The Over-the-Rhine Foundation is pleased to announce the OTR Design Competition Awards Ceremony and Celebration. The event will announce the winner of the months long competition designed to evaluate proposed guidelines for new development in the revitalizing neighborhood. The competition awards ceremony will take place at Union Hall’s 200-seat Beer Hall (1311 Vine Street) in Over-the-Rhine on Friday March 23rd from 5:00PM-8:00PM. The presentation will begin at 6:00pm. The ceremony is open to the public. Complimentary beer and light snacks will be served with a suggested donation of $5.00. Donations can be made by paying to the order of ‘@OTRFoundation’ on Venmo or by cash or card at the event. Please RSVP on eventbrite (https://tinyurl.com/yad46atf) by Monday March 19th.

Since 2014, the Over-the-Rhine Foundation’s Infill Committee has focused on advocating for contextually appropriate infill design to complement the neighborhood’s rich historic fabric. As part of this effort, the committee has worked to revise the outdated new construction guidelines for the Over-the-Rhine Historic District. The Foundation is currently hosting the OTR Design Competition to challenge the design community to elevate new construction in the district while testing the proposed guidelines. Twelve local and national architects and designers work to design a hypothetical new construction project in the Northern Liberties portion of OTR at 1716-18 Vine Street. The Northern Liberties is known as the area of the neighborhood north of Liberty Street.

Many of the designs will elevate the standard for new construction design in the neighborhood and city. Other cities will look to Cincinnati when it comes to inspiring contemporary architecture in a historic setting.

Board President Kevin Pape stated that, “We are thrilled to see the final design submissions for the competition. This is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase the influence of excellent urban design on new construction in our historic neighborhood.”

Partners in the development of the revised guidelines include: The Over-the-Rhine Foundation, City of Cincinnati Office of the Urban Conservator, The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, and Ohio History Connection.

Sponsors of the OTR Design Competition include: The Over-the-Rhine Foundation, an Anonymous Donor, Cincinnati Preservation Association, 3CDC, the Niehoff Urban Studio, 8K Construction Company, and AIA Cincinnati.

The Over-the-Rhine Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit that has been active in preserving, protecting, and celebrating Over-the-Rhine since 1992. The Foundation has hosted a series of workshops focusing on green historic infrastructure and owner-occupied development in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

For more information please contact Matt Deininger at overtherhinefoundation@gmail.com