Yard & Company's growth results in move to newly designed location in OTR

In the last couple of years, the staff at urban development firm Yard & Company has doubled, requiring a move into new quarters to house that growth and also allow for future expansion.

Earlier this fall, the company moved into a new office at 1537 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine in a space that is part of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) Elm Industries project, a $7 million renovation of an industrial property featuring four office spaces encompassing more than 18,000 square feet.

The Yard & Company space was designed by Cincinnati-based design firm Otherwhere, the group responsible for the buildout of Somerset OTR. The space is intended to spur creativity and ideas, while remaining a functional space for staff members. It features a variety of work areas to accommodate group meetings, entertaining clients, and quiet places to focus.

“The new office is large enough to accommodate our growth, and it’s in a great location,” says Kevin Wright, director of operations and strategy with YARD & Company. “We are thrilled to be in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati with other growing companies and entrepreneurs.”

In addition to providing extra room for the growing staff, the new office features a pop-up retail storefront. Yard says it will be looking for businesses and entrepreneurs to program and activate the space in the near future.

Yard is an urban design and planning studio that works with communities, neighborhoods, developers and others to design plans for neighborhood revitalization and strategic investments in public spaces, streets, and buildings. Wright and Joe Nickol co-founded the firm in 2018 as a way to help neighborhood growth through design, experience management, and development strategy. The company has developed a national presence, with a portfolio that features work spanning more than 20 states.