Cincinnati Skywalk

Last updated
This section of Skywalk crossed 5th Street near Vine Street, connecting Carew Tower with Macy's. It was removed in October 2020. Skywalk-vine.jpg
This section of Skywalk crossed 5th Street near Vine Street, connecting Carew Tower with Macy's. It was removed in October 2020.

The Cincinnati Skywalk was a series of walkways, primarily indoors and elevated, that allowed pedestrians to traverse downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. [1]

Contents

Built in segments starting in 1971, the 1.3-mile (2.1 km) skywalk was completed in 1997 at a total cost of more than $16 million. [1] Since then, city leaders began to see the skywalk as a barrier to economic development, as it may decrease street-level and sidewalk pedestrian traffic. [2] The skywalk was dismantled in stages from 2002 [3] to 2020. [4]

Creation

A Skywalk bridge over Vine Street between 4th and 5th Streets connects the Westin hotel complex to the Carew Tower complex. Skywalk-over-vine.jpg
A Skywalk bridge over Vine Street between 4th and 5th Streets connects the Westin hotel complex to the Carew Tower complex.

In 1957, Cincinnati Director of Planning Herbert W. Stevens introduced the idea of "elevated skywalks" as a way to keep pedestrians safe from cars driving through downtown. [1] The concept developed further in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal effort, hoping to make downtown easier to navigate and enjoy at a time when indoor, climate-controlled suburban shopping malls were growing in popularity. [2]

When the federal government agreed to provide urban renewal funds to help pay for the project, Cincinnati city's council decided to move forward with the skywalk. The first link opened in 1971, connecting the Cincinnati Convention Center to Fountain Square. [1]

More segments were added through the 1970s, 1980s, [1] and 1990s. It was officially finished in 1997 at a total cost of more than $16 million. [5]

Changing attitudes

Cincinnati's "2002 Center City Plan" emphasized downtown economic development, and stated the Skywalk allowed pedestrians to bypass the street and led people to believe downtown was abandoned. The report stated that increasing street-level pedestrian traffic would increase economic activity downtown. [3]

Safety and maintenance were also becoming a growing concern. As the skywalk was built, Cincinnati signed dozens of agreements with private property owners for upkeep, which made it confusing to determine who was responsible for making fixes and providing security. [1]

A section of the Cincinnati Skywalk inside the Mercantile Building near E. 4th St. and Main St. Cincinnati-skywalk-01.jpg
A section of the Cincinnati Skywalk inside the Mercantile Building near E. 4th St. and Main St.

In 2005, then-mayor Charlie Luken told the New York Times the Skywalk is "ugly" and the space underneath is "yucky". [2]

Removing segments

In 2002, five years after it was considered complete, pieces of the skywalk started to come down. Crews tore out a segment connecting Riverfront Stadium to the Atrium I and II office buildings while configuring Fort Washington Way.

In 2005, as part of the redevelopment of Fountain Square, the city ripped out a segment from the Fifth Third Center to Vine Street and a pedestrian bridge over 5th Street.

In June 2008, a bridge segment over 5th Street between Elm and Race Streets was demolished. When the segment was first built, it connected Saks Fifth Avenue to an office tower on the north side of 5th Street. When the office tower was torn down, the skywalk bridge was no longer needed and removed. [6]

In 2012, the city removed an open-air segment of the skywalk over Elm St. and Rusconi Place. [3]

In January 2013, the bridge segment over Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets was removed. This bridge once connected Macy's to an office building on the west side of Race Street. The office building was demolished but the bridge remained intact for several years. [7] The construction of the new dunnhumby USA office building did not include the use of the skywalk bridge and the bridge was demolished. [3]

In October 2020, perhaps the most recognizable segment of skywalk over 5th Street was removed between Race and Vine Streets: the glass-enclosed skywalk connecting Carew Tower to Fountain Place, the former home of Macy's. 3CDC removed this segment of skywalk as part of its Fountain Place redevelopment efforts. [8]

Map

A segment of Skywalk next to Saks Fifth Avenue. The skywalk bridge in the background crosses Race Street near 5th Street. Skywalk near Saks.jpg
A segment of Skywalk next to Saks Fifth Avenue. The skywalk bridge in the background crosses Race Street near 5th Street.

The Cincinnati Enquirer published this map of the skywalk in 2003, showing the skywalk as a fully connected system that stretched and wound from W. 6th St. near Central Ave., east and south to the area of E. 4th St. near Sycamore. [5]

Related Research Articles

Skyway Elevated type of pedway

A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclosed or covered footbridges that protect pedestrians from the weather. Open-top modern skyways in mountains now often have glass bottoms. Sometimes enclosed urban skywalks are made almost totally from glass, including ceilings, walls and floors. Also, some urban skyways function strictly as linear parks designed for walking.

Path (Toronto) Pedestrian tunnel and underground shopping centre in Ontario, Canada

Path is a network of underground pedestrian tunnels, elevated walkways, and at-grade walkways connecting the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It connects more than 70 buildings via 30 kilometres (19 mi) of tunnels, walkways, and shopping areas. According to Guinness World Records, Path is the largest underground shopping complex in the world, with 371,600 square metres (4,000,000 sq ft) of retail space which includes over 1,200 retail fronts (2016). As of 2016, over 200,000 residents and workers use the Path system daily with the number of private dwellings within walking distance at 30,115.

Chicago Pedway

The Chicago Pedway is a network of tunnels, ground-level concourses and bridges connecting skyscrapers, retail stores, hotels, and train stations throughout the central business district of Chicago, Illinois.

California State Route 275 Highway in California

State Route 275 is a short unsigned state highway in the U.S. state of California that is defined to be the length of the Tower Bridge between West Sacramento and Downtown Sacramento.

Plus 15 Pedestrian skywalk system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Plus 15 or +15 is a Skyway network in Calgary, Alberta. It is one of the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk systems, with a total length of 18 kilometres and 62 bridges. The system is so named because the skywalks are approximately 15 feet above street level.

Downtown Louisville

Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west. As of 2015, the population of Downtown Louisville was 4,700, although this does not include directly surrounding areas such as Old Louisville, Butchertown, NuLu, and Phoenix Hill.

Houston tunnel system

The Houston tunnel system is a network of subterranean, climate-controlled, pedestrian walkways that links 95 full city blocks 20 feet (6 m) below Houston's downtown streets. It is approximately six miles (9.7 km) long. There are similar systems in Chicago, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Montreal, and Toronto. Architectural historian Stephen Fox has stated that the idea for the tunnel system came when the Bank of the Southwest Building was "linked by tunnel to the 1010 Garage and the Mellie Esperson Building" in 1961.

Brookwood Village is a 750,754-square-foot (69,747 m2) upscale shopping mall located near Birmingham in the cities of Mountain Brook and Homewood, Alabama.

Constitution Plaza

Constitution Plaza is a large commercial mixed-use development in Downtown Hartford, Connecticut.

Winnipeg Walkway Network of pedestrian skyways and tunnels

The Winnipeg Walkway System, also known as the Winnipeg Skywalk, is a network of pedestrian skyways and tunnels connecting a significant portion of downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Downtown Edmonton Neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Downtown Edmonton is the central business district of Edmonton, Alberta. Located at the geographical centre of the city, the downtown area is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue and Rossdale Road to the south, and the North Saskatchewan River to the southeast.

Fountain Square, Cincinnati City square in Ohio, United States

Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.

Fort Washington Way

Fort Washington Way is an approximately 0.9-mile-long (1.4 km) section of freeway in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The eight-lane divided highway is a concurrent section of Interstate 71 (I-71) and U.S. Route 50 (US 50) that runs from west to east from an interchange with I-75 at the Brent Spence Bridge to the Lytle Tunnel and Columbia Parkway.

City Creek Center Shopping mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

The City Creek Center (CCC) is a mixed-use development with an upscale open-air shopping center, office and residential buildings, fountain, and simulated creek near Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is an undertaking by Property Reserve, Inc. (PRI), the commercial real estate division of the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Taubman Centers, Inc. (TCI). The CCC integrates shopping and residential elements, with foliage-lined walkways and streams covering two blocks in the heart of downtown Salt Lake. PRI invested in the housing and parking elements of the mall, while TCI owns and operates the shopping center itself. The CCC opened to the general public on March 22, 2012. This shopping, office, and residential center encompass nearly 20 acres (8.1 ha) of downtown Salt Lake City. The City Creek Center is part of an estimated $5 billion sustainable design project to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City. The CCC project itself has been estimated to cost around $1.5 billion.

The H. & S. Pogue Company was a Cincinnati, Ohio based department store chain founded by two brothers, Henry and Samuel Pogue. They came from County Cavan, Northern Ireland, to Cincinnati and worked in their uncle's dry goods store. They later were able to buy him out and H. & S. Pogue Dry Goods Company was established in 1863 at 111 West Fifth Street. Brothers Thomas, Joseph, and William Pogue would eventually join the enterprise.

Cincinnati Bell Connector

The Cincinnati Bell Connector, previously known as the Cincinnati Streetcar, is a streetcar system in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The system opened to passengers on September 9, 2016. The streetcar operates on a 3.6-mile (5.8 km) loop from The Banks, Great American Ball Park, and Smale Riverfront Park through Downtown Cincinnati and north to Findlay Market in the northern edge of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Future extensions have been proposed to the Uptown area, home to the University of Cincinnati, the regional hospitals on Pill Hill, and the Cincinnati Zoo; and to Northern Kentucky.

Downtown Cincinnati Neighborhood of Cincinnati in Ohio, United States

Downtown Cincinnati is the central business district of Cincinnati, Ohio, as well the economic and symbiotic center of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It also contains a number of urban neighborhoods in the low land area between the Ohio River and the high land areas of uptown. These neighborhoods include Over-the-Rhine, Pendleton, Queensgate, and West End.

The CORE Shopping Centre Shopping mall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The Core Shopping Centre, which consists of TD Square, the Holt Renfrew building, and the former Calgary Eaton Centre, is the dominant shopping complex located in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It spans three city blocks and contains approximately 160 retailers on four levels. The property also contains four major office towers and the historic Lancaster Building. It is the hub of downtown Calgary's +15 skywalk system, and as such is the busiest shopping centre in the city by pedestrian count, with around 250,000 visitors passing through each week. The centre's architectural focal point is a vast suspended glass skylight which spans the length of the complex. As of October 29, 2010, The Core offers free evening and weekend parking at its underground lots.

The Formica Building is a mixed-use building in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Hamilton County Justice Center is the main county jail branch for Hamilton County, Ohio. It is serviced by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. The facility is located at 1000 Sycamore Street in the central business district.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Downtown skywalk falls into disfavor". Cincinnati Enquirer. 1 June 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rethinking Skyways and Tunnels". New York Times. 3 August 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The story behind Cincinnati's slowly disappearing skywalk system". Cincinnati Business Courier. 23 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Goffinet, Mike Schell, Jared. "Last portions of Cincinnati's Skywalk coming down". fox19.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  5. 1 2 Mazzola, R. (1 June 2003). "The Skywalk". Enquirer.com. Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  6. ↑ ""Bridge to Nowhere" going away". Fox 19. June 2008.
  7. ↑ "Race Street closed as crews remove skywalk". WLWT. 12 Jan 2013.
  8. ↑ "Last portions of Cincinnati's Skywalk coming down". WXIX. 19 Oct 2020.

Coordinates: 39°6′4″N84°30′50″W / 39.10111°N 84.51389°W / 39.10111; -84.51389

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.