Carew Tower
Carew Tower (left) and Netherland Plaza (right) as seen from Fountain Square, with The Genius of Water in the foreground
Location within Ohio
Record height
Tallest in Cincinnati from 1931 to 2011[I]
Preceded by	Fourth and Vine Tower
Surpassed by	Great American Tower at Queen City Square
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Commercial offices
Architectural style	Art Deco
Location	441 Vine Street Cincinnati, Ohio
Coordinates	39°06′03″N 84°30′48″W / 39.1007°N 84.5132°W / 39.1007; -84.5132
Construction started	1929
Completed	1931
Cost	$33 million ($621 million in 2024)
Owner	Victrix Investments, LLC[1]
Height
Antenna spire	190 m (623 ft)
Roof	175 m (574 ft)
Top floor	171.3 m (562 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	49
Floor area	128,000 m2 (1,377,780.5 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	14
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Walter W. Ahlschlager Delano & Aldrich
Developer	John J. Emery
Main contractor	William A. Starrett (Starrett Brothers, Inc.)
Carew Tower-Netherland Plaza Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
NRHP reference No.	82003578
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 5, 1982
Designated NHL	April 19, 1994
References
[2][3][4][5][6]

Carew Tower is a 49-story, 574-foot (175 m) Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1931 in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The second-tallest building in the city, it was Cincinnati's tallest from 1930 until 2011, when it was surpassed by Great American Tower at Queen City Square. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. The tower is named after Joseph T. Carew, proprietor of the Mabley & Carew department store chain, which had previously operated in a building on the site.

Described by the National Park Service as "one of the finest examples of skyscraper modernism in America" and "the most complete statement of the 1920s' Jazz Age", the Carew Tower was developed by John J. Emery, who sought to create a mixed-use "city within a city". From 1930 until 2022, the tower hosted commercial tenants on the majority of floors, with the lower levels occupied by a retail arcade. In its later years as a commercial property, the tower was beset by high vacancy rates and financial difficulties. The tower was sold in 2022 to developer Victrix Investments LLC, who announced plans to convert the tower into a primarily residential building. Work on the conversion is planned to conclude by late 2029.

The tower was built alongside an adjoining hotel, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (formerly Omni Netherland Plaza). A member of the Historic Hotels of America, it shares the same Art Deco architecture as the tower, with elaborate ornamentation inspired by the Palace of Versailles. The 2022 sale resulted in ownership of the hotel being separated from that of the tower.

The Carew Tower replaced the 1891 Carew Building, a nine-story structure designed by James W. McLaughlin in the Romanesque style. The Carew Building was home to the Mabley & Carew department store, founded by Joseph T. Carew.^[7] The Emery Hotel & Arcade, established by industrialist Thomas Emery in 1876, was located nearby. Thomas Emery's widow, Mary Emery, purchased the Carew Building in May 1925 for $2,000,000 ($35.9 million in 2024). At the time, The Cincinnati Post reported that Mary Emery was considering building a new hotel on the site as a memorial to her deceased husband.^[8] The following month, a court permitted the Emerys to place many of their properties under the management of realty firm Thomas Emery's Sons, Inc.^[9][10] On March 22, 1929, Thomas Emery's Sons purchased the Andrews Building for $1,000,000 ($18.3 million in 2024), giving them control of a contiguous plot of land on the southern portion of Fifth Street between Race and Vine Streets.^[11] On March 30, tenants in most of the existing buildings on the plot were told to vacate by June 1 ahead of a new construction project.^[12] The Emery Hotel closed on June 3 in preparation for the project.^[13]

This project, which would become the Carew Tower, was conceived by John J. Emery, vice president of Thomas Emery's Sons. Emery sought to create a mixed-use "city within a city", featuring a department store, a theater, office space, and a hotel to rival the Waldorf-Astoria.^[14][15][16] Emery selected skyscraper pioneer William A. Starrett as a partner, who subsequently assumed control of the tower's planning. Starrett's firm Starrett Brothers, Inc. became the project's general contractor. Starrett Brothers hired Walter W. Ahlschlager as the project's principal architect, while Emery preferred Delano & Aldrich, which had previously built a house for Emery in Indian Hill. Delano & Aldrich was subsequently hired as an associate architect. Ahlschlager's design was heavily influenced by the Crane Tower, an unrealized skyscraper in Chicago that he had previously designed. Many of his proposals did not make it into the final design, which was prepared by Delano & Aldrich and influenced by their earlier Wall and Hannover Building.^[15]

The project was announced on August 24, 1929.^[15] The first structure on the site to begin demolition was the Emery Hotel, with wrecking efforts starting on August 25. The Carew Building followed on August 28. Demolition of all 13 structures on the site was completed after 51 working days.^{[17][18][19][20]}

Construction began in September 1929, just one month before the stock market crash on October 24 that triggered the Great Depression.^[21] Emery had sold his stocks weeks beforehand in order to finance the building, which reduced the crash's impact on the project.^[22][14] Construction continued on a modified plan.^[23] The first concrete was poured on January 8, 1930.^[24] 400 workers helped pour the base of the structure, finishing after 30 hours of continuous work. Steel construction was scheduled to begin on February 10.^[25] "Carew Tower" was announced as the building's official name on March 1, honoring Joseph T. Carew.^[26] The Starrett Brothers set a goal to raise the steel framework in under 50 days, with the first steel raised on March 6.^[27] Workers laid steel for the first three floors until March 24, when the International Association of Iron Workers began a sympathy strike in response to the Starrett Brothers' use of non-union workers for the construction of the Empire State Building in New York City.^[28][29] 259 iron and steel workers temporarily left the project due to the strike, though workers in other professions continued to operate.^[30] In April 1930, Northwestern Mutual took out a $12 million mortgage on the tower, which was the largest mortgage ever taken in Cincinnati at the time.^[31]

The strike ended on May 17. Once construction resumed, workers averaged a floor of steel raised per day.^[28] Two women were struck by metal falling from the tower on June 11, prompting the construction of a wooden canopy to protect pedestrians.^[32] A fire broke out on the 22nd floor on June 23, which was successfully extinguished by local firefighters.^[33] In June, three Soviet representatives from the state-owned Avtostroy toured the building as part of a study of American engineering developments.^[34] On July 5, the tower became the tallest building in the city after work began on the 44th floor.^[35] By July 6, two workers had died from construction-related incidents.^[36] Emery's wife raised an American flag over the tower on July 9 to commemorate its topping out. With 15,000 tons of steel raised over 61 days, the speed at which the framework had been completed set a world record.^[28]

The Carew Tower was one of several Cincinnati projects affected by a steamfitter walkout on July 24.^[37] On July 26, exterior brickwork on the hotel portion of the complex was finished.^[38] Brickwork on the tower was completed on August 8.^[39] Unions ordered a walkout strike on August 21 for undisclosed reasons, but a deal was reached later that day and work resumed on August 22.^[40] Brickwork on the garage was scheduled for completion on September 20.^[41]

The project involved over 2000 workers in total, making it among the largest employers in Cincinnati at the time.^[18][40] It took crews only 13 months to complete construction, working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.^[21] The total cost of the complex was $33 million ($621 million in 2024), which was "an enormous sum for that time". Of this, $15 million had gone towards the land, while $15 million was dedicated to construction. At the time, the project was the largest realty deal in American history.^[15] The tower opened to tenants on October 1, 1930.^[42] The hotel opened the following year.^[43] The garage opened on February 14, 1931.^[44]

Emery initially leased control of the Carew Tower to the Starrett Ohio Corporation, founded by tower contractor William A. Starrett. Thomas Emery's Sons owned the land that the tower was built on, but was only a minority partner in the Starrett Ohio Corporation. Following the death of Starrett, Thomas Emery's Sons acquired a majority stake in his company in November 1932, allowing it to take ownership of the complex.^[15] The Starrett Ohio Corporation was subsequently renamed Carew Tower, Inc.^[45]

The tower's first commercial tenant was Edward J. Reardon of the Carney Cement Co., who opened his office on the 29th floor on October 1, 1930.^[42] Department stores Mabley & Carew and H. & S. Pogue moved into the retail arcade shortly after the tower's opening, becoming the largest tenants in the arcade. Mabley & Carew left the tower in 1960, allowing H. & S. Pogue to expand into their section of the arcade.^[14][15][46] Emery's own Emery Industries was one of the earliest commercial tenants to move into the tower, where it would remain until 1985.^[47][48] By July 1931, the tower was over 70% occupied.^[49] After Emery became president of the Charter Committee in 1935, the Committee moved its headquarters to the tower.^[15] Major League Baseball commissioner Happy Chandler had an office in the tower due to its proximity to his home state of Kentucky, and National League president Warren Giles maintained an office in the building in the 1950s and 1960s.^[50]

The hotel, which featured 800 rooms upon its completion, was initially named St. Nicholas Plaza after Cincinnati's defunct St. Nicholas Hotel. A court subsequently ruled that the rights to the St. Nicholas name belonged to the Hotel Sinton. As the hotel had already ordered large amounts of supplies monogrammed with the original name's initials, "Starrett's Netherland Plaza" was chosen as a replacement. "Netherland" referenced the hotel's location in the low-lying basin of the Ohio River. The new name was abbreviated as "St. Netherland Plaza".^[18][22][14] After Thomas Emery's Sons acquired the complex in 1932, Starrett's name was removed from the hotel, leaving Netherland Plaza as its full name.^[45]

The hotel's first manager was Austrian-born hotelier Joseph Reichl of St. Nicholas Plaza, Inc., who had leased control of the hotel from the Starrett Ohio Corporation. Upon Reichl's resignation in 1933, Emery hired Ralph Hitz's National Hotel Management Company to run the Netherland Plaza.^[51][52] The hotel returned to local management in January 1940 after Hitz's death and the subsequent dissolution of his company.^[53] The hotel was severely damaged by a fire in 1942.^[18] In 1956, Thomas Emery's Sons leased the Netherland Plaza to Hilton Hotels for 25 years.^[54] The hotel was subsequently renamed the Hotel Netherland Hilton.^[55][56] Much of the original Art Deco architecture was concealed by a modernization effort in the 1960s.^[18]

The complex contained a third tower, the Carew-Netherland Garage, which was used almost entirely for parking.^[57] The garage entered receivership amidst financial difficulties in late 1931, but exited receivership a month later.^[58] By the 1950s, the garage was struggling to meet use expectations.^[57] In 1962, Thomas Emery's Sons stated that it was considering a $2 million ($20.8 million in 2024) plan to convert the garage into a residential building with 200 efficiency apartments. An Emery spokesperson stated that the garage's "operating costs do not make it a good investment".^[59] The conversion did not materialize, and the garage closed in 1979.^[57]

In June 1942, Thomas Emery's Sons consolidated its debts, including the tower's original mortgage, into a single $11.5 million ($221 million in 2024) mortgage held by Prudential Insurance. The new mortgage was the second-largest in Cincinnati history, behind only the tower's first mortgage.^[60] In March 1967, Thomas Emery's Sons sold the land occupied by the Carew Tower to New York-based Bankers Trust for an undisclosed amount, who then leased the land back to Thomas Emery's Sons for 30 years. At the time, the county estimated the value of the land to be $2,132,100 ($20.1 million in 2024). As part of the deal, Thomas Emery's Sons also took out an $11.2 million ($106 million in 2024) mortgage on the tower from Bankers Trust. The Prudential mortgage had "long since been paid off" by that time.^[61] On October 1, 1969, Thomas Emery's Sons sold the tower for $12,354,029 ($131 million in 2024) to the Emery Realty Co. The sale resulted in no changes to the tower's management; Emery family members chose to operate through Emery Realty in an attempt to circumvent the trustee of Thomas Emery's Sons.^[62]

In 1980, Emery Realty agreed to connect the Netherland Plaza to a Race Street portion of the Cincinnati Skywalk on the condition that it would choose the exact location of the skywalk.^[63] In 1981, Hilton declined to renew its lease over the hotel, which closed at the end of the year as it began a major remodel.^[64][65] The $28 million ($96.8 million in 2024) remodel restored much of the original architecture and consolidated numerous rooms, decreasing the total room count to 624.^[18][22] By June 1982, Emery Realty had rejected the city's proposal to connect a new Hyatt Regency and Saks Fifth Avenue complex to the hotel's Palm Court, which was in the process of being converted into a restaurant.^[63][66] As the city had already informed Saks and the Department of Housing and Urban Development that it would build the skywalk, the city planned to construct a $475,000 ($1.55 million in 2024) "bridge to nowhere" that would cross Race Street without actually entering the Netherland Plaza.^[63] In September 1982, Emery Realty sued the city over the planned skywalk, arguing that it would damage the architecture of the Palm Court and reduce pedestrian traffic for the arcade's Race Street entrance.^[66] The city's Historic Conservation Board approved the plan in January 1983, stating that the skywalk would not harm the historic nature of the building.^[67] In May, Emery Realty ended its lawsuit after the city agreed to adjust plans for the skywalk so that it would no longer enter the Palm Court.^[68] The hotel reopened in October 1983 under the management of Dunfey Hotels. The hotel became the Omni Netherland Plaza Hotel in April 1984 after Dunfey reorganized as Omni Hotels & Resorts.^[65][69]

The Carew Tower and Netherland Plaza were added to the National Register of Historic Places as a single entity on August 5, 1982.^[70] In 1991, Netherland Plaza became a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.^[43] The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. The National Park Service referred to the complex as "one of the finest examples of skyscraper modernism in America" and "the most complete statement of the 1920s' Jazz Age".^[15]

Emery Realty took out a $50.5 million mortgage in January 1988, borrowing $37 million from Western & Southern and $13.5 million from Fifth Third Bank. The money was used to pay off prior debts and buy out members of the Emery Holding Co.^[71] H. & S. Pogue, by then rebranded as L. S. Ayres, closed its Carew Tower location later that year. In June, developers Faison Associates of Charlotte, North Carolina and Noro Realty Advsiors of Atlanta announced plans for Tower Place, a shopping mall that would occupy the former Ayres space. Faison would serve as the project's primary developer. The mall’s anchor stores were slated to be Saks Fifth Avenue and McAlpin's, both of which were pre-existing stores in separate buildings that would be connected to Tower Place by skywalks.^[46][72][73] Emery Realty planned a contemporaneous renovation of the Carew Tower's retail arcade, which would be directly connected to Tower Place. The renovation was expected to cost $12 million. Emery also sought to refurbish the Carew Tower's defunct parking garage.^[74] In July, the Cincinnati City Council agreed to support Tower Place with $6.5 million in tax increment financing.^[75] City officials intended for Tower Place to help revitalize the struggling downtown shopping industry.^[73] At Emery Realty's request, the council applied for a $3 million federal grant to renovate the Carew Tower garage, but Emery Realty later withdrew its request due to concerns that it would not meet the deadline.^[76] Plans for Tower Place were finalized in August 1968, with an estimated cost of $47 million and a projected opening in spring 1990.^[75]

In February 1989, demolition of the Ayres store was halted to prevent further damage to the Carew Tower's garage, which project engineers stated was at risk of collapsing. The demolition pause delayed the projected opening of the mall to June 1990.^[77] Emery Realty decided to demolish the garage as well, stating that it was "not economical" to find an alternative use for the structure. Councilman John Mirlisena stated that demolishing the garage could push the mall's opening into 1991.^[78] In April, Emery Realty agreed to give Faison control of leasing arrangements for the arcade.^[79] Demolition was scheduled to resume on May 8.^[80] On May 11, the city council agreed to purchase the Parkdale Garage from Emery Realty for $9.5 million, which would be used to finance the demolition of the Carew Tower garage and the arcade renovation. The city also loaned Emery Realty $2 million for skywalk improvements. The Cincinnati Enquirer stated that Tower Place was "on the brink of being abandoned" before the council's intervention. By then, the projected opening had been delayed again to August 1990.^[81] In the summer, Emery Realty borrowed an additional $4 million from Fifth Third to finance the arcade renovation and garage demolition.^[71] In July, union officials demanded that workers on the project be paid the prevailing wage. Faison threatened to cancel the project in response.^[82] On September 13, the city council sided with Faison, setting aside $1 million to spend on any penalties incurred by Faison for paying lower wages.^[83] Excavation began on October 12. Later that month, owners of the nearby Gidding-Jenny building won a temporary restraining order against Faison, preventing Tower Place workers from inserting metal rods for the mall's walls into Gidding-Jenny property. The suit was resolved after Faison agreed to connect Tower Place to Gidding-Jenny via walkways.^[84]

Emery Realty defaulted on its 1988 mortgage in January 1990.^[71] The Belvedere Corporation subsequently became co-owner of the complex.^[85] Belvedere announced that it would invest over $30 million in a renovation of the arcade, office space, and hotel.^[86] In February, Faison informed the city council that Tower Place would not be open by fall 1990. The delay was the result of a disagreement over whether or not the former Ayres garage, owned by Shell Pension Trust, would be connected to the new Tower Place garage.^[87][88] Construction was also delayed when a worker was struck by falling bricks. By the end of February, Faison stated that it was targeting an opening date in the spring or fall of 1991.^[89] Operating through the limited partnership Carew Partners, Belvedere purchased the entire stock of the Emery Holding Co. in April, giving it full ownership of the Carew Tower complex.^[90][91] Construction resumed in June after Shell Pension Trust gave Faison an easement to connect the Ayres and Tower Place garages.^[88] The following month, a Hamilton County judge ruled in Faison's favor on the prevailing wage dispute.^[92] Shell Pension Trust purchased a half-interest in Carew Partners in December, with Belvedere continuing to manage the complex.^[91] Tower Place, which cost at least $60 million ($139 million in 2024), opened in August 1991.^[73][93]

Belvedere became the manager of the Netherland Plaza in 1996, though the hotel remained an Omni franchise.^[94] The hotel entered into a franchise agreement with Hilton in 2002, at which point it became known as the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel. Hilton announced that they would renovate the hotel for an undisclosed amount, with the elevators and bathrooms being a focus for renovation.^[95] Belvedere Hotels spent almost $10 million on another renovation in 2012.^[14]

In 1997, the tower was connected to Fountain Place via a section of the skywalk, which was the last portion of the skywalk to be built. The Cincinnati Enquirer referred to it as "perhaps the most visible segment of the skywalk system". The skywalk connection was demolished in October 2020. Taking place amidst the wider dismantling of the skywalk network, the Fountain Place portion was specifically removed to facilitate 3CDC's renovation of a former Macy's department store that had previously occupied Fountain Place.^[96]

By 2012, the city government was considering buying the mostly vacant Tower Place and a nearby parking garage for $8.8 million.^[97] The purchase was completed for $8.5 million the following year to prevent the mall from entering foreclosure. The remaining tenants subsequently vacated the building. The city sold the mall for $1 to an affiliate of developer JDL Warm, who announced a $5 million plan to convert it into a 775-spot parking garage with retail space on the exterior of the first floor. The proposed name of the garage was Mabley Place, referencing Mabley & Carew.^[98][99] The garage opened in the fall of 2014. Mabley Place sold for $15 million less than three months later, with a Nevada-based investor acquiring a majority interest.^[100]

The Carew Tower was one of four Cincinnati high-rises listed for sale in 2006 amidst rising vacancy rates for downtown office buildings.^[101] In 2013, the tower had a vacancy rate of 13%, which was 10% lower than the downtown average. That year, Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls stated a residential conversion of the tower was the subject of "active talks" as part of the city's push to encourage downtown housing. After Belvedere denied this report in a letter to tenants, Qualls stated that the talks had taken place among community members and city officials rather than with Belvedere.^[102] In August 2013, Belvedere CEO Alex Warm dismissed suggestions for residential conversion, stating that revenue from the offices and hotel was sufficient.^[103]

The tower lost several tenants in the early 2010s, including the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and the Music Teachers National Association. In November 2014, investor Greg Power became the owner of both the Belvedere Corporation and the Carew Tower complex. At the time, the Hamilton County auditor valued the building at $62.4 million.^{[103][104][105]} In 2017, a plan was submitted to divide the tower into condominiums, prompting media speculation about potential residential conversion.^[106] By 2019, nearly half of the retail and office space in the tower was vacant. That year, Power asked a tenant in the building to consider moving to lower floors to make way for residential condos on the upper levels.^[107] The observation deck on the tower's top floor, which had been a "beloved" attraction for tourists and locals, was closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[108] In 2020, remaining corporate tenants included Cincinnati magazine and two law firms.^{[109][110][111]}

The tower was listed for sale in July 2020, with Cushman & Wakefield serving as the broker. The Netherland Plaza was not included in the sale. The 400,000 square feet of office space in the tower was valued at $18.4 million, while the Carew Tower Arcade, consisting of 110,000 square feet of retail space in the basement and on the first two floors, was valued at $9.7 million.^[109] In February 2021, Duke Energy threatened to disconnect the building's electricity due to Power's failure to pay utility bills, but later walked back on the threat.^[112] In October 2021, a foreclosure lawsuit was filed against Power for defaulting on the building's mortgage. The lawsuit stated that Power owed nearly $10 million to lender Veles Partners LLC. The city of Cincinnati also sought to gain over $600,000 in unpaid sewer bills from Power.^[113]

In August 2022, the tower sold for $18 million to New York-based developer Victrix Investments LLC, a corporate affiliate of Veles Partners. Veles dismissed their foreclosure suit on the day of the sale.^[1] Power would retain control of the hotel, with Victrix acquiring the office and retail space within the tower.^[47] A new deed was filed for Carew Tower the day it was sold, which called for the tower's utilities to be separated from those of the Netherland Plaza.^[114] Victrix announced plans to convert the tower into a primarily residential building.^[1] The last corporate tenant to leave the building was law firm Wood, Herron, & Evans, which had been headquartered in the tower since November 1930 and was one of its first tenants.^[47] The month after the sale, Victrix's CEO filed a lien against the Netherland Plaza for $5.1 million in unpaid expenses related to the Carew Tower's division into three condominiums in 2017.^[114]

A foreclosure suit was filed against Netherland Plaza LLC in November 2022. The suit stated that the hotel had been in default on a $77 million loan since 2021. The hotel was placed into receivership the same month, which was intended to protect the hotel's relationship with Hilton and help prepare for a potential foreclosure sale.^[115][116] In November 2023, Magistrate Anita Berding of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas ruled against the hotel, determining that Power had defaulted on his loan and owed $84.9 million. Power was given three days after the ruling to pay back the owed funds, after which the hotel's lenders could choose to sell it at a sheriff's auction.^[117] Court rulings in 2024 found that Power also owed $1 million to the city and $1.6 million to the county for unpaid lodging taxes.^[118]

In December 2022, the state of Ohio awarded the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority $6.4 million for brownfield environmental remediation at the Carew Tower. Planned remediation efforts included asbestos abatement, interior demolition, and the replacement of the building's roof.^[119] In November 2023, wind hit scaffolding while the building was undergoing renovation, causing bricks to fall from the tower. No injuries were reported, but a car was lightly damaged and sections of Vine Street and Fifth Street were temporarily closed.^[120][121] The following month, the tower received a $10 million tax credit from the state government for historic preservation, including the replacement of the building's metal windows and the repair of its exterior facade. At the time, the converted building was slated to include 385 apartments with amenities on floors 45 and 46.^[122][123] Victrix received an additional $4.2 million tax credit in January 2024 as part of a state program to encourage mixed-use development.^[124] In September 2024, the Port agreed to assist Victrix with obtaining construction materials for the tower's renovation without paying sales taxes.^[125]

By 2025, the plan for the tower's residential conversion called for 375 market-rate apartment units on the 4th through 49th floors, with 65,000 square feet on the first three floors reserved for commercial space. The plan also called for ten units of short-term corporate housing. The conversion is projected to cost $162 million, of which $54 million will be paid by Victrix itself. In exchange for a 30-year tax abatement from the city government, Victrix would contribute $16.7 million to Cincinnati Public Schools and $1 million to the Cincinnati streetcar over the course of the abatement. The conversion is slated to begin in 2025 and finish by the end of 2029.^[126]

On May 12, the Cincinnati City Council's Budget and Finance Committee recommended that the conversion be approved.^[127] The Council unanimously approved the tax abatement, which city officials stated was necessary for the project to proceed, on May 14.^[128]

Several people have committed or attempted to commit suicide by jumping from the tower:

• On February 15, 1944, Martha Schrickel, aged 31, jumped to her death from the 26th floor.^[129]
• Later that year Oscar Perlmutter, a 61-year-old scrap dealer, jumped from the 42nd floor to his death.^[130]
• In 1952, Robert Maxwell Jones Jr., aged 26, rode an elevator up to the 45th floor, then stepped off to take the stairs to the observation deck. When he found the door to the deck locked, he opened a window on the 47th floor, and climbed out onto a three-foot ledge. Occupants in the building pleaded for Jones to climb back inside, but he refused, at one point, hanging by his hands off a ledge. Over 5,000 people gathered on the streets below to watch Jones. After several hours, rescuers managed to drag him back into the building.^[131]
• In 1953, 23-year-old Hazel Gundrum fatally leapt from the 43rd floor.^[132]
• In 1961, Dorothy Holt, aged 38, fatally jumped from the 49th story observatory.^[133]
• In 1969, a Price Hill resident, Barbara Ann Koch, jumped out of a window on the 40th floor to her death.^[134]
• In 1978, Robert McMurray, a 34-year-old arrested on an attempted rape charge, jumped from the 49th floor observation deck.^[132]
• In 1982, 14-year-old Frank Rosenberger jumped to his death from 21st floor.^[135]
• In 1992, 22-year-old Daniel Fluegeman jumped to his death from the 49th floor observatory, landing on the 16th floor patio of the Omni Netherland Plaza Hotel.^[136]
• In 2000, a woman leapt to her death from the 49th floor observatory.^[137]
• In 2016, a man jumped to his death from the 49th floor observation deck.^[138]

Located at 441 Vine Street in the central business district of Cincinnati, the 49-story Carew Tower stands 574 feet (175 meters) tall, which made it the tallest building in the city at the time of its completion. Prior to its residential conversion, it contained 400,000 square feet of office space and 110,000 square feet of retail space. The Netherland Plaza hotel has a separate address of 35 West Fifth Street. It features 561 rooms, 40,000 square feet of event space, and dining areas across 31 stories.^[2][139] The tower remained Cincinnati's tallest building until 2011, when it was displaced by Great American Tower at Queen City Square. The Carew Tower has eight more floors and more useable space than Great American Tower, but is roughly 90 feet shorter due to the tiara structure that adorns Great American Tower.^[119][140]

The building is a leading example of Art Deco architecture. Art Deco stylistic motifs can be found throughout the building, particularly in the metalwork and areas surrounding the elevators and lights.^[141] Many of the Art Deco design elements were directly influenced by similar designs showcased at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, which had helped popularize Art Deco. Locally-made Rookwood Pottery floral tiles adorn the east and west entrances of the building, and Rookwood also produced the fountain in the hotel lounge.^[15] Sculpture work on the exterior and interior of the building was carried out by New York architectural sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan.^[141] The tower exterior was initially intended to be made of limestone, but financial pressure from the Great Depression prompted a switch to brick.^[3] The exterior features numerous setbacks and gilded spandrels near the peak.^[15]

Numerous Louis Grell murals can be found throughout the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel on the bottom floor. The original lobby, now known as the Palm Court, contains 10 "French-themed" wall-to-ceiling murals. The Continental Room contains four murals, each representing one of the four seasons. A mural entitled "Welcome Travelers" is located by the staircase. The Apollo Gallery contains murals inspired by Greek mythology, including "Apollo on Chariot" and "Hunt of Diana".^[142] These subjects echo similar ones that appear at the Palace of Versailles.^[143] Likewise, the hotel's Hall of Mirrors banquet room was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.^[144] The hotel's Pavillion Caprice nightclub was influenced by the ocean liner SS Leviathan.^[15]

The Carew-Netherland Garage stood 27 stories and 342 feet high, making it the shortest of the three structures within the complex, but it was among the tallest buildings in the world dedicated solely to parking. Its address was 422 Race Street. An example of a Kent Automatic Garage, it used an automated elevator system to transport cars to one of the 750 parking spots within the structure. Its demolition made it the tallest building in Ohio to be destroyed at the time.^[57][145] There was also a turntable for vehicles to assist in pointing delivery trucks in the right direction. The system has since been dismantled.^[15]

From 1967 to 1980, the Carew Tower and the neighboring Fourth and Vine Tower, then called the Central Trust Bank tower, were featured in the opening and closing credits of the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night, which used Cincinnati as the stand-in for the show's fictional locale of "Monticello". Procter & Gamble, the show's producer, is based in Cincinnati.^{[citation needed]} From 1978 to 1982, the building was featured in the opening and closing credits on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.^[146]

• List of tallest buildings in Cincinnati
• Chanin Building and Empire State Building – Art Deco skyscrapers in New York built around the same time
• Macy's Building – another Cincinnati skyscraper acquired by Victrix Investments LLC for residential conversion

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carew Tower.

• National Historic Landmarks Program: Carew Tower-Netherland Plaza Hotel
• Carew Tower & adjoining Netherlands Hotel
• Carew Tower-Netherland Plaza Hotel - University of Cincinnati
• 360 degree interactive panorama from the top of Carew Tower
• Location of Wabash-Harrison Garage