the
gourmet room
re-imagining a modernist landmark
Liz Ickes INTD Capstone 2017 Comprehensive Project Analysis
“If you want to know what your grandchildren will think of as the elegance of this post-war era, you will have to go to Cincinnati and take an elevator up to the eighth floor of a pink brick building.� Harpers Magazine, 1948 1
Contents Background Concept Final Design Schematic Design Design Development Appendix
7 19 25 41 55 69
background
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history The Terrace Plaza Hotel building was commissioned by Thomas Emery and Sons in 1945, signing contracts with J.C. Penney and Bond Department Stores to construct a building for the two retailers and make recommendations for what to do with the air rights above. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), a relatively young firm at the time, was chosen as the architect for the project after proposing a hotel as the secondary use of the site and their modern aesthetic. Emery was also the developer behind the Netherland Plaza complex, a pioneer of the mixeduse building type. Even though he was not particularly fond of the Modernist style, Emery believed that a public building should reflect the style of the time and contain the best examples of contemporary art.1 The property was conceived as a seven story brick box for the department stores with a 12 story hotel tower on top, capped by the 20th story penthouse restaurant. It was largely designed by Natalie de Blois, a Columbia graduate from New Jersey who started at SOM in 1944. She became one of the firm’s first designers, but was almost never credited for her work because she was a woman. During her time working on the Terrace Plaza, she never met with the client or visited the site on 6th Street.1 The building officially opened on July 19, 1948, and was hailed as an instant icon of modern design both, locally and nationally. It was a first in many categories: SOM’s first hotel project, Cincinnati’s first new construction post WWII, and America’s first modernist hotel. The extensive use of contemporary technology in the guest rooms and public spaces gave the building its “push-button palace” nickname. The major public spaces were centered around the art that was commissioned for the building. A Saul Steinburg mural covered the back wall of the Skyline Room, an Alexander Calder mobile hung in the eighth floor lobby above a seating group, a Jim Davis light sculpture was the focal element of the Terrace Garden restaurant, and the finest piece, a Joan Miró mural adorned the back wall of the Gourmet Room restaurant atop the building. All of the furniture was
custom designed by SOM’s interior design department. The most interesting pieces were the guest room beds that also doubled as sofas during the day. At the push of a button, the bed would slide away from the wall and pillows were stored in the built-in casework that also housed the radio.1 This interdisiplinary approach to design was pioneered by SOM, and The Terrace Plaza was the first project where they tested this strategy, marking a shift in the way American design and architecture firms worked. This influence is still very prevalent in today’s design workforce world. The building totaled 600,000 square feet of usable space, containing 324 guest rooms, 14 apartments, 4 restaurants, 2 department stores, 3 retail stores, and two half-floors of office space.1
clockwise from top left: buiding exterior at opening; Gourmet Room interior; street level entrance; hotel lobby
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current state The hotel experienced an eight year period of high success before being sold to the Hilton Corporation on November 1, 1956. Emery sold both the Terrace Plaza and the Netherland Plaza hotels to Hilton to free up money for future downtown projects. The signs were changed and the interiors rebranded, losing all remnants of their modern design.1 In 1965, Emery negotiated the donation of the Miró, Calder, and Steinburg artwork pieces to the Cincinnati Art Museum to ensure their survival. Over the course of Hilton’s ownership, the mobile had been painted various colors, the Jim Davis sculpture mysteriously disappeared, and fourteen feet of the Steinburg mural was missing. Soon after the art was removed, the interiors underwent a massive renovation. All of the built-in furniture was removed, the lobby was reconfigured, and the building lost most of what made it special. The biggest change was in the Gourmet Room restaurant. Wood panelling covered the walls once adorned by the Miró mural and a hole was cut into the ceiling to accommodate for a large French chandelier.1
small retail tenants on the ground floor of the building.1 The most recent rumors surrounding the building involve a nationally known real estate developer who wants to convert the hotel portion to condos and re-purpose the bottom as mixed use retail and parking. The building is legally for sale, which opens the possibilities for either development of demolition. Not being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the current political stance on historic preservation in regards to downtown revitalization puts this building at high risk for demolition or significant alteration. The staggering price tag for the renovation also raises some red flags. My only hope is that the right developer will come along and but the required love and thought into a sympathetic rehabilitation.
J.C. Penney and Bond Department Stores closed their doors in 1968 and 1977 respectively, marking the beginning of a slow, painful decline. In 1983, AT&T purchased the building from Hilton and transformed the old department store floors into office space for it’s Long Line Division. They maintained offices there for eight years, then put the building up for sale. Finally in 1994, the building was purchased by Oliveye Retail Limited Partnership, who contracted Crowne Plaza to operate the hotel portion again. It opened as the Crowne Plaza Terrace Hotel in October of 1995, but closed its doors 9 years later in 2004.1 A team of developers proposed the conversion of the property into a boutique hotel with condominium units, but when only one of the 78 proposed units sold, the project was quickly abandoned. A New York investment group operated the hotel as the Terrace Hotel from 2005 until October of 2008, when it closed for good. Now the building is 95% vacant, with three
clockwise from top left: building exterior; Gourmet Room lounge; Gourmet Room dining space; hotel lobby
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site analysis - 15 w sixth st Criterion
Terrace plaza
In Core CBD
5
Historic Building
5
Streetcar Proximity
4
Other Businesses Nearby
5
Parking Availability
5
Site Potential
5
Street Life
5
Total
34/35
Pros: • In downtown • Right off Fountain Square • Close to streetcar route • Currently vacant, big potential • Hugely important building • Composition presents challenges • Opportunity for many uses
Cons: • Very large, half block • 6 floors without windows • Maybe too many choices
5 block radius public transit surface parking office arts + culture residential public space + recreation
restaurants retail civic mixed use residential mixed use office hotels
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building program adjacencies Program
SQ. FT.
Max OCC
Apartment Units
155,000
200
Outdoor Space
5,000
100
Bar
2,500
150
Coffee Bar
2,500
150
Urban Market
31,000
700
Fast Casual Restaurant
2,500
150
Nightclub
18,000
1,200
Spa
10,000
100
Lobby
10,000
200
Fitness Center
10,000
150
Gourmet Room
4,800
100
Nearby
Pool
12,000
175
Adjacent
Mid-scale Restaurant
6,500
200
Remote
Dine-in Entertainment Venue
50,000
500
Storage
50,000
NA
Not Related
mechanical gourmet room
apartment tower
outdoor space
apartment lobby
mid-scale restaurant spa - fitness - pool storage bar - nightclub
dine-in theater
bar
storage building lobby
coffee bar
fast cas
basement
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urban market
fragment - the gourmet room The Gourmet Room is arguably the most iconic public space in this building. It is also the perfect place to exercise my own philosophy on preservation. In focusing on the rehabilitation of this space, it sets the tone for how all other spaces are to be approached. Combining history with contemporary life and art is what will set this project apart from other preservation projects in downtown Cincinnati.
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Concept visual + verbal
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how MIGHT WE... ... update and celebrate the historic Gourmet Room restaurant?
LIVING ART By injecting contemporary art and cuisine into historic architecture, and having those things be ever-changing, the Gourmet Room will return to its position as the most innovative restaurant in the city.
how Historic? There are four approaches to the treatment of historic properties according to the National Parks Service. They are: preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction.2 Each has a very different meaning. I chose rehabilitation for it’s flexibility.
rehabilitation ... making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values2...
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abstract The Terrace Plaza Hotel is one of Cincinnati’s Modernist landmarks. When it opened in 1948, it was heralded as one of the most innovative and remarkable structures in the Unites States. It enjoyed a period of great success following its opening, but after being sold to the Hilton hotel family in 1956, the slow and steady decline of the property began. What was once one of the most remarkable buildings in the city is now a dilapidated eyesore on a prime piece of downtown real estate. All across the country, there is a resurgence of urban migration, both for individuals and for businesses. Cincinnati’s inner core neighborhoods are currently experiencing redevelopment and prosperity at a dizzying rate, putting the Terrace Plaza at the center of the action. Without a National Register designation, this building is at risk of demolition for a “new, more usable building.” With a little faith and creativity, the Terrace Plaza can be what it once was, and serve the 21st century city. The most important of these iconic interiors is that of the top floor Gourmet Room restaurant. It is the Terrace Plaza’s most unique space and therefore the perfect space to begin with. By combining the timeless architecture of modernism with rotating contemorary art exhibitions, the Gourmet Room can be returned to its position as one of the best restaurants in the city and an iconic interior for today and the future. The rotating contemporary art exhibitions keep the interiors fresh. They give patrons another reason to go back, to see what’s new. I believe this element is key to preventing the stagnation of the property.
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final design
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period interiors
art inspiration
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Floor plan 1/16” = 1’
rcp 1/16” = 1’
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section 1/16” = 1’
elevations n.t.s
gallery elevation
window wall elevation
bathroom elevation - 31 -
ff&e
sofa group
bar area
chair pair
corner banquette
outdoor dining
outdoor lounge
dining chairs
round banquettes - 33 -
gallery dining room
bar
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gallery dining room
main Dining Room
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outdoor
materiality millwork veneer
countertops
wall paint
bathroom floor tile
wood floor
metal
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bathroom wall tile
Schematic design first iteration
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mood
plan itereations
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final Floor plan 1/16” = 1’
dining room
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schematic design second iteration
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mood
Floor plan 1/16” = 1’ outdoor lounge
dining room
bar
kitchen
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gallery
reception
restrooms
gallery
bar
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dining room
materiality
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design development first iteration
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floor plan 1/16” = 1’
rcp 1/16” = 1’
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sections 1/16” = 1’
short section
long section
interior elevations n.t.s.
mural elevation
gallery elevation
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materiality millwork veneer
countertops
wall paint
metal
dining room carpet
wood floor
gallery / bar ff&e
bar area
sofa group #1
sofa group #2 - 61 -
chair pair
dining room ff&e
dining tables
banquettes
outdoor ff&e
lounge chair group
sectional sofa group
cocktial chair group - 63 -
bar
gallery
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dining room
outdoor
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appendix
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Sources bibliography 1) Tubb, Shawn Patrick, Aaron Betsky, and Sue Ann. Painter. Cincinnati’s Terrace Plaza Hotel: An Icon of American Modernism. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Book Pub., 2013. Print. 2) “Four Approaches to the Treatment of Historic Properties—Technical Preservation Services, National Park Service.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
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