Fountain Square, Cincinnati
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.
| Fountain Square | |
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| Nickname: "The Square" | |
| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Elevation | 482 ft (147 m) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 513 |
| Website: http://www.myfountainsquare.com | |
Contents |
[edit] History
Fountain Square has been the symbolic center of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States since 1871. The square, which replaced a butcher's market, was a gift from Henry Probasco in memory of Tyler Davidson. Probasco traveled to Munich and commissioned a bronze allegorical fountain from Ferdinand von Mueller named The Genius of Water that symbolizes the uses of water, both natural and man-made. A 1971 renovation of the square included slightly moving and re-orienting the square to the west, and enlarging the scale of the plaza to reflect that of new buildings around it. It is used for lunch-breaks, rallies, and other gatherings.
The Fountain can be seen in the opening credits on WKRP in Cincinnati
In the early 2000s, the square was completely renovated and re-designed by 3cdc to attract more visitors to the city, and to serve as a cultural/recreational hub for the city. In addition to the renovations, many buildings in and around the Fountain Square district are currently being renovated and redesigned to revitalize the region. The Fountain itself was completely restored.
[edit] Tyler Davidson Fountain
After the death of his brother-in-law and business partner Tyler Davidson, Cincinnati businessman Henry Probasco went to Munich, Germany in search of a suitable memorial to him. Many years before, artist August von Kreling had collaborated with Ferdinand von Mueller at the Royal Bronze Foundry of Bavaria to design a fountain to rival the great fountains of Europe but which would glorify mankind rather than fanciful creatures and gods of mythology. When Mueller could find no patron to sponsor the fountain, the designs languished until Probasco came to him with an interest in a similar theme. Probasco requested the addition of four figures with animals that would act as drinking fountains, which Mueller's sons designed.
[edit] Features
- the renovated Tyler Davidson Fountain
- Four Senses Planter Boxes: planters that tourists can listen, touch, look, and smell
- free Wi-Fi.
- a new/renovated Fountain Square Garage
- new granite tiling that resembles woven fabric
- a seasonal ice skating rink as large as the famous Rockefeller Centerrink in NYC
- a new/dynamic landscape,
- better lighting and sound design,
- Restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options
- two new stages,
- a new 24'x42' high-resolution video board that rests on top of Macy's
- a new interactive water wall in the children's area.
- more downtown Ambassadors
[edit] Events
Fountain square has many events all through the week including speeches, games, movies, concerts, giveaways, and festivals. The square also has many seasonal events such as Halloween on the square, the ice rink, Oktoberfest (largest outside of Germany)[citation needed] and more.
[edit] Fountain Square District
The Fountain Square District is becoming a restaurant and entertainment hub. It contains many offices, hotels, specialty shops and includes signature restaurants that are not found anywhere else in Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky.
Dining:
- Via Vite (Italian)
- Bankers Club
- Boi Na Braza
- Havana Martini Club
- McCormick & Schmick's (seafood)
- Morton's of Chicago
- Palomino
- Rock Bottom Brewery
- cadillac ranch-steak house/bar
- Bistro JeanRo
- Graeter's Ice cream
- Potbelly Sandwich Works
- Probasco market
- The Restaurant at The Phoenix
Retail:
- Macy's
- T.J. Maxx
- Talbots
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Brooks Brothers
- Gap
- Tiffany and Company
- Jones the Florist
- JoS. A. Bank Clothiers
- Tower Place Mall- over 75 shops and since late summer of 2007 it is being redesigned.
- Movie theater (building date TBA)
Hotels:
- Hilton Netherland Plaza Cincinnati
- The Westin,
- Millennium Hotel
- Hyatt(in nearby business district)
- A new hotel may be opening in the Bartlett Building but the date for its opening at this point is unknown
Office:
- Fifth Third Bank Headquarters
- Macy's, Inc. Headquarters
- U.S. Bancorp
- Delta Air Lines regional headquarters and ticket office
- Great American Insurance Group Headquarters
- Carew Tower- home to many offices
- A new 30 story office building has been proposed and construction may start in early 2008
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation
- Features of Fountain Square
- See the original Fountain Square model at the Cincinnati Art Museum
- Fountain Square (official site)
