| Gwynne Building | |
| Location: | 6th and Main Sts, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates: | 39.1031°N -84.51°W |
| Built: | 1913 |
| Architect: | Ernest Flagg |
| Architecture: | Beaux-Arts |
| Added: | August 3, 1979 |
| Refnum: | 79001856 |
Gwynne Building is a registered historic building in Cincinnati, Ohio, listed in the National Register on August 3, 1979.
The almost 125,000-square-foot thirteen-story Gwynne Building was completed in 1914.[1] The building was designed by Ernest Flagg, who also designed the Singer Building in New York and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.[2]
The structure was commissioned by Flagg's cousin, Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt, who was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.[3] Alice and Ernest were first cousins as Alice's mother,[4] Rachel Moore Flagg, was the sister of Flagg's father, Jared Bradley Flagg.[5] [6] Alice named the Gwynne Building in honor of her father, Abraham Evan Gwynne, a prominent Cincinnati lawyer and Judge.[4] [7] [8] Her paternal grandfather, Major David Gwynne, was a real estate broker in Cincinnati,[9] whose family was among the early settlers of Cincinnati,[10] and Alice was said to be a distant relative of the Longworth family.[4] She inherited the property at 6th and Main St. and her brother took the corner of 4th and Main St.[8]
The tallest section, the tower, is 14 stories. The Beaux-Arts style building is made of steel and concrete the exterior is rendered in Indiana limestone,[10] brick and granite.[7] Originally the building was considered fireproof as there was "no wood of any description being used,"[10] and the floors were finished in polished concrete with the hall floors containing mosaics.[10] The corners of the building are adorned with ox heads.[9]
In addition to the 1913 building, the east building was built in 1916, and the north building was built in 1939.[7]
From 1935 until 1956, the office building housed the headquarters of Procter & Gamble (P&G).[11] [12] The P&G World Headquarters are now located in twin towers several blocks to the east.[7]
In 1992, the building was purchased by a group of tenants and investors from EQ Office, which was owned by Chicago billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell, founder and chairman of Equity International.[13] The purchase was followed by an about $1,000,000 in renovations.[13]
In July 2014, the building, which was then 88% occupied, was offered for sale.[7] The tenants included Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, Sound Images (later renamed Gwynne Sound),[14] the Charles H. Dater Foundation and the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission.[7] It was purchased by an investment group led by Patrick Gates.[15]