Cincinnati, Ohio is home to numerous structures that are noteworthy due to their architectural characteristics or historic associations. The city also boasts Fountain Square and a riverfront that is being revitalized under The Banks project.
Famous buildings
Carew Tower: The second tallest building in Cincinnati and a National Historic Landmark with an open-air observation deck on 49th story. It was the basis for the Empire State Building and contains some of the finest examples of French Art Deco architecture.
Great American Tower at Queen City Square: The tower replaced the Carew Tower as Cincinnati's tallest.
Ingalls Building: The world's first reinforced concrete skyscraper.
Fourth and Vine Tower: The 5th tallest in the world and tallest in the U.S., outside of New York City when it was built in 1914.
Scripps Center: Home of the world headquarters for the E. W. Scripps Company.
Star Tower: A free-standing TV/Radio transmission tower.
Aronoff Center: Performing arts center, by world-renowned architect César Pelli.
Cincinnati Union Terminal: A train station (still housing an Amtrak station) that is now primarily a museum and widely considered one of the finest examples of the Art Deco style.
Cincinnati Music Hall: One of the oldest and largest performance halls in the U.S. particularly noted for its Gothic German architecture.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center was recently built along the bank of the Ohio River as part of The Banks Project.Riverbend Music Center is a 20,000-seat outdoor amphitheater complex located on the banks of the Ohio River at the eastern edge of the city limits. It features two covered pavilions each seating approximately 4,500 people and was designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati.
Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, 2004 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Called by the New York Times the "most important American building to be completed since the end of the Cold War."
Saint Peter in Chains Basilica is the main Roman Catholic Basilica for the Greater Cincinnati region. Its cornerstone was set on May 20, 1841—and upon completion, it became the tallest structure in Cincinnati for its time.
Isaac M. Wise Temple is the historic temple erected for Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise who was the founder of American Reform Judaism.
The Union Central Insurance Company building in Forest Park, a suburb of Cincinnati OH. Built 1964
Fountain Square
Fountain Square is a public square in Downtown Cincinnati, located at Fifth Street and Vine. Its centerpiece is the landmark bronze Tyler Davidson Fountain. The square is a popular hardscape, surrounded by hotels, banks, department stores, and restaurants. The space was donated to the city of Cincinnati by prominent citizen Henry Probasco and dedicated on its completion in 1871 to his brother-in-law, Tyler Davidson.
In 1998, the fountain underwent extensive restoration. In September 2005, the fountain was temporarily moved to the Cincinnati Art Museum while Square was extensively renovated. The fountain was returned to a different location on the Square on August 19, 2006, in preparation for its re-opening in early October 2006.
Fountain Square was featured in the credits of the television series WKRP in Cincinnati.
Riverfront
Being situated on the Ohio River, Cincinnati is home to several prominent bridges that connect the downtown to Covington, Kentucky and Newport, Kentucky. In fact, there are more bridges that cross the Ohio River in Cincinnati than at any other place on the River. These bridges include the historic and picturesque John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which served as a prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge; the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge (aka The Big Mac Bridge); and the Newport Southbank Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Purple People Bridge), which is the longest pedestrian-only bridge in the United States connecting two states.