Great American Tower at Queen City Square
| Great American Tower at Queen City Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Queen City Square Phase II Western Southern Life Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Postmodern |
| Location | 301 East Fourth Street Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 39°05′59″N 84°30′26″W / 39.09983°N 84.507185°W |
| Construction started | November 2008 |
| Completed | January 2011 |
| Cost | US$322 million |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 203 m (666 ft) |
| Roof | 151 m (495 ft) |
| Top floor | 147 m (482 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 41 below ground 3 |
| Floor area | 74,322 m2 (800,000 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 26 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Gyo Obata (Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum) |
| Developer | Western & Southern Financial Group |
| Main contractor | Turner Construction |
| References | |
| [1][2] | |
The Great American Tower at Queen City Square, is a skyscraper in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tower, built by Western & Southern Financial Group, began construction in July 2008 and opened in January 2011 at a cost of $322 million.[3] Half the building is occupied by the heaquarters of the Great American Insurance Company.[4] It is currently the third tallest building in the state of Ohio.
Background
Western & Southern had floated the idea of constructing a tower for the last twenty years, following the last construction boom in Downtown Cincinnati. In 2002 the project was revived.[5] Plans called for a tower with over 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) of office space.[6] When the tower opened in 2011, it was 665 feet (203 m) high, 91 feet (28 m) higher than the Carew Tower, which was previously the tallest building in Cincinnati.[7] The building was reviewed and approved by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority which determined whether its parameters conformed to the outline in the Cincinnati 2000 plan for downtown including a final approval by Cincinnati City Council on June 12, 2008.[8][3]
Design
The building's architect, Gyo Obata, designed the building to include a top inspired by Diana, Princess of Wales's tiara. Gyo was flipping through books when he came upon a picture of Diana wearing a crown. "That's perfect. Here we have the crown of the building, and the nickname for the city is Queen City," said Joe Robertson of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum remarking to Gyo when he first saw the picture.[7] The building is constructed of glass and aluminum.[7] The ground floor lobby interiors were designed by FRCH Design Worldwide. It has met with approval from Sue Ann Painter, author of "Architecture in Cincinnati" (Ohio University Press, 2006), who believes the skyscraper's headdress recalls the iconic Chrysler Building. She continues to say that the building is somewhat conservative, but pays homage to the other skyscrapers in Cincinnati.[7] Jay Chatterjee, a former dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning says that the design is similar to buildings constructed in the United States during the 1980s, that it does not break any new ground at all.[7][9]
References
- ^ Great American Tower at Queen City Square at Emporis
- ^ "Great American Tower at Queen City Square". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ a b City's tallest building OK'd, Cincinnati Enquirer, Jane Prendergast, June 12, 2008, retrieved June 17, 2008
- ^ Great American Anchor Tenant At Queen City Square, WCPO.com, Tom McKee, December 21, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ City's tallest tower to be built, Cincinnati Enquirer, Keith T. Reed, December 19, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ Proposal for new tallest in Cincinnati revived, Emporis.com, James Peacock, July 1, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ a b c d e Diana's tiara inspires tower, Cincinnati Enquirer, Janelle Gelfand, December 26, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007
- ^ Eagle, Port Authority, city to partner on Great American Building, Business Courier of Cincinnati, May 28, 2008, retrieved June 17, 2008
- ^ Painter, Sue Ann (2006). Architecture in Cincinnati. Ohio University Press.
External links
- Queen City Square
- Queen City Square at Building Cincinnati
- Queen City Square at UrbanUp