Cincinnati’s vacant Terrace Plaza Hotel faces fresh redevelopment hurdles over tax dispute

Cincinnati’s historic Terrace Plaza Hotel has been vacant since 2008, but a $160 million plan to bring the 1948 landmark back to life is now facing a new obstacle. After two years of asbestos and mould removal, the redevelopment is being held up by a dispute over the building’s property tax valuation. The case involves the hotel’s owner, a tax valuation appeal and the city’s school district, and has been reported by Blue Water Healthy Living and documented in federal court records.A landmark with a remarkable pastThe Terrace Plaza Hotel was completed in 1948 and designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), making it the firm’s first hotel project. At 18 storeys and about 600,000 square feet, it was one of the first modern hotels in the United States and a striking addition to downtown Cincinnati. The building was innovative from the start. Its lobby was located on the eighth floor and reached by express elevators from street level, while the first seven floors originally housed department stores. The top floor contained a small gourmet restaurant with panoramic views of the city. The hotel also incorporated major works of modern art. Joan Miró designed a mural for the restaurant...