Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square
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This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures. Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins. |
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| Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square | |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 300 East Third Street Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Status | Construction imminent |
| Groundbreaking | Spring 2008 |
| Estimated completion | 2011 |
| Opening | 2011 |
| Use | Office |
| Height | |
| Roof | 660 ft (201 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 40 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Gyo Obata (Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum) |
| Contractor | Turner Construction Company |
| Developer | Western & Southern Financial Group |
The Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square is a proposed skyscraper in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tower is expected to begin construction in 2008, with completion set for 2011 at a cost of $300 million. Half the building will be occupied by Great American Insurance Company headquartered in Cincinnati.[1]
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[edit] Background
Western & Southern Financial Group had floated the idea of constructing a tower for the last twenty years, following the last construction boom in Downtown Cincinnati. In 2002 the project was revived.[2] Current plans call for a tower with over 800,000 square feet of office space.[3] When the tower is completed in 2011, it will be 660 feet high, 86 feet higher than the Carew Tower, currently the tallest building in Cincinnati.[4] The building will be reviewed by the Urban Design Review Board to determine whether its parameters conform to the outline in the Cincinnati 2000 plan for downtown which will ultimately decide whether or not to approve the project.[5]
[edit] Design
The building's architect, Gyo Obata, designed the building to include a top inspired by Diana, Princess of Wales's tiara. Gyo was flipping through books when he came upon a picture of Diana wearing a crown. "That's perfect. Here we have the crown of the building, and the nickname for the city is Queen City," said Joe Robertson of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum remarking to Gyo when he first saw the picture.[4] The building will be constructed of glass and aluminum.[4] It has met with approval from Sue Ann Painter, author of "Architecture in Cincinnati" (Ohio University Press, 2006), who believes the skyscraper's headdress recalls the iconic Chrysler Building. She continues to say that the building is somewhat conservative, but pays homage to the other skyscrapers in Cincinnati.[4] Jay Chatterjee, a former dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Art, Architecture & Planning says that the design is similar to buildings constructed in the United States during the 1980s, that it does not break any new ground at all.[4]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Great American Anchor Tenant At Queen City Square, WCPO.com, Tom McKee, December 21, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ City's tallest tower to be built, Cincinnati Enquirer, Keith T. Reed, December 19, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ Proposal for new tallest in Cincinnati revived, Emporis.com, James Peacock, July 1, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ a b c d e Diana's tiara inspires tower, Cincinnati Enquirer, Janelle Gelfand, December 26, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ Board to scrutinize high-rise, Cincinnati Enquirer, Lisa Bernard-Kuhn, December 22, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
[edit] References
- Painter, Sue Ann (2006). Architecture in Cincinnati. Ohio University Press.
