Bowdeya Tweh

btweh@enquirer.com

The former Dennison Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati cannot be razed despite a request from the building's owner.

That's the result from a more than three-hour Historic Conservation Board meeting Thursday. The independent city panel voted 3-2 to reject an application from the building's owner, Columbia Development Group, to demolish the 124-year-old property at 716 Main St. The building sits in the Main Street Historic District and along Cincinnati's streetcar line. Columbia needed the board's blessing in order to obtain a demolition permit.

Board members Judith Spraul-Schmidt, Michael Burson and Thomas Sundermann voted to deny Columbia's petition. Shree Kulkarni and Tim Voss voted in support of Columbia's demolition plan. The city's historic conservation staff also recommended the board deny the demolition request.

In a statement before the vote, Spraul-Schmidt said Columbia did not credibly demonstrate it would endure economic hardship from a full or partial reuse of the building. She said the company did not consider whether it could obtain tax credits to support any renovation project and has not offered the property for sale to someone who might be able to pursue redevelopment.

Columbia has owned the building since 2013, but has been buying property around the Dennison since the 1960s. In the last 50 years, it has razed multiple buildings around the Dennison and owns about 1.3 acres of land now serving as parking lots.

After the vote, Sean Suder, an attorney retained by local historic preservation groups, said the board's decision shows historic preservation is alive and well in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Preservation Association and Cincinnati Preservation Collective banded together to raise money to hire an attorney and gather support among residents to ensure the building could avoid a wrecking ball.

"The no-demolition rule is alive and well for buildings in historic districts unless you can make a really strong case that the city has essentially taken your property (rights) away," Suder said.

Columbia has vowed to appeal the Historic Conservation Board's decision. After the meeting, Fran Barrett, an attorney representing Columbia, said the next step will be seeking an opinion from the city's Board of Zoning Appeals. Barrett said it could be a few months before the appeal is heard.

"It was obviously a close decision and thoroughly debated," Barrett said. "Of course, we're very disappointed. The facts are the facts. They don't change and we've demonstrated and our clients' experts have proven that it's not economically feasible to rehab and reoccupy this building."

During the hearing, Paul Muller, executive director of the Cincinnati Preservation Association, said at least eight real estate developers with local and national experience may have interest in studying a project at the former hotel. Nine people – including Chris Frutkin of City Center Properties, Greg Olson of Urban Sites, Danny Klingler of OTR A.D.O.P.T. and John Watson of Indianapolis-based Core Redevelopment – signed letters alerting the city to the possibility of the building having an economically viable use instead of demolition.

Barrett disputed that claim, adding that "interest" in the building only came after an application was filed to seek demolition. He also said it would not serve a purpose to list the property for sale because no one will buy it and be able to rehab it.

WATCH: Barrett's comments after Thursday's hearing

Cincinnati-based architectural firm Samuel Hannaford & Sons designed the building and it was built in 1892 for G.B. Schulte & Sons. The building was converted into a hotel in 1932. The Dennison was the last of about two dozen single-room occupancy hotels that began operations downtown in the early 1970s, according to Enquirer archives.

The three-hour hearing Thursday followed a four-hour May 26 hearing on the Dennison Hotel.

Board members Herb Weiss and Bob Zielasko were absent. Zielasko, who works for PDT Architects, did not attend Thursday's hearing or one on May 26 because the firm serves as architect for the Joseph family and created renderings for Columbia on what could replace the Dennison.

Here are links to past coverage:

May 26: Historic panel adjourns Dennison hearing without vote

May 24: Is the Dennison a sign of more historic teardowns?

May 18: Dennison Hotel, Sorg Opera House named 'endangered' historic sites

April 18: Date set for new Dennison hearing

April 14: City staff: Reject Dennison Hotel demo request

April 14: Battle lines drawn over Dennison plan

March 15: Is the end near for a former Downtown hotel?