Time to reach higher than Carew Tower

The following comes to us as a guest post from Tim Bonfield, editor of the Enquirer's Butler-Warren County Bureau--

It’s time for Cincinnati to stand tall.

When the Carew Tower was completed in 1931 – 76 years ago – it was hailed a shining example of progress.

The art deco design was modern and bold for its time. The city-within-a-city concept of the building and arcade were unlike anything built to date in Cincinnati and rarely seen nationwide.
For years, the height of the Carew Tower was utterly beyond the scale of the rest of downtown.

Yet now that a proposal for a new tallest building in Cincinnati has re-emerged, detractors fear the new building would clash with the stately, historic anchor of Fifth and Vine streets. They say a new tower could change the entire character of the Cincinnati skyline, and perhaps change the image of the city itself.

Well, I hope so.

I find it stunning that nothing taller than the Carew Tower has been built in seven decades.
Rather than a symbol of progress, the Carew Tower is becoming a sign of stagnation.

This city could use a bold new statement. This city could benefit from a fresh symbol that – like the Carew Tower did in its day – rises toward the future with strength and optimism.

My biggest concern about the proposed Queen City Square is that it may not be tall enough, striking enough or bold enough. I urge the designers and the financiers to be daring enough to make a world-class statement – and I challenge our political leaders to be strong enough to stay out of the way.

-- Tim Bonfield