Doctors' Building

About this property

The Doctors' Building is a historic commercial structure in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Located on Garfield Place in the city's downtown, it is one of Cincinnati's few Late Gothic Revival commercial buildings. The Doctors' Building was designed by the firm of Tietig and Lee, one of Cincinnati's leading architectural firms in the early twentieth century. Completed in 1923, it was one of the firm's most prominent commissions; it was Cincinnati's only large building erected for the sole purpose of providing space for doctors' offices, and its location on the southern side of a park ensures that it can be seen from a distance. Terracotta tiles cover the eight-story facade, which is structured primarily of brick, although reinforced concrete was also employed in construction. Some additional elements are constructed of metal or marble. The building is topped with a mostly flat roof with a small penthouse. By 1984, the city of Cincinnati was planning a $100 million residential redevelopment of Garfield Place. The plan called for the Doctors' Building to be converted into a 120-unit residential structure by 1987 and for two new apartment high-rises to be built on either side of the building by 1991. The city proposed demolishing a portion of the Doctors' Building to construct a parking garage for the new high-rises. Ameritas Inc. of Atlanta purchased the Doctors' Building for $3 million in July 1986. As Ameritas had suggested renovating the building for office use prior to the sale, the city viewed the acquisition as a threat to its redevelopment plans. The month of the sale, city officials met with Ameritas to discuss the future of the building, but were unable to come to an agreement. In 1986, the Doctors' Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It qualified for the Register both because of its place in local history and because of its well-preserved historic architecture. Key to these two statuses was its place as the area's only large building constructed for physicians and as one of the most important buildings designed by Tietig and Lee. In 1987, Ameritas head C. John McDonald resigned as manager of three other historic buildings in Cincinnati, stating that his involvement with the properties was delaying the renovation of the Doctors' Building. By April of that year, renovation was scheduled to begin in June and finish within eight months. McDonald also agreed to the city's request to demolish part of the building to make space for a parking garage. In May 1988, McDonald sold the building to Montgomery-based developer 474 Group for about $3 million. The 474 Group subsequently announced plans for a $6 million renovation of the structure. The renovated building would be named "Presidential Plaza", referencing the statues of U.S. Presidents William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield in adjacent Piatt Park. The 474 Group suggested that the building would provide office space for residents of the planned housing structures, but the city's residential development plans had stalled. Star Bank loaned the 474 Group $6.25 million for the project in 1988 and an additional $750,000 in February 1989. The 474 Group stated that the project's original developers, Garfield Building Investors, Ltd., had underestimated renovation costs. In July 1989, the city government considered granting the project $1.1 million to cover the gap in funds. By that time, the city and federal governments had already invested $1.8 million in the renovation.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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