Author: Jenny Kessler

Jenny is a local designer who has a passion for people and for Cincinnati. She began writing for UrbanCincy in September 2009, and served as the website's operation manager until March 2012. Jenny currently works for ArtsWave and manages the OTR Urban Kickball League.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Myriad of events at Final Friday offer fun start to weekend

Head down to the Over-the-Rhine arts district tomorrow, February 25 for an evening of interactive and interesting activities during February’s Final Friday gallery walk.

* The Urban Expansion Development office at 1344 Vine Street will be hosting a Grand Opening and Art Show with wine, cheese, music and work from three different artists – Molly Reckman from Chicago, Linda Loschavo from Mt. Adams, and photography from Joshua Timmermans.

* The YES Gallery at 1417 Main Street will have an interactive art display from 6-10pm – a 24 foot mural that visitors can help to color, using 5 foot paint markers. The artists will be giving out free screen prints by the artists with regular sized markers.

* Rumor has it window shoppers will be in for a surprise on the 1200 block of Vine. Be sure to wander by between 7pm and 8pm.

* 4U Fashion Boutique and Sebastian Rey Skin Awareness will be hosting an organic and natural skin care demonstration from 5-9pm at the boutique, located at the corner of 12th and Jackson Streets. Sebastian Rey will be hosting product demonstrations throughout the evening, and product samples, refreshments and music will be available through the evening.

* After a terrible storm canceled the Bockfest Parade in 1998, participants have held a “Precipitation Retaliation” – burning a snowman effigy to ward off any potential bad weather for Bockfest weekend. This year’s party will be at Grammer’s bar at 9pm.

All of these events are in addition to the rest of the galleries, restaurants and bars that will be open on Main Street, Vine Street and numerous other places in between. Kick off your weekend by taking in some art, music, performances, food and libations in the renaissance that is Over-the-Rhine. And most importantly, don’t let anyone tell you that there’s nothing to do in Cincinnati.

Final Friday photo provided by 5chw4r7z.

Categories
Business Development News

MC3 Group to partner with Northside Business Association to revive historic property

A public-private partnership between the Northside Business Association (NBA) and local development company MC3 Group has resulted in a $200,000 grant from the City of Cincinnati to rehabilitate the Landman Building, located at 3929 Spring Grove Avenue. After an unrelated funding request fell through, funds were reappropriated through the city’s Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program (NBDIP) due to the project’s shovel ready condition.

The venture will redevelop the property into office space, potentially with street-level retail or entertainment. The building and its location are seen as a key to success in the “South Block” of Spring Grove Avenue and the recent investment that has been made in the area. MC3 has developed the surrounding properties, with a $675,000 renovation project taking place across the street. There are also plans for a new restaurant and bar next door.

“The proposed project will support the business district and the community as a whole,” stated MC3 Group in the proposal submitted to the Northside Business Association. “It will take a prominent troubled and obsolete property and repositioning it as an attractive and productive asset for the community.”

The shortlisted tenant for the space is Cincinnati State, who would potentially use the space as a sustainable research and development facility or as part of their renowned culinary program. The $680,000 project was also funded through $100,000 of cash or in-kind equity and $380,000 from the Northside Bank & Trust.

Northside Business Association treasurer Don Beimesche says that the neighborhood is especially thankful for the financial assistance that has taken the project off the drawing board and into reality.

“Without the financial assistance from the City of Cincinnati, the Landman Building would remain a vacant eyesore between two renovated buildings at the gateway to the Northside Business District,” Beimesche concluded.

Landman Building photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Jake Mecklenborg.

Categories
Business Development News

2011 CitiRama to expand urban community in Bond Hill

The Home Builders Association and City of Cincinnati are celebrating a decade of urban living with this year’s CitiRama home show. The Villages of Daybreak, located in Bond Hill, is being developed by NorthPointe Group in a public faith venture with the Allen Temple Foundation and Tryed Stone Family and Community Development Center.

Located at the intersection of Langdon Farm Road and Rhode Island Avenue, the development will eventually include 196 single family homes and 102 townhouses and condos.

After the success of 2010’s CitiRama in Northside, the Home Builder’s Association looked to the newly designated NEP neighborhood of Bond Hill to continue the growth of urban home building.

“Bond Hill is strategically positioned to create an urban walkable community,” said Dr. Everett Gregory, President of the Bond Hill Community Council. “With the new Neighborhood Enhancement Program designation, we will be working together to improve Bond Hill. The Villages of Daybreak will be a part of that.”

The homes, built by both Drees and Potterhill Homes, have elements of new urbanism designed into the site plan. There are single family houses with driveways facing on the backside into an alley, with wide sidewalks and more houses on smaller lots. While not completely integrated into a walkable neighborhood with commercial infill, the development is located next to a shopping mall which is a parking lots’ walk away.

The 2011 CitiRama will be held September 17 through 25, 2011 at the Villages of Daybreak. There will be a poster contest in the coming months to showcase the work of local artists, and a kick off to celebrate both CitiRama and National Home Builder’s month in June.

“We’re excited and very confident that our 10th CItiRAMA at the Villages of Daybreak will once again showcase the region,” said HBA President Dan Dressman. “We will show that the city of Cincinnati is truly a great place to live.”

Villages of Daybreak site plan photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Thadd Fiala.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

AIGA Liquid Courage offers love to Over the Rhine

As part of its monthly happy hour series, the AIGA Cincinnati chapter, a collaborative network for creatives in the design, marketing and advertising industry, is hosting Liquid Courage: the Love Edition on Friday, February 11 at YES Studio in Over-the-Rhine.

From 6-11pm, the gallery will be open with craft cocktails by Molly Wellmann, a DJ spinning tunes, and some Do It Yourself valentine screen-printing. Attendees will be encouraged to make Valentines for the places they love downtown and in OTR, which will be hand delivered to the owners on February 14th.

Many AIGA members may be familiar with downtown, but organizer LeAnne Wagner was interested in stretching her fellow members’ boundaries. “Part of the intention behind the event is get our members (who may not often come to OTR) up to Main Street and create some love and awareness for all the awesome things going on downtown,” she explained.”Main Street is home to a lot of new galleries and we want to help support that community and maybe change some perceptions about the neighborhood. ”

Choosing the YES Gallery as a venue was a no brainer for Wagner. “We knew YES Gallery was a great venue and they do a lot of fun events like Pinata Parties and “giant” game night, so we figured they’d be game for hosting our AIGA Valentine’s Party.” She hopes that attendees will tap into their creative spirit and show OTR some love, as well as have fun with learning to screen print. T-shirts and canvas bags will be available to purchase for aspiring screenprinters.

The first hour of the party, from 6-7, will be the 2011 mentoring kick-off with a speed matching session for mentors and mentees.

$10 ($5 for student members) at the door covers screenprinting, Valentine’s supplies, and all the booty shaking you can throw down. Cocktails and beer are open bar. If you’re still looking for love after the party, good times and live music will continue at MOTR Pub just down the street. Buy your tickets online.

The AIGA Liquid Courage: Love party is Friday, February 11 from 6-11 pm at the YES Gallery, located at 1417 Main Street in historic Over-the-Rhine.

Categories
Business News

Cincinnati: A Tale of Two Brands

For a city that has so much to be proud of, Cincinnati and her citizens seem to have something of a self image problem. For all the positives going on around town, many feel it’s easier to focus on the negative. This poses a problem as the city and the people in it work to establish a seat at the table among other world class cities. Despite the Queen City’s history, heritage, architecture, development, and sense of place, the question remains: How does the rest of the world see us?

Though the jury is out on how recent reality TV series is affecting our image, Councilmember Laure Quinlivan has made Cincinnati’s brand image one of her priorities. At a recent Quality of Life committee meeting, Councilmember Quinlivan focused on the topic, bringing in professionals from regional and local tourisim and economic development groups to discuss the current image that Cincinnati has established for itself.

“Cincinnati used to be known for Reds owner Marge Schott, and then racial troubles, and now we’re known for… what exactly? I’m curious to know what people across the country think of when they think of Cincinnati, and look forward to hearing from the people whose job it is to know,” says Quinlivan.

She requested four different groups who market Cincinnati’s image to present to the committee members. The key focus of groups like Cincinnati USA, HYPE Cincinnati, and the city’s economic development office is to market Cincinnati as a great place to live, work and play across the board – not just “Young Professionals,” but to visitors and potential conventions.

The various groups have been working tirelessly to promote the city’s image all over, in order to bring in people who might not have considered the city otherwise. They have pulled data both from visitors and residents, to determine who is coming in to the region and why they are staying. “The image that we’re promoting (for Cincinnati) is that this is a good place to do business. Businesses want to see numbers – we have shown the companies that are here, the revenues, the tax info, demographic data,” said Patrick Ewing with the city’s Economic Development office.

The results are surprising. People are coming in to visit from all over the country. Not only cities nearby, like Indianapolis and Louisville, but others farther away, in Charleston, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Chicago and even New York City check out the Cincinnati USA website for tourism information to find out more about what’s going on around town.

According to the report he presented, 63 to 80 percent of the city’s visitors are loyal repeats, who come in, for example, to see Reds games or a festival year after year. One of the biggest new developments will be the 2012 World Choir Games, which will bring in over 20 thousand performers from over 80 countries to Cincinnati.

In 2010 the city launched ChooseCincy.com as a way for potential visitors and new residents and businesses to see all the reasons to come to the city.

“One of the pieces we tried to draw out in there is that Cincinnati has a small town feel, there is a small town affordability, but with big city amenities,” said Doug Moorman, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “There are major league sports, theater, we have all five of the major art disciplines represented here. You don’t have to go to Chicago or New York – you can be in Cincinnati and have those big city amenities but also afford to indulge in them.”

These groups, along with others in the city, are working to overcome the negative voices and embrace the Queen City for what she really is – world class.

Cincinnati skyline photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Thadd Fiala.