Great American Tower at Queen City Square
The Great American Tower at Queen City Square is a 41-story, skyscraper in Cincinnati, Ohio, which opened in January 2011. The tower was built by Western & Southern Financial Group at a cost of $322 million including $65 million of taxpayer-funded subsidies. Construction on the tower had begun in July 2008. Half of the building is occupied as the headquarters of the American Financial Group subsidiary, Great American Insurance Company. As of 2015, it is the third-tallest building in the state of Ohio, the tallest outside of Cleveland, and the tallest building in Cincinnati.
Background
Western & Southern had promoted the idea of constructing a tower for 20 years following the last construction boom in downtown Cincinnati. In 2002, the project was revived. Plans called for a tower with over of office space. When the tower opened in 2011, it was, ending the Carew Tower's 81-year reign as the tallest building in Cincinnati. While the Great American Tower is taller than the Carew Tower, the latter building's roof is taller than the roof of the Great American Tower. The building was reviewed and approved by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority which determined whether its parameters conformed to the outline in the Cincinnati 2000 plan for downtown including a final approval by Cincinnati City Council on May 30, 2014. Due to Cincinnati's relatively low cost of living, it was the only American skyscraper constructed during the Great Recession.Tenants include American Financial Group, law firms Frost Brown Todd and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, along with the property's owner-developer Western & Southern Financial Group. The majority of Western & Southern's space is located in the 303 Broadway portion of the complex. With its name incorporating the mantra "Queen City," other structures in the area, like Christ Church Cathedral, are often referred to as being at Queen City Square as well.