View from across Central Avenue. The front facade of the building is all that's left of the original early 1900s structure. The back portions were torn down and the current structure put in place in 1992. To the right, you can see the corner of our bit of green space where we have trees and a small lawn to enjoy.
Very recently, we were kindly pointed in the direction of some photographs of our building, probably sometime during the late 70's, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Until now, we hadn't been successful in uncovering what the building had been used for prior to the demolition, and subsequent construction of the new portion in 1992. At some point, the two buildings on either side were apparently deemed unworthy of saving, as they are both gone today. One side gives us our green lawn and parking lot, and the other provides a green streetfront for the Chestnut Street Jewish Cemetery, a stop on Cincinnati's Queen City Tour.
Armed now with a name, "Rosen's," we were then able to find out that the building previously housed a small department store, and was nicknamed "little Shillito's" after the major department store located in the center of downtown.
The boss' perspective: view from upstairs on the mezzanine (and from behind John's desk!) where the architectural staff's workstations are located. On most days, plenty of natural light streams in, resulting in very little need to ever turn on a light. It's not just pleasant, but energy saving!
Upon entering the front door, you are greeted by Diane at her custom-built desk. It reflects the same style and materials used on the rail for the mezzanine, and the staff's workstations upstairs.
A view of the new rail running along the edge of the mezzanine. FCS certified Maple hardwood plywood was used to construct it, along with exposed UniStrut supports and visible connections. This area previously ran along outside a series of enclosed offices on the upper floor. Opening it up was more condusive to our work environment, created more opportunities for light to travel, and more opportunties for views as well. Everyone loves a view!
Our main gathering space is open to both levels, and produces great light during the day through the almost floor-to-ceiling glazing. It has proven especially pleasant since we installed a series of operable windows in this area, and open them almost daily when the weather permits.
The space is useful for a multitude of different things; space to spread out and have drawing reviews, impromptu meetings, a place to use for multi-media presentations on our wall-mounted LCD screen (not in view), Lunch-N-Learns, and the occasional office shindig or potluck lunch.
Currently, the local chapter of the national organization Architects for Humanity meets monthly in this space, headed by the president of the Cincinnati chapter, our own Jake Williams.