To spot the Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel, just look up and ahead for a striking, tall, light-grey stone building with rows and rows of windows towering nineteen stories above 4th & Walnut-definitely the grandest facade around!
Picture yourself standing here on January 1, 1901, with the air electric and proud Cincinnatians craning their necks to marvel at the city’s new giant-the Union Trust Building! For three whole years, this was Ohio’s tallest skyscraper, drawing ambitious dreamers and bustling businesses right into its stately halls. Over the years, it’s worn many hats: engineering offices, an airline’s reservation center, jewelers, even a classic sandwich shop-though I bet the sandwiches “flew” out the door slower than the airline’s tickets! By 2010, though, the great tower stood empty; not even a ghost of a tenant to be found after some financial drama that left it in real estate limbo. That’s when a determined Columbus firm swooped in, snapping up the building for only $535,000-cheaper than a suburban fixer-upper! With a $33 million makeover, the tower burst back to life in 2014 as the Renaissance Hotel, boasting chic rooms, elegant suites, and D. Burnham’s restaurant, a tasty tribute to its legendary architect. From bankruptcy to ballrooms-now that’s a Cincinnati comeback!
