Bold plan for renovation of historic Terrace Plaza gets a jump start

The proposed transformation of the long vacant Terrace Plaza in the heart of downtown Cincinnati could get a jump start with a big grant from the state of Ohio.

A state grant of nearly $10 million will pay for cleanup of hazardous waste and asbestos in the storied structure, which is considered a prime example of postwar modernism architecture.

The cleanup funding is expected to attract new investors and financing that can help return the massive, 20-story, 600,000 square foot monolith back to life.

The building has been vacant for 15 years and has fallen in to disrepair. In recent years, chunks of concrete, bricks, and windows have fallen off the building. The roof is said to be failing and the mechanical superstructure on the rooftop has been such a concern to city building officials that a public nuisance lawsuit against previous owners in 2019.

Indiana real estate developer Tony Birkla acquired the historic building after years of legal battles and ownership changes. The new owner has fenced the sidewalks and stabilized the most immediate hazards that could be a threat to public safety. With the new funding from the Ohio Department of Development, hazardous cleanup can begin, which could clear the way for the redevelopment plans, including residential apartments, retail spaces, restaurants, and a public parking garage.

The building was developed by Cincinnati industrialist John Emery, who also constructed the Carew Tower/Netherland Plaza Hotel complex downtown. It was designed by the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill between 1946 and 1948, the first hotel project of what would become a renowned firm, and one of the first high-rise projects to be constructed in the United States after World War II.

The architectural firm assigned 24-year-old Natalie de Blois as senior designer, making the Terrace Plaza one of the first hotels in America to be designed primarily by a woman. It housed department stores in its seven-story windowless block, then a hotel in the stories above, topped off by the Gourmet Room restaurant. The restaurant featured an abstract mural by Spanish artist Joan Miro, which is now on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Birkla's concept is called The Terraces, and includes a new Gourmet Room, as well as significant changes to the seven-story windowless brick facade, which the developer says will become "a scalloped facade that serves as a more modern take on the bricks."