From Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors:
Cincinnati's tallest skyscraper, CAREW TOWER, (observation tower 9-5 daily;
adm. 30¢), SW, corner of Fifth and Vine Sts., with 48 stories, rises 574 feet
above street level. It was completed in 1930. Inside the huge
structure is a city in miniature--a large hotel, tow department stores, a
spacious garage, many small shops, and hundreds of offices. An observation
tower at the top offers a sweeping panorama of the city, the Ohio River, and the
Kentucky towns and hinterland..
The sharp upthrust of the handsome, yellow-brick building is nicely
emphasized by terraced setbacks and vertical lines of the window slots.
Limestone facing covers the first six stories. The huge entrances are
framed in black marble, and bronze mountings holding medallions depicting the
old allegory of pioneer progress--covered wagons, steamboats, funnel-topped
locomotives.
A striking feature is the ARCADE, extending from Vine to Race Sts.; it is
two stories high except near the street entrances, where it is only one
story. Rookwood tiles set in the east and west entrances show large floral
patterns in primary colors against a white background. Brown-striped
engaged pillars, set against the yellow walls, accentuate the steep vertical
effect of the arcade. Marble blocks cover the floor, and translucent tubes
shielded by metal strips reflect a soft light against the metal-hued ceiling.
Along both sides of the concourse are the display windows of two department
stores and many small shops, all richly arranged.
The NETHERLAND PLAZA HOTEL, in Carew Tower on the Fifth and Race St.
sides, is a first-class hotel with 800 rooms. It opened in 1932 as the St.
Nicholas Plaza but had to change its name following a suit by the Hotel Sinton,
which claimed ownership of the title, "St. Nicholas." The change of name
was costly, for the hotel had to dispose of all its silverware, china, linen,
stationery, and other furnishings bearing the St. Nicholas monogram.
Adjoining the Netherland Plaza Hotel is a modern elevator garage with
accommodations for 600 cars.
The Carew Tower remains the tallest building in Cincinnati, however will be
surpassed by the Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square in 2011
rising 86 feet (26 m) higher than the Carew Tower. The observation deck is
still open in Carew Tower and admission is only $2.00. The area where the
departments stores were located was renovated in the 1990's and the area is now
a mall with many shops and a food court. The Netherland Plaza Hotel
is currently a Hilton Hotel and is described as the "finest example of French
Art deco architecture in the world" The elevated parking
garage was demolished in the late 1980's.
The Carew Tower was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1994.