The Formica Building (also known as the Mercantile Center) is a

mixed-use Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

building in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio, United States.

History

The building opened in 1970 and was designed by Chicago architect

Harry Weese Harry Mohr Weese (June 30, 1915 – October 29, 1998) was an Americans, American architect who had an important role in 20th-century modernism and historic preservation. His brother, Ben Weese, was also a renowned architect. Early life and educat ...

, perhaps best known for designing the

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

stations in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The building contains both an office tower and arcade connecting Fourth Street with Fifth Street as well as providing access to the

Cincinnati Skywalk The Cincinnati Skywalk was a series of walkways, primarily indoors and elevated, that allowed pedestrians to traverse downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in segments starting in 1971, the skyway, skywalk was completed in 1997 at a to ...

system. The building originally contained the Formica Corporation headquarters, and the

Contemporary Arts Center The Contemporary Arts Center (abbreviated CAC) is a contemporary art museum in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the first contemporary art institutions in the United States. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that focuses on new developments in pain ...

(CAC) was located on the second floor of the arcade. At the time, it was the largest exhibition venue devoted to contemporary art in the United States. Prior to moving to the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in 2003, the CAC featured work by noteworthy artists such as

Robert Morris Robert or Bob Morris may refer to: :''Ordered chronologically within each section.'' Politics and the law * Robert Hunter Morris (1700–1764), lieutenant governor of Colonial Pennsylvania * Robert Morris (financier) (1734–1806), one of the Foun ...

, Jennifer Bartlett and

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

. The iconic

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a South Korean artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super highway" ...

sculpture ''

Metrobot ''Metrobot'' is an electronic public art sculpture designed by Nam June Paik. At the time of its unveiling in 1988, it was Paik's first outdoor sculpture and his largest. Since 2014, it has stood in front of the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) on ...

'' stood in front of the building from 1988 to 2009. Until recently, the space formerly known as the Contemporary Arts Center has remained vacant. Recognizing the need for a unique venue in downtown Cincinnati, MCA Center worked with Cincinnati designers to reinvent the space's identity as

The Center The Center () is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre (88 storeys), Central Plaza and Bank of China Tower. With a height of , it comprises 73 storeys. The Cente ...

. In 2024, the Model Group renovated the Mercantile Center and Formica Building into a mixed-use residential development.

References

External links

University of Cincinnati DAAP Library Media Collection website The Center website
{{coord, 39, 6, 4, N, 84, 30, 40, W, display=title Skyscraper office buildings in Cincinnati Harry Weese buildings 1970 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures completed in 1970