Fountain Square
Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.
History of Fountain Square
An Indian mound stood at the present site of Fountain Square when the first white settlers arrived.
Fountain Square has been the symbolic center of Cincinnati since 1871. The square, which replaced a butcher's market, was a gift from Henry Probasco in memory of Tyler Davidson. Probasco traveled to Munich and commissioned a bronze allegorical fountain from Ferdinand von Miller named The Genius of Water that symbolizes the uses of water, both natural and man-made. Originally, the square occupied a large island in the middle of Fifth Street with buildings to the north and south, much like nearby Piatt Park. A 1971 renovation of the square included slightly moving and re-orienting the fountain to the west, and enlarging the plaza by removing the original westbound portion of 5th Street and demolishing buildings to the north. It is used for lunch-breaks, rallies, and other gatherings.
The Fountain can be seen in the opening credits on WKRP in Cincinnati
In the early 2000s, the square was completely renovated and re-designed by 3cdc and BHDP Architecture (consulted by Cooper, Robertson & Partners and OLIN) to attract more visitors to the city, and to serve as a cultural/recreational hub for the city. In addition to the renovations, many buildings in and around the Fountain Square district are currently being renovated and redesigned to revitalize the region. The Fountain itself was completely restored and moved to a more central location in the square.
Carew Tower
Carew Tower is a 49-story, 574-foot (175 m) building completed in 1930 in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, overlooking the Ohio River waterfront. It is the second-tallest building in the city and was added to the register of National Historic Landmarks on August 5, 1982.
The complex contains the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (formerly Omni Netherland Plaza), which is described as a fine example of French Art Deco architecture, and was used as the model for the Empire State Building in New York City. The hotel's Hall of Mirrors banquet room was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Palace of Versailles.
The tower was eclipsed by the Great American Tower at Queen City Square on July 13, 2010, rising 86 ft (26 m) higher than Carew Tower. Prior to the construction of the Great American Insurance Building, Carew Tower gave Cincinnati the distinction of having an American city's tallest building, constructed prior to World War II. It is named for Joseph T. Carew, proprietor of the Mabley & Carew department store chain, which had previously operated on the site since 1877.
History of Carew Tower
Carew Tower was designed by the architectural firm W.W. Ahlschlager & Associates with Delano & Aldrich and developed by John J. Emery. The original concept was a development that would include a department store, a theater, office accommodation and a hotel to rival the Waldorf-Astoria. Emery took on as partner Col. William A. Starrett (Starrett Investment Corp.) and Starrett Brothers, Inc. as general contractors. The building is widely considered to be an early prototype of an urban mixed-use development, a "city within a city". New York City's Rockefeller Center, built around the same time, is a more famous example of this concept. The Hotel Emery and an office block belonging to Mabley & Carew were demolished to make the site available for construction.
Construction began in September 1929, just one month before the stock market crash on October 24 that triggered the Great Depression. Because of this, construction was continued on a modified plan. Art deco themes can be found throughout the building, particularly in the metalwork and grillwork of the elevators and lights. Locally-sourced inlaid Rookwood Pottery floral tiles adorn the east and west entrances of the building. Sculpture on the exterior and interior of the building were executed by New York architectural sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan.
Eighteen Louis Grell murals can be found throughout the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel on the bottom floor. Ten wall-to-ceiling murals can be found in the hotel's original lobby, now the Palm Court, four Greek Themed murals in the Continental Room and two above the side entry staircase are the work of muralist and painter Louis Grell. The ten murals in the Palm Court represent the recreation and it is believed that the artist representations of Carew Tower can be found worked into each background by Grell. The staircase mural says "Welcome Travelers" and the four in the Continental Room represent the four seasons of the year. The massive 90 foot long Apollo Gallery boost another "Apollo on Chariot" mural and a large "Hunt of Diana" mural by Grell. All murals are believed to be oil on canvas.
The total cost of the building was US$33 million, which at that time was an enormous sum of money. It took crews only 13 months to complete the construction, working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
From 1930 until 1960, Carew Tower was the home of the Mabley & Carew department store.
From 1967 to 1980, Carew Tower and the neighboring PNC Tower, then called the Central Trust Bank tower, were featured in the opening and closing credits of the long-running daytime soap opera The Edge of Night, since Cincinnati was the stand-in for the show's fictional locale of Monticello. Coincidentally (or not), Procter & Gamble, the show's producers, are based in Cincinnati.
Today the building is home to a mixed crowd of tenants, including a shopping mall, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, and offices. For $2, visitors can access the observation deck located on the 49th floor. On a clear day, visitors can see for miles in all directions, and three states (Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio). Because of its architectural standards, as well as its identity with the city's heritage, Carew Tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
The building originally had three towers, the tallest housing offices, the second the hotel, and the third serving as a parking garage which had an elevator rather than traditional ramps for access. There was also a turntable for vehicles to assist in pointing delivery trucks in the right direction. The system has since been dismantled.
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