101 W 5TH

Located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, 101 W 5th involves the conversion of the former Saks Fifth Avenue department store into a mixed-use building with office, restaurant and retail space. An important development effort, it will help connect Fountain Square and the Convention District.

Upon completion, the reactivated 101 W. Fifth Street building – which has been vacant since Saks’ departure in 2022 – will feature a more open concept with a glass façade that will allow for a great deal of natural light in the building, a new roof, and upgraded interior building systems including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection. The streetscape will also undergo significant improvements including sidewalk enhancement and expansion on Fifth Street including development of outdoor dining space, and fresh landscaping. The skywalk over Race Street will be demolished during the project. The completed 80,000-square-foot (SF) property will be home to an anchor tenant occupying the nearly 40,000-SF second-floor office space, along with a mix of restaurant, retail, and office space on the first floor.

This development plan is the result of significant predevelopment work to strategize around the building’s several physical challenges including the Hyatt Regency’s ballroom location on the roof, the Hyatt Regency loading dock in the basement, and a boxy floorplate that is not suited to residential conversion and limits natural light.

Construction is slated to begin in April 2024, with an estimated project completion in mid-2025.