Re-imagining What Remains

From its earliest days as home to the Cincinnati Type Foundry to its recent past as a retail hub, the corner of Vine and 5^th streets has been a part of Cincinnati’s collective memory for generations. Now the building is reinventing this city corridor once again as a magnet for working, shopping, and dining.  

The design strategy for The Foundry preserved the solid structure behind the dated façade of a department store that sat empty for several years. The building’s good bones—its concrete frame and generous 30-foot column spacing—give it a classic appearance that now includes more glass. 

The way people work is also changing. Bringing daylight deep into the building, which fills a full city block, makes the interior spaces more inviting and offers workplace tenants flexible, multi-functional spaces. Folding glass partitions along the building’s three sides help seamlessly connect activity inside and outside the building and to activity at Cincinnati’s iconic Fountain Square. In addition to more glass, the new façade’s angled metal panels help catch the light, creating visual interest. The project included removing an existing skywalk to bring more feet to the street. The sidewalks around the perimeter of the building were increased, creating opportunities for more outdoor dining options in the heart of Cincinnati’s downtown.