Price Hill Will acquires St. Lawrence property to turn into public square

The East Price Hill Improvement Association was awarded $107,500 from the city through the 2013 Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program for the development of the St. Lawrence Corner Public Square. Price Hill Will, an independent organization that focuses on comprehensive community development, will administer the project.
 
Price Hill Will purchased the property in early 2012. The property was home to a three-story Tudor-style building that burned down in 2010 and has been vacant since.
 
“Before it burned down, the building was an anchor for the area,” says Matt Strauss, director of marketing and neighborhood promotion for Price Hill Will. The organization had had its eye on the building, and Strauss is now looking forward to turning the land it used to sit on into something great.
 
The property will become a public square, which will include a stage and water feature. Once completed, the square will be a gathering place for the neighborhood and a place for events such as the Price Hill Cultural Heritage Fest, says Strauss. 

Construction on the square began last week, and will be finished in the next few months.

Price Hill Will worked closely with Price Hill residents on the plans for the square.
 
“We wanted to reflect the people of the neighborhood, and their dreams and aspirations for the area,” says Strauss. Residents were able to provide feedback on what they wanted for the square, and even what they wanted it to look like.
 
The property sits near the edge of East and West Price Hill and acts as a gateway for the neighborhood. Strauss hopes that like the building, the square will become an anchor and point of pride for Price Hill and its residents.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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