Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name=Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square
location=301 East Fourth Street Cincinnati, Ohio
coordinates=coord|39.09983|-84.507185


roof= 660 ft (201 m)
floor_count=41
use=Office, Garage, Retail
status=Under Construction
groundbreaking=July 2008
est_completion=Late 2010
opening=Early 2011
architect=Gyo Obata (Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum)
developer=Western & Southern Financial Group
contractor=Turner Construction CompanyThe Great American Building at Queen City Square, currently under construction, is a proposed skyscraper in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tower, built by Western & Southern Financial Group, began construction in July 2008, with completion set for 2011 at a cost of $322 million. [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/806120329 City's tallest building OK'd] , "Cincinnati Enquirer", Jane Prendergast, June 12, 2008, retrieved June 17, 2008] Half the building will be occupied by Great American Insurance Company headquartered in Cincinnati. [ [http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f4c6b0c2-4dda-473e-b0d4-4424dd3ee170 Great American Anchor Tenant At Queen City Square] , "WCPO.com", Tom McKee, December 21, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007]

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. [ [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/BIZ01/312190005 City's tallest tower to be built] , "Cincinnati Enquirer", Keith T. Reed, December 19, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007] Current plans call for a tower with over convert|800000|sqft|m2 of office space. [ [http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/nc/ne/?id=100524 Proposal for new tallest in Cincinnati revived] , "Emporis.com", James Peacock, July 1, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007] When the tower is completed in 2011, it will be convert|660|ft|m high, convert|86|ft|m higher than the Carew Tower, currently the tallest building in Cincinnati. [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071226/NEWS01/712260328 Diana's tiara inspires tower] , "Cincinnati Enquirer", Janelle Gelfand, December 26, 2007, retrieved December 26, 2007] 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. [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/05/26/daily31.html Eagle, Port Authority, city to partner on Great American Building] , "Business Courier of Cincinnati", May 28, 2008, retrieved June 17, 2008]

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. The building will be constructed of glass and aluminum. 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. Jay Chatterjee, a former dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Art, Architecture & 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.

Footnotes

References

*Painter, Sue Ann (2006). "Architecture in Cincinnati". Ohio University Press.

External links

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=queencitysquarephaseii-cincinnati-oh-usa Emporis Site Info]