José Marques, APR
Media Relations Manager
513.629.1448
Mailing Address:
Western & Southern Financial Group
Media Relations
Mail Station 90
400 Broadway Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Diane Planck
Senior Media Relations Specialist (513) 629-1511
Great American Tower Becomes Cincinnati’s Tallest Skyscraper
Last section of tower tiara put into placeCINCINNATI — July 14, 2010 — After nearly three months of construction, the final keystone section of the tiara atop Great American Tower at Queen City Square was completed July 13, making the skyscraper Cincinnati’s tallest building.
"Completion of the tiara marks the last major exterior milestone in the construction of Great American Tower, but, more importantly it symbolizes a dramatic change to our city’s skyline," said John F. Barrett, president and chief executive officer of Western & Southern Financial Group. "The tower is now the tallest building in Cincinnati, and Western & Southern is proud to play a role in revitalizing the city through the commercial and economic opportunities it creates."
A ceremony hosted by Western & Southern and its real estate investment and property management subsidiary Eagle Realty Group commemorated the tiara’s "topping out." Western & Southern executives and several hundred city, county and state officials; business and community leaders; dignitaries; and spectators watched from the nearby Queen City Square parking garage as the tiara’s final keystone (weighing 15,000 pounds) was lifted into place by crane.
With completion of the tiara, which is comprised of 505 separate pieces and is 130 feet (13 stories) tall, focus of construction shifts to the tower’s interior. The 41-story Great American Tower at Queen City Square was commissioned by Eagle Realty Group and is under the charge of Turner Construction during the construction phase. Great American Tower is expected to open to tenants in January 2011.
"The tiara is an incredibly unique structure and its construction progressed remarkably well," said Mario San Marco, president of Eagle Realty Group. "We are excited for tenants to begin moving into the building in January. All companies involved are proud of this investment in downtown Cincinnati."
Currently, the tower is 80 percent leased, with anchor tenant American Financial Group (AFG) occupying the majority of the building. Law firm Frost Brown Todd will also occupy four floors of the tower. Apart from the tower, Queen City Square will feature commercial shopping and restaurant venues, as well as several environmentally friendly amenities stemming from Gold precertification of the building under the LEED-Core and Shell (LEED-CS) program. The award given by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) signifies successful plans to incorporate green strategies, systems and features into the design and construction of the tower.
About the Great American Tower at Queen City Square
This latest phase of the master-planned Queen City Square complex will be a landmark building known as the Great American Tower at Queen City Square. Named after its lead tenant, Great American Insurance Company, the building will rise 41 stories above Third Street, and contain 800,000 square feet of office space over a 1,600-car parking garage. The spectacular design and dramatic tiara, at 665 feet above street level, will significantly enhance the city skyline. Precertified as LEED Gold, the building will be the most environmentally sensitive building in downtown Cincinnati. When connected with its sister building at 303 Broadway, the entire Queen City Square project contains 1 million + square feet of office and retail space, and more than 2,200 parking spaces.
Designed by Gyo Obata, founding partner of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), one of the world’s largest architectural firms, the building features an inviting entry plaza and grand rotunda at Fourth and Sycamore, and a spacious promenade extending to the office tower lobby located on the southerly portion of the site. The siting of the office tower, and its predominantly glass exterior, are intended to maximize the views from the office floors, which are unobstructed in all directions.
Interior amenities include floor-to-ceiling windows and 9’6” ceilings, which provide abundant natural light in office areas. State-of-the art heating and cooling systems save energy and promote a healthy environment with generous amounts of fresh outdoor air. Column-free floors of up to 26,000 square feet allow for efficient space planning and flexibility for future office reconfigurations. Advanced technological infrastructure offers users the opportunity to take advantage of the latest in communications and high-speed data transmission.
Queen City Square is a development of Eagle Realty Group (a member of Western & Southern Financial Group), and is cosponsored by its funding partners, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and the City of Cincinnati. Construction is under the responsibility of Turner Construction.
About Eagle Realty Group
Eagle Realty Group offers a comprehensive range of services covering three core real estate areas. Investment Management offers asset management and investment advisory services. The company’s expertise in real estate development and management is documented by an array of successful ventures ranging from hotels to shopping centers to low-income housing to senior housing and office buildings. In addition, Eagle Realty Group’s Multi-Family Property Management Division serves apartment communities, and Eagle’s Commercial Property Management Division provides property management services. The organization oversees investment portfolios consisting of over 32 million square feet of all types of real estate located across the United States and valued in excess of $2.7 billion.
About Western & Southern Financial Group
Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern), a Fortune 500 company, is a Cincinnati-based diversified family of financial services companies with assets owned, managed and under our care in excess of $46 billion as of March 31, 2010. Based on Standard & Poor’s ratings, Western & Southern is one of the nine strongest life insurance groups in the world. For more information, visit www.westernsouthern.com. Western & Southern is the title sponsor of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open tennis tournaments.
Ratings refer to the claims-paying ability of the insurance company and not to the safety, stability or performance of any investment product.
one of the eight highest-rated life insurance groups
in the world based on Standard & Poor's AA+ Very Strong rating.
Rating current as of November 30, 2010.