Big changes coming to iconic 'Cincinnati' sign downtown

cincinnati center city development corporation

Part of Cincinnati's skyline is getting a makeover.

Downtown’s iconic, 17-year-old “Cincinnati” sign is getting an upgrade as part of the convention center renovations.

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The project's design team, Moody Nolan and TVS Architecture, along with the project’s development manager, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), evaluated the building’s entire façade to identify potential areas for improvement, including the Cincinnati sign on the westernmost side of the structure.

cincinnati center city development corporation

The updated sign will have individual LED-illuminated letters so that each can be customized with different colors, gradients and rich hues. For example, 3CDC said that during game days they can incorporate designs like Bengals stripes, or Reds and FC Cincinnati logos inside the letters themselves.

Each letter is also able to feature different motion graphics, animations or separate video streams.

“The Cincinnati sign is a truly iconic piece of the skyline synonymous with a warm welcome as you enter our city,” City Manager Sheryl Long said. “I’m thrilled to see the convention center upgrade to a new system that enhances our capabilities to celebrate our City while maintaining the tradition so many have grown to love. It’s just another piece of this transformational renovation that will have a lasting impact on not only the City but the region.”

In addition to the updated sign, the southwest corner of the convention center's exterior will have a large video board that can be used to show local events, provide information to visitors, run paid advertisements and more.

“When we started looking into making changes to this portion of the convention center’s façade, we took to heart the sense of nostalgia the Cincinnati community feels for this unique piece of our city,” said Katie Westbrook, Senior Vice President of Development for 3CDC. “This upgraded sign will honor that tradition but take the experience of the sign to another level with its new features and ability for customization. The upgraded sign is perfectly aligned with the first-class experience we’re creating at the reimagined convention center.”

cincinnati center city development corporation

3CDC said the current sign has been a fixture of Cincinnati's skyline from the west side for years, a notable part of the view coming in on I-75. Officials said its current functionality and cost to replace parts have made it increasingly costly

The sign was last upgraded in 2014 but 3CDC said its metal panels have become expensive to maintain.

The current sign is set to be demolished starting next month with the new sign going up when the building is fully renovated.

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