PROBLEM

Proximately located within the core of the central business district of Cincinnati, the existing Macy’s department store decided not to renegotiate their lease as part of the company’s 100 store closings nationwide. This left the owners with a challenge in what to do with the vacant space. Proposals for the site in the early 1990s imagined the site as having the tallest tower in Cincinnati, and at one time was considered the most desirable site in the USA. However, the 3-story structure as built today was designed to hold up to a 22-story tower above a portion of the department store. The current configuration of the department store does not allow for any sense of public interaction in and through the site.

The highly active and popular Fountain Square provides a great deal of energy surrounding the site, and new developments with similar activity and energy exist directly to the west of this site. Unfortunately, as currently conceived, the department store acts as a barrier within the city.