Crosley Tower coming down after decades as a polarizing landmark
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The tower served as an academic workhorse for nearly six decades as the home to departments like chemistry, physics and sociology. Photos: Courtesy of University of Cincinnati
Crosley Tower — the University of Cincinnati's hulking, polarizing concrete landmark — is coming down piece by piece over the next six months.
Why it matters: The demolition marks a slow erasure of one of Cincinnati's most recognizable (and debated) buildings.
- UC plans to build a STEM facility on the site, aiming to better connect that edge of campus.
State of play: The 16-story tower, named for alumnus Powel Crosley Jr., has defined the UC skyline since 1969.
- It's visible for miles and impossible to ignore due to its unusual design.
- Architectural Digest once called it one of the ugliest university buildings in America.
"It takes time to grow on you before you can truly appreciate its existence and recognize its unique impact on the community," said UC architecture graduate Anna Hargan, who wrote her thesis on the building.
The big picture: Crosley Tower was built in a moment when universities were thinking big — and building fast, Hargan said.
- Stunning stat: The building went up in just 18 days using a round-the-clock concrete pour method known as a slip-from.
Yes, but: What made Crosley stand out is also what made it hard to love.
- Its raw concrete exterior, massive scale and lack of ornamentation made it a defining example of brutalist architecture.
- Four wings stretched outward beneath a heavy crown with "eye-like" windows, giving it an almost watchful presence, Hargan said.
- "I remember walking past it on my first day and feeling like an ant next to this ominous giant."
Between the lines: Crosley's bold design ultimately became its biggest liability.
- Years of deterioration — failing concrete, water intrusion and a sinking foundation — made renovation impractical, according to UC planners.
What's next: The university expects the demolition to wrap up in February. The new STEM building will welcome students in 2029.
- Once complete, Crosley Tower's replacement will become the new "public face" to UC's Uptown campus.
- "I hope it inspires students at least a fraction as much as Crosley did," Hargan said of the new STEM facility. "That new building has a lot to live up to."
The last word: "Giant Brutalist concrete nail," engineer John Nuckles wrote of Crosley Tower, "but I will miss it when it is no longer there."
