CINCINNATI — The Carew Tower in downtown Cincinnati is among more than a dozen buildings in Cincinnati that will be awarded financial support as part of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program.
The statewide support was announced Thursday, with more than 50 buildings across the state given the designation for tax credits and assisting private investments.
The Carew Tower has been undergoing needed upgrades and renovations for several years. This past November, parts of the brick facade fell off the tower, landing on a car in the streets below.
The tower is one of Cincinnati’s most important buildings. Constructed over 13 months at the start of the Great Depression, it rises 570 feet above sea level and was Cincinnati’s tallest building until the Great American Tower bested it by 91 feet in 2011. It was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1982 and is known for its art deco design elements, custom-made Rookwood tile in its first-floor arcade and a rooftop observation deck that offered unmatched views for decades.
Also on the list locally are several buidings in Over-the-Rhine, near Findlay Market, the Engine 22 Fire House, the Edward Hart House in Avondale and the Arlington School in Arlington Heights.
“Historic preservation is so much more than just updating old buildings. We’re preserving what exists and making concerted efforts to weave this history into the fabric of Ohio's future,” said Governor DeWine in a press release. “By restoring our historical assets, we’re ensuring that these structures remain part of their communities for years to come.”
The state cited vacant buildings with little economic activity as part of the criteria for its designations. Developers are only issued the tax credit once projects are complete and verified.
“This program is so important because these tax credits are often a deciding factor in determining whether or not a historic preservation project is able to move forward,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Department of Development, in a press release. “We’re proud to be able to help make these projects happen and restore life back into our state’s historical assets.”
Here is a list of all of the Cincinnati projects, as described by the state:
124 East 13th Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $2,579,865
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
This small building in Over the Rhine features classic Italianate details including decorative cornice and hood molds on the windows. The upper floor apartments will be rehabilitated, adding eight units back into Cincinnati's inventory. New historically compatible windows will be installed, and the building systems and finishes will be upgraded.
129 Elder Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: Unknown
Total Tax Credit: $229,500
One of two projects facing Findlay Market, this project will rehabilitate the upper floors of the building that have been abandoned for decades. Built in circa 1864, the Italianate building has always had commercial space on the first floor with housing above. After the project is complete, there will be four apartments that will retain the historic fabric of the building including the historic staircase. However, most building finishes and systems have been lost over time and will be replaced with period replacements.
1300 Main Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $2,023,416
Total Tax Credit: $200,000
This building in Over the Rhine will be rehabilitated to bring six two-bedroom apartments back online and allow the first floor to continue to serve commercial tenants. Noncompatible replacement windows will be replaced with more historically appropriate selections. All new systems, kitchens, and baths in the residential units will make them comfortable for tenants for years to come.
131 W. Elder Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,182,776
Total Tax Credit: $231,500
The second of the pair of projects facing Findlay Market, this building's upper floors have also been vacant and derelict for years. Home to a variety of neighborhood residents over the years, the building will once again provide homes to six new households. Most of the interior historic fabric was lost over time, but the exterior will be rehabilitated and complemented by new interior systems and finishes for the new residents.
1312-1316 Main Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $3,715,252
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
A four-story building in Over the Rhine, this building's residential spaces are vacant and in need of repair. When the project is completed, there will be 10 apartments on the second, third, and fourth floors. Each will have new systems and finishes. Previously replaced, but incompatible, new historically-appropriate windows will be installed.
1519 Vine Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,965,655
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
This three-story building has served for many years as a communal living space for a social service organization that provides supportive housing. A new facility is being constructed for those residents. This building will be converted back to its historic configuration of first-floor commercial space and four apartments on the upper two floors. Even though it was reconfigured during the 1990s renovation, some historic elements remain on the interior, such as mantels, trim, and wood flooring. Those features will be repaired and retained along with the historic aspects of the building exterior.
1522 Republic Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,647,341
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
Adding to a group of buildings funded in a previous round, this small building will bring four additional housing units to the market in Over the Rhine. A rehab project in the 1990s was not sensitive to the historic character of the building. Still, this project will repair and retain the historic fabric that is left, and the layout will be returned to its historic configuration.
1524-26 Republic Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $2,218,327
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
This building appears to be one but is actually two distinct buildings, each with their own circulation. In a rehab project 30 years ago they were joined but will be returned to their historic configuration in this project. The project has been serving as dormitory style living space, but as those residents will move to a new facility this project will become 16 apartments on five floors.
1530 Republic Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,612,139
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
Part of a larger project to rehabilitate a number of other nearby buildings, this project on Republic Street in Over the Rhine has served continuously as apartments since its construction c. 1880. The front of the building has a pair of distinctive dormers with decorative trim set into the mansard roof. Following a rehab in 2004, the interior configuration was altered to provide for congregate living, but the current project will restore the four apartment layouts and provide new kitchens, baths, and finishes throughout.
1628 Walnut Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,218,349
Total Tax Credit: $121,000
Constructed around 1870, this four-story residential building in Over the Rhine has long been vacant. The rehabilitation plan will bring five one-bedroom apartments to the building as well as a new addition to provide more space for kitchens and bathrooms. Historic windows, stairways, flooring, and trim will be repaired and retained.
1826 Logan (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $749,988
Total Tax Credit: $81,250
This building was constructed around 1865, this three-story brick building has simple ornamentation. Renovations over the years have meant that much of the interior historic fabric has been lost, but original wood floors and some fireplace mantels remain. After rehabilitation, the building will again have three, two-bedroom apartments.
208 East 13th Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,645,750
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
Dating to around 1870, this building exemplifies the Italianate style common in Over the Rhine with its cornice and window hoods. The project will bring the building back into service with its historic use as apartments.
219 Findlay (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,227,072
Total Tax Credit: $207,781
Vacant for over 20 years, this Over the Rhine building will be renovated to bring back the six apartments - a mix of studio, one and two bedrooms. On the exterior, noncompatible windows will be replaced with models that are historically sensitive, and masonry and cornice repaired. Inside, much of the original fabric has been lost over time, but much of the original staircase, trim, and wood floors remain and will be repaired.
938 Dayton Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,440,168
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
One of a pair of projects in the Dayton Street Historic District, this property was built in 1875 as a single-family home. Converted to multiple units over the years, the home and rear carriage house will again serve as apartments after decades of abandonment. Historic fabric including windows, woodwork, doors, and staircase as well as cornice and decorative window hoods and lintels will be repaired and retained.
940 Dayton Street (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,424,829
Total Tax Credit: $250,000
Neighbor to the project at 938 Dayton, this project will rehabilitate another of the Dayton Street Historic District's historic multi-family properties and includes a front and rear structure with seven apartments in total. While the carriage house was occupied until a few years ago, the main structure has been vacant for over 30 years. The building retains historic interior elements, including doors, trim, and staircase, that will be repaired.
Arlington School (Arlington Heights)
Total Project Cost: $4,000,000
Total Tax Credit: $785,000
Built during the 1930s federal Public Works Administration program, the Arlington School served students for 80 years before declining enrollment led to its closure. Vacant since that time, the current owner plans to rehabilitate the school into 15 apartment units over the building's three levels. Many of the character-defining elements of the school will be retained and incorporated into the project's design, including doors, full-width corridors, trim, and features of the gym and kitchen.
Carew Tower (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $175,149,324
Total Tax Credit: $10,000,000
An iconic building in Cincinnati's skyline and story, the Carew Tower, was constructed in 1930. This project does not include the hotel portion of the development but converts the office portion on floors four to 44 into 385 apartments. Floors 45 and 46 will be resident amenity spaces. Repairing the exterior stone and terra cotta will be a large undertaking, as will replacing deteriorated steel windows.
Edward Hart House (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $875,000
Total Tax Credit: $165,375
The Edward Hart House was listed individually on the National Register and tells the story of Avondale's large estates of the late 19th and early 20th century. Built in 1886, the grand single-family home was later divided into apartments, and the building will continue to serve residents after the rehabilitation is completed. The exterior features a distinctive circular tower with a pointed roof, while the interior retains numerous original features such as pocket doors, trim, and floors.
Engine Co. 22 Firehouse (Cincinnati)
Total Project Cost: $1,435,202
Total Tax Credit: $143,000
Constructed in the era of horse-drawn fire fighting apparatus, this 1886 firehouse remains in Over the Rhine with many of its historic features. In the interior, the original wood ceiling and firefighter's lockers are in place, and the exterior details in stone and brick will be repaired and retained. Used as a firehouse until 1917, the building was later used for various light manufacturing uses and for artists' lofts and was eventually vacated nearly seven years ago. The rehabilitation project will create four residential units with indoor parking
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