Fourth and Vine Tower

The 4th & Vine Tower (formerly known as the Union Central Tower[6] and Central Trust Bank Building) is a 151 m (495 ft) skyscraper in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. It stands 31 stories tall, overlooking the Ohio River waterfront. It is easily one of the most recognizable buildings in the city's skyline, owing to the elaborate Hellenic architecture in the upper portion of the tower, which was modeled to resemble reconstructions of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.[7] Few PNC Bank employees now work in the 4th & Vine Tower today, as most report to the newer PNC Center. PNC Bank has the signage rights to the building, but PNC Tower is not the official name. It is officially the 4th & Vine Tower. The signage on the building was "Central Trust" until sometime after the Scripps Building was completed in 1990.

Fourth and Vine Tower
Former names
  • PNC Bank Tower
  • Central Trust Tower
  • Union Central Life Insurance Building
General information
TypeCommercial offices
Architectural styleNeo-classical
Location1 West 4th Street
Cincinnati, Ohio
Coordinates39.099556°N 84.512967°W / 39.099556; -84.512967
Completed1913
Height
Roof151 m (495 ft)
Technical details
Floor count31
Lifts/elevators6
Design and construction
ArchitectGarber & Woodward
Cass Gilbert
EngineerGunvald Aus Company
References
[1][2][3][4][5]

History

The site of the tower was previously occupied by the U. S. Post Office and Customs House and also at a later time by the Chamber of Commerce Building.

When construction of the Cass Gilbert-designed building was completed in 1913, the Union Central Tower was the fifth-tallest building in the world[8] and the 2nd tallest building (tallest office building) outside of New York City. The building opened May 1 with final construction costs of approximately $3 million. It remained the tallest building in Cincinnati until 1930, when construction on the Carew Tower was completed.[9]

The 4th & Vine Tower was originally built as the headquarters for The Union Central Life Insurance Company,[10] which moved out in 1964.

The building, along with the nearby skyscraper, the Carew Tower, was featured in the opening and closing of the daytime drama The Edge of Night from 1967 to 1980. Cincinnati had stood in as the show's locale, Monticello; the company that produced Edge, soap and consumer products maker Procter & Gamble, is based in Cincinnati. It was also featured in the opening and closing credits of the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, although the show was produced in Hollywood.

At least four people died during the construction.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Fourth and Vine Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. Fourth and Vine Tower at Emporis
  3. Fourth and Vine Tower at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
  4. "Fourth and Vine Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  5. Fourth and Vine Tower at Structurae
  6. Rolfes, Steven (Oct 29, 2012). "Cincinnati Landmarks". Arcadia Publishing. p. 20. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  7. Painter, Sue Ann. Architecture in Cincinnati: An Illustrated History of Designing and Building an American City. p.152-153.
  8. Jones, Kent; et al. (Jul 18, 2011). "Historic Downtown Cincinnati". Arcadia Publishing. p. 85. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
  9. http://drc.libraries.uc.edu/handle/2374.UC/81
  10. Schrage, Robert (Jul 1, 2006). "Along the Ohio River: Cincinnati to Louisville". Arcadia Publishing. p. 14. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  11. Cincinnati Enquirer, January 22, 1913
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