosley Building was the headquarters for the Powel Crosley Jr. empire, and produced the first mass-produced table-top radio, the first non-electric refrigerator, and the first mass-produced economy car.

The majestic ten-story building, designed by famous Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford & Sons, has seen a variety of tenants since the Crosley Corporation sold the structure in the '70s.

Given the building’s prominent location along I-75, its close proximity to rail, downtown, the airport and its inclusion in the recent GO Cincinnati economic development report, the building has been deemed a high priority redevelopment spot by the City of Cincinnati.

The site sits on roughly one acre of land with nearly 300,000 square feet of space within the Crosley Building.  Previously, the city had identified the site as a possible redevelopment for a research/technical facility that would continue the legacy of the Crosley family.

The city is now looking at the site in a different light as they hope to engage the private market.  “We would really have to sit down with the private market to figure out the redevelopment of the site,” says the Senior Development Officer with the Department of Community Development at the City of Cincinnati, Sam Stephens.

Most recently the City of Cincinnati included the redevelopment of the Crosley Building in its stimulus request asking for $4.3 million. Additionally, there is a formal request sent to Congress for an earmark in the FY 2010 budget.  Stephens says this is the first indication the city is interested in moving into the Camp Washington area for redevelopment purposes. There exists an unprecedented opportunity to apply for additional available money.

In addition to the redevelopment of the location, a remediation process will most likely be needed to clean up the site from its environmental hazards.  Stephens mentions that programs like the Clean Ohio Fund and the Job Ready Sites offer more public resources for the cleanup of sites like this than ever before.

As the City progresses in its efforts to prep the site for redevelopment, it plans to continue to engage the Camp Washington Community Council who helped identify the building as a primary redevelopment site in the neighborhood.

Stephens says that Camp Washington is currently in the process of finalizing an urban renewal plan for the neighborhood in which the redevelopment of the building plays a prominent role. The plan is scheduled for completion over the summer following additional community input.  From there, the plan could go to the Planning Commission and then City Council.

“It’s very early on this project and not all of the information is there, quite yet,” says Stephens.  “We are doing what we can to maintain that building and its integrity for the city and the neighborhood of Camp Washington.”



Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Sam Stephens, senior development office, City of Cincinnati Department of Community Development

Photography by Zachary Fein

Many people have seen and experienced the urban renaissance occurring in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.  These changes have been most notable in recent years with the activity taking root in the Gateway Quarter, but there is additional activity in other parts of the neighborhood as well and one local company is leading the way.

Urban Sites has specifically concentrated their efforts since 1985 towards urban redevelopment projects in Over-the-Rhine.  Over this time the company has worked on roughly 35 sites throughout the neighborhood including rental properties, loft-style condominiums and unique business spaces - one of which is their own headquarters at 1429 Walnut Street.

Kris Sommer, property manager for Urban Sites, says there is more and more interest in Over-the-Rhine and that many people are surprised to see how much has changed once they finally come to check things out.

“There is still a lingering question of 'Is it safe?' but once they experience it, they see another world.  People coming in from out of town don’t understand the negative perceptions that they hear,” says Sommer.

Over the next six to eight months Urban Sites will welcome four new renovated properties to their collection that will add 34 loft-style condominiums to Vine and Main streets in Over-the-Rhine.  Many of the units boast private rooftop decks, exposed brick walls, original hardwood floors and, in the case of Lackman Lofts at 1237 Vine Street, contemporary Rookwood tile installations around fireplaces.

Named after the Lackman Brewery, Lackman Lofts boast Rookwood tile fireplaces, rooftop decks, balconies and a rich history, as some of its primary selling points.  Six of the seven units are priced under $155,000 making them great options for young professionals or first time home-buyers.

It is great for young people given the tremendous value and location says Sommer.  “I would much rather live in Over-the-Rhine than Downtown because the views are so much better and unique…you can see 360 degrees around you from the rooftop decks,” states Sommer.

Over on north Main Street is Falling Wall which gets its name from the innovative design features Urban Sites worked into the final design where some walls feature an angled or falling appearance.  Each unit here has their own private rooftop deck and other unique design features like the “floating” cabinets in the kitchens.

Further south along Main is the Good Fellows Lofts, now open and currently housing its first occupants.  The Belmain is a little further down on Main and will introduce its 16 units sometime this fall.

The future looks bright for both Urban Sites and the neighborhood where they do their work.  “There is a whole lot of potential and the streetcar would be absolutely phenomenal for the development of the urban core and would make Over-the-Rhine rival any other neighborhood in town in terms of desirability.  The people who are coming down now are definitely going to be the winners,” Sommer concludes.

You can come tour these units and more at the upcoming Gateway Expansion Tour on Saturday, May 30th from 12-4pm.  The tour will start at the Gateway Quarter leasing office at the southwest corner of 12th and Vine streets.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Kris Sommer, property manager, Urban Sites
Photography by Randy Simes

One of the newest and most prominent high-rise buildings in the Cincinnati region resides in Newport, Kentucky.  The SouthShore condominium tower, named for its location on the Ohio River’s southern shore, rises some 240 feet into the air near the edge of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge (aka ‘Big Mac’) that carries thousands of people along I-471 over the river daily.

This particular high-rise is one of several towers planned for the site.  A second twin residential tower, with a slightly shorter office tower, is also envisioned for the site .  In the meantime, the next feature to be added to the complex will be the 100-slip marina along the Ohio River, which gained approval late last year.

Sound luxurious?  Well it is, with the current tower boasting a rooftop amenity deck five floors up that includes an outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, sundeck, walking trails, gardens, clubhouse and even a putting green.  Each unit also features breathtaking views of the riverfront and Cincinnati skyline, made even more enjoyable by the floor to ceiling windows.

Units start at $300,000 and go up to $3,000,000 if you are looking for this kind of luxury, and apparently many people are.  Of the building's 17 floors of condominium space, roughly 65 percent of the living space has already been sold, and the building moved its first residents in at the end of 2008.

The new marina, planned to open next spring, will be 800 feet long and co-owned and operated by B&B Riverboats. While it will primarily serve SouthShore residents, it will also be available for annual rental to the general public.  This will be the first new marina near downtown in a decade.

SouthShore is the latest of several high-rise condominium towers along the Ohio River that boast high price points and luxurious amenities.  This continued investment along the river will continue in coming years as several more projects have been proposed and are currently in the process of gaining their necessary approvals and financing.

The result of these projects is a dramatic change along Northern Kentucky’s riverfront from a modest style of living reminiscent of Main Street USA to that of a luxurious “gold coast” feeling you might experience in Miami, Chicago or San Diego.

If you would like to tour the SouthShore condominium building and its offerings, you can do so by visiting the sales center located at 400 Riverboat Road, Newport, Kentucky (across from Don Pablos) between 10am and 6pm Monday through Thursday or on Fridays by appointment.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Greg Fusaro, Capital Investment Group Inc.
Photography by Randy Simes

Uptown Cincinnati is known for its dynamic institutions like the University of Cincinnati, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens and the slew of hospitals and research facilities that make up what is known as “Pill Hill.”

As these institutions continue to change, so do the surrounding neighborhoods.  So far hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new investments have occurred in the Uptown area within recent years.  One particular area that is seeing dynamic changes is Burnet Avenue near Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

The first phase of a larger Burnet Avenue redevelopment strategy is well underway and represents more than $85 million in new development.  A new office building for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the new headquarters for the Cincinnati Herald represent roughly 200,000 square feet of new office space.  

The first phase of the project also includes a 1,450 space parking garage and new streetscaping surrounding the development, but while the development represents a large economic investment, in the Avondale neighborhood, it also represents a significant green investment in the neighborhood and Cincinnati as a whole.

The three-story, $7.8 million Cincinnati Herald Building has been selected as a Green Building of America Award-winning project and will be feature in the upcoming green success stories edition of The Real Estate & Construction Review-Midwest.  The building is also under review by the U.S. Green Building Council and is striving to reach Gold Certification.

The building was selected out of more than 2,500 nominated projects and will be highlighted for how developers, consultants, architects and contractors worked together to design and build one of the region’s most important, innovative or unique new sustainable facilities.  The publication has been released annually and features the region’s top projects as determined by The Real Estate & Construction Review editorial board.

One of the most notable green features incorporated into the Cincinnati Herald Building is the use of wood composite exterior finish.  This finish gives the building a warm look that differs from the typical use of glass, concrete and steel.  The composite panel is faced with a natural wood veneer and given a protective coating that counters the effects of sunlight, graffiti, extreme temperatures and other atmospheric agents.

The environmental benefits of using such a wood composite are profound.  The veneers are made of real wood fibers normally from abundant and fast-growing tree species like Obeche and Poplar.  The wood fibers are dyed and pressed into large blocks which are then sliced to a desired thickness.  The final appearance is that of natural wood without the environmental implications.

The Cincinnati Herald was started by Gerald Porter in 1955 and has served as Cincinnati’s premier African-American newspaper ever since.  Over the years, ownership of the paper has changed hands several times with the African-American owned SESH Communications purchasing the newspaper in 1993.

The Alliance for Leadership and Interconnection (ALLY) last week hosted "Green Schools as Learning Tools", a celebration of Cincinnati Public Schools' (CPS) Green and Healthy Schools initiative at Pleasant Ridge Montessori School.

The location is symbolic because it's the project for which ALLY began advocating for green schools, a process that led to CPS requiring all new builds to be built to LEED standards.

Thanks to the work of ALLY, Pleasant Ridge became home to the first LEED-certified PK-8 public school in the state of Ohio and a model for the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

"Cincinnati and the State of Ohio are leading the nation in sustainable design, and national organizations are looking to the Cincinnati model for green and healthy schools," says ALLY executive director Ginny Frazier, whose organization is putting together a how-to manual to share their campaign story and an online clearinghouse for information on the green schools movement.

The featured speaker was Robert Kobet, chair of LEED for Schools and president of Sustainaissance International.

"What LEED means to me is some indication of the extent to which the school board, and the district, advocates for the relationship between price, cost, and value on behalf of the children and long-term fiscal responsibility," Kobet says.  "I would hope that this model will serve other schools in Ohio and Kentucky, and everywhere else."

Kobet says that by cleaning up schools, many problems with student behavior go away.

"The good news is if you clean up your school, you have less disruption from the kids," he says.  "What good is the curriculum if the kid is sick, they can't hear – why are you teaching to a disaffected population?"

But green schools aren't just about student health, Kobet says.

He points out that for every job that exists now for a child entering kindergarten, half will be gone by the time the child graduates; One-third of the new jobs created during that time will be in green industries.

"If the school doesn't exhibit that, if the school doesn't teach about that, if the kids don't understand as much about the built environment as they do about the natural world... I say we did not meet our obligation," Kobet says.  "We blew it."

CPS board member Melanie Bates says that the district remains committed to green and healthy schools.

"For us, as a school board, going green is just good business," she says.  "And teaching green principles is something we should be doing."

Writer: Kevin LeMaster

"More Great Cincinnati Families at Home", part two in an exhibit on the families behind some of our city's greatest architectural treasures, is now open at the Betts House, 416 Clark Street in the West End

The exhibit features the residences of the Emery, Longworth-Anderson, Maxwell-Schmidlapp-Graydon, and Werk-Oskamp families.

Co-curator for the exhibit is Walter E. Langsam, architectural historian, teacher at the University of Cincinnati, and author of Great Houses of the Queen City, from which he drew much of the exhibit's information.

"Because there I also used different generations of families to provide some continuity," he says.  "I used different ethnic backgrounds and different neighborhoods and different styles.  But, at the same time, the more I could have different houses with different generations of the same family, the more meaningful it seemed."

While some of the residences were designed by such well-known architects as Burnham & Root, Grosvenor Atterbury, Delano & Aldrich, Samuel Hannaford, and Elzner & Anderson, some of the architects have remained obscure.

"There are some other local architects who are really very important and have not been recognized," Langsam says.  "Most of the names are not known at all, and yet most of them have more than local significance."

But Langsam says that the houses tell more about the families themselves than about their architects.

"A lot of it's about their own self-images," he says.  "The Werks saw themselves as German, so their German castle's over there.  But yet the third one on the right there [of the Longworth-Anderson family], this was two of the German-American families, but it's one of the earliest American Colonial Revival houses in the city.  Obviously they were making a somewhat different statement."

A companion lecture series, hosted by Langsam, begins May 2 at the Cincinnati Fire Museum.

"These are the people who were the clients for most of the important buildings of the city for 200 years," he says.

The Betts House exhibit will be on view through September 30.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Walter E. Langsam, co-curator, "Great Cincinnati Families at Home"; Juile Carpenter, executive director, Betts House

Construction is nearly halfway completed on the first of three LEED, Energy Star-rated houses being built by Tanner Custom Homes along the 6600 block of Corbly Road in Mount Washington.

Priced for between $200,000 and $225,000, the houses will all be situated on wooded, hillside lots, perfect for their three-level, vertical construction

Balconies and backyard decks will bring homeowners closer to their natural surroundings.

"We call them 'tree houses'," says Norma Brown, realtor with Coldwell Banker West Shell.  "This is not a house I could take and put up in just a normal subdivision.  When you have a hillside lot with all of the trees there, and you don't want to ruin the whole site, then go up.  You're removing less soil, less trees, less everything."

When completed in August, the first house will act as a show house for two similar houses that will be built across the street.

Each is a fully-customizable "box", allowing for buyer choice in layout and in interior and exterior finishes.

"We offer the plan because people have to have something to pretty much guide them," Brown says.  "But most people seem to like the layout of the great room, or the layout of the three bedrooms on the third floor.

Each homeowner will be provided with a manual on how to care for their home at closing.

"A really important thing about building green is giving the homeowner a manual to continue to make sure that they're maintaining it to green build standards," Brown says.

Brown says that their next step is the "universal house", which will allow for homeowners to stay in one place throughout all stages of their lives.

"That's a home that you build that, whether you're 25 and buying your first house or you end up living there 50 years and you're 80, you don't have to move," she says.  "The house is already set up for walkers, wheelchairs.  So adjustments can be made very inexpensively."

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Norma Brown, Coldwell Banker West Shell

Daniel Libeskind's dramatic addition to the Covington skyline, the Ascent, is celebrating its one year anniversary. In that year, over 50 families have moved into the sweeping blue luxury tower.

In addition to the striking views, the Ascenti, a moniker residents have proudly adopted for themselves, have discovered additional benefits to living in one of the most important architectural statements in Northern Kentucky – a sense of community. Regular events such as the Wine Club gatherings held in a Libeskind designed wine cellar help neighbors in the glass building bond. The building also has its own set of Yoga and Pilates classes held in the 2,600-square-foot wellness suite complete with private massage room and state-of-the-art cardio and resistance equipment chosen by local celebrity trainer, Aaron Lakanen.

The building even boasts its own private driver, John Callahan, who can be seen ferrying passengers around in the building's midnight blue stretch Lexus. "I have a great job," said John. "I get to help make life easy for some really nice people. Whether it is helping get a business trip started off with ease or taking a couple out for a special night on the town, I really enjoy what I do."

Writer: Jeff Syroney
Photography by Scott Beseler

Cincinnati's Urban Design Review Board gave approval to schematic designs for the first phase of the $1 billion Banks project last week at the offices of CR Architecture + Design downtown.