OFFICIAL

COUNCILMEMBER DAVID MANN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 15th, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT: Ioanna Paraskevopoulos

ioanna.paraskevopoulos@cincinnati-oh.gov

Terrace Plaza Hotel - Local Historic Landmark Designation

Councilmember Mann seeks to preserve historic integrity of downtown hotel

WHAT: Statement from Councilmember David Mann

WHEN: January 15th, 2019, 10:00 AM

WHERE: Cincinnati Art Museum

WHO: Councilmember David Mann

STATEMENT: Cincinnati City Councilmember David Mann has submitted an application to the
Historic Conservation Board to designate the Terrace Plaza Hotel as a local historic landmark.
This decision came at the urging of advocates from the Cincinnati Preservation Association, the
Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and others who seek to preserve
the building as an icon of modernism in America.

Ownership of the building has changed many times over the years, and it currently sits mostly
vacant, with only a few ground floor retailers left. Councilmember Mann sees an opportunity to
restore and develop the building in a manner that is respectful to its historic integrity. The
Terrace Plaza Hotel is already on the Register of National Historic Places, but a local historic
designation would ensure that any renovation and development of the building is reviewed in
keeping with historic preservation standards.

Planning for the Terrace Plaza started just after World War II in 1945 and opened its doors in
1948. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), led by chief designer and
pioneering woman architect Natalie DeBlois, and is widely regarded as the nation’s first Modern
hotel built in the world. The Terrace Plaza would propel SOM to become one of the world’s
preeminent architects and design firms of the modern style, later designing other iconic projects
such as the new Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
The Terrace Plaza was one of the first “mixed-use” buildings in America, including department
stores, restaurants, a hotel, office tenants, retail, and interior parking. It was also the first hotel in
the world to create a sky lobby above ground floor, featuring an outdoor terrace on the 8th floor.
Art was commissioned from famed modernist artists such as large murals from Joan Miró and
Saul Steinberg, which were displayed in the restaurants on the 8th and 20th floor, a mobile by
Alexander Calder which hung in the 8th floor lobby, and an art piece from Jim Davis on the 8th
floor bar and grill. It was also the first hotel in the nation to feature a fully automated elevator
system and a television in every room. It also set new practices and standards in HVAC,
artificial lighting, and fire safety. It was developed by Jack Emery of Thomas Emery’s Sons, Inc.,
a Cincinnati family-owned company and one of the most distinguished developer of iconic
buildings in the city. The Emery family is also responsible for developing the Carew Tower, the
Netherland Plaza Hotel, the Cincinnatian Hotel, and the Village of Mariemont, which was
developed by Mary Emery and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Emery
believed that the building should reflect the spirit of its time, and that modernist art should take
center stage.

Years of neglect have left the building in disrepair. However, several Cincinnati architects,
engineering, and construction firms have evaluated the Terrace Plaza Hotel, and have
determined that the overall building is in solid shape. In fact, it would not have been able to be
placed on the National Register of Historic Places if it were not. Local historic designation does
not stop development from happening, nor does it mean the building is frozen in time. It also
opens the building up to the possibility of receiving state and federal tax credits that could be
used to revitalize the structure.

Some have expressed concern about the lack of windows at the street view. However,
preservation reviewers have already expressed support for changing the building back to many
of its original design features, such as a second level of glass along Vine and 6th Streets, and
expanding the first floor back to the sidewalk, all of which will make the building look more
attractive at the street level. Moreover, one analysis concludes that installing windows in the
lower floors would not only destroy the architectural significance of the building, but also would
add $30,000,000 to redevelopment costs.

“I believe that the building can be revitalized without compromising its historic character, and
believe it is in the city’s interest to do so. Cincinnati has an opportunity to bring life back to a
building in the city’s core while becoming a cultural destination for the city’s residents and its
visitors,” Mann said.

Councilmember Mann will be giving a press conference at the Cincinnati Art Museum at 10:00
AM on Tuesday, January 15th in front of Saul Steinberg’s Mural of Cincinnati.