Oct 9, 2019 _ news

A New Dawn for Downtown: Kroger On The Rhine Opens

The Kroger Company has officially welcomed shoppers to its new store in downtown Cincinnati. Kroger On-the-Rhine lives within our latest mixed-use project, an 18-story building in downtown Cincinnati that also includes 139 residential units and a multi-story parking garage. Sited on a former surface parking lot, the project was designed to connect two ends of this rapidly transforming city. “By drawing residents from Cincinnati’s historic neighborhood to the north as well as people living and working in the southern end of the city, the project creates a bridge between two islands of activity, and becomes a catalyst for a new Court Street neighborhood.” says GBBN Principal Chad Burke.

Early news coverage indicates the project is already having its intended effect. “It makes living downtown more convenient and enjoyable,” downtown resident Hank Spottswood told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Now I could walk or take the streetcar.”

Unlike your typical grocery store, this one is full of windows facing Court Street, Walnut Street and Central Parkway. Whether people work, shop, dine, or drink there, daylight and street views are part of the experience. A large balcony on the second floor offers an outdoor dining experience adjacent to the food hall (a first for Kroger).

Neighborhood connections permeate the design of the whole project. For example, the lower levels match the scale of the historic buildings that surround it, but it never pretends to be a historic building itself. “At street level, the structure meets the existing historic buildings along Court Street,” says Chad. “Its design extends existing rooflines; its tiled bays echo the proportions of the nearby County building, while on the other side, its height and volumes scale up to meet Central Parkway, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.”

Read our case study on this project here.

Read more news coverage in the Cincinnati Business Courier, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and WCPO.COM.