List of tallest buildings in Cincinnati

Cincinnati is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio, with a metropolitan area population of 2.3 million. The economic hub of southwestern Ohio, Cincinnati is home to over 120 high-rises, 41 of which have a height greater than 200 feet as of 2026. It has the third highest number of skyscrapers taller than 300 feet of any city in Ohio, after Cleveland and Columbus, with 17 such buildings. The tallest building in Cincinnati is the Great American Tower at Queen City Square, a 665 ft, 40-story office building that was completed in 2011. It is the third-tallest building in Ohio, and the tallest completed in the state during the 21st century.
One of the largest cities in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, Cincinnati was the site of first skyscraper taller than 492 ft outside of New York City. Completed in 1913, the Hellenic-inspired Fourth and Vine Tower was the fifth-tallest building in the world at the time at 495 ft. It was the tallest outside of New York City and Philadelphia. An early construction boom occurred during the late 1920s, which culminated with an even taller skyscraper on Vine Street, the 574 ft Carew Tower, in 1930. Part of a three-tower mixed-use Art Deco complex, the Carew Tower made Cincinnati the fourth city in the world more than one building taller than 492 ft, after New York City, Chicago, and Detroit.
Another boom took place from the 1950s until the 1990s, especially from the mid-1970s onwards. Several buildings from this era serve as notable corporate headquarters, such as the Kroger Building for the epnoymous retail company, Fifth Third Center for Fifth Third Bank, and the Scripps Center for the E. W. Scripps Company. Procter & Gamble's headquarters include twin postmodern towers. Columbia Plaza and Macy's Building were former headquarters of Chiquita and Macy's, Inc., respectively. Since the 1990s, few tall buildings have been constructed in Cincinnati, with the notable exception of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square in 2011. The building's tiara-shaped top ended the Carew Tower's 80-year long reign as Cincinnati's tallest building. In recent years, a number of commercial buildings have been converted into residential use, including the Fourth and Vine Tower and Macy's Building. Conversion of the Carew Tower into apartments is ongoing.
Most of the city's high-rises are located in Downtown Cincinnati, which is surrounded by Interstate 71 and Interstate 75. The former separates the downtown skyline from the Ohio River to the south. Between Interstate 71 and the river are two of the city's most famous stadiums, the Paycor Stadium and the Great American Ball Park. The University of Cincinnati contains Crosley Tower and the former Sanders Hall. Directly across the Ohio River is Covington, Kentucky, where several few high-rises sit along the river. Cincinnati's skyline was the inspiration for the name of Skyline Chili, a chain of Cincinnati-style chili restaurants. The restaurant's logo features a silhouette of the city's skyline.

Map of tallest buildings

The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 200 ft in Downtown Cincinnati, where the majority of the city's tallest buildings are. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion. There are five buildings taller than 200 ft in Cincinnati that are located outside downtown.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks skyscrapers and high-rises in Cincinnati that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.

Rank	Name	Image	Location	Height ft	Floors	Year	Purpose	Notes
1	Great American Tower at Queen City Square		301 East 4th Street		40	2011	Office	Third-tallest building in Ohio and the tallest building in Cincinnati. Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 2010s.
2	Carew Tower		35 West 5th Street		49	1930	Residential	The tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1930s. Originally built as a mixed-use office and retail building. Currently undergoing conversion to a residential building.
3	Fourth and Vine Tower		1 West 4th Street		31	1913	Residential	Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1910s. When completed, it was the fifth-tallest building in the world, and the tallest building in the world outside of New York City and Philadelphia. Formerly known as the Union Central Life Insurance Company Building and the Central Trust Tower. Also known as PNC Tower.
4	Scripps Center		312 Walnut Street		36	1990	Office	The tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1990s.
5	Fifth Third Center		511 Walnut Street		32	1969	Office	Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1960s. Headquarters of Fifth Third Bank.
6	Center at 600 Vine		600 Vine Street		30	1984	Office	Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1980s.
7	First Financial Center		255 East 5th Street		32	1992	Office	Headquarters of First Financial Bank, Roto-Rooter, and Chemed. Also known as Chemed Center.
8	Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza		35 West 5th Street		31	1931	Hotel	Part of the same complex as Carew Tower. Opened as St. Nicholas Plaza in 1931, but has operated under variations of the Netherland Plaza name.
9	Columbia Plaza		250 East 5th Street		29	1984	Office	Formerly known as Chiquita Center, as the former headquarters of Chiquita.
10	PNC Center		201 East 5th Street		27	1979	Office	Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1970s.
11	US Bank Tower/Westin Hotel		425 Walnut Street		26	1981	Mixed-use	Mixed-use office and hotel building. Currently hosts a Westin hotel.
12	Atrium Two		221 East 4th Street		28	1984	Office
13	36 East Seventh Street		36 East 7th Street		26	1989	Office
14	Kroger Building		1014 Vine Street		25	1954	Office	Headquarters of American retail company Kroger.
15	Macy's Building		7 7th Street		21	1978	Residential	Formerly an office building. Originally built as the Federated Building; headquarters of Macy's, Inc. from 1994 to 2020. Converted into apartments and reopened as 7 West 7th Apartments in 2025.
16	525 Vine Center		525 Vine Street		23	1985	Office
17	Enquirer Building		312 Elm Street		25	1992	Office	Headquarters of The Cincinnati Enquirer daily newspaper from 1992 to 2022.
18	Edgecliff Point Condos		1201 Edgecliff Point		24	1990	Residential	Located In East Walnut Hills. Not to be confused with The Edgecliff, a 231-foot building nearby.
19	Proctor and Gamble Tower I		301 East 6th Street		17	1985	Office
20	Proctor and Gamble Tower II		301 East 6th Street		17	1985	Office
21	National City Tower		1 East 4th Street		20	1968	Office	Also known as Provident Tower.
22	Duke Energy Building		139 East 4th Street		18	1929	Office	Designed by Cincinnati architectural firm Garber & Woodward and John Russell Pope. Also known as the Cinergy Building.
23	Terrace Plaza Hotel		15 West 6th Street		20	1948	MIxed-use	Contains serviced apartments, as well as office, hotel, and retail space.
24	One Lytle Place		621 East Mehring Way		26	1980	Residential
25	Hyatt Regency Cincinnati		151 West 5th Street		23	1984	Hotel
26	The American Building		30 East Central Parkway		18	1928	Office
27	Fourth & Walnut Center		105 East 4th Street		19	1904	Office	Tallest building completed in Cincinnati in the 1900s.
28	AT580 Downtown Apartments		580 Walnut Street		17	1973	Residential	Formerly known as the 580 Building. Converted to apartments in 2014.
29	Bartlett Building		36 East 4th Street		19	1901	Office	Currently known as the Renaissance Cincinnati Downtown Hotel. Originally an office building, it reopened as a hotel in 2014.
30	Atrium One		221 East 4th Street		20	1981	Office
31	Cincinnati Times-Star Building		800 Broadway		15	1933	Office	Also known by its street address, 800 Broadway.
32	Encore		716 Sycamore Street		17	2017	Residential	Previously known as 8th & Sycamore.
33	The Edgecliff		2200 Victory Parkway		26	1960	Residential	Not to be confused wth Edgecliffe Point Condos, a 284-foot building nearby.
34	Crosley Tower		301 Clifton Court		16	1969	Education	Part of the University of Cincinnati. Named after local inventor Powel Crosley Jr.
35	Cincinnati City Hall		801 Plum Street		4	1890	Government	Tallest building in Cincinnati from 1890 to 1901.
36	The Regency	–	2444 Madison Road		20	1967	Residential
37	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Clinical Sciences Pavilion		240 Albert Sabin Way		15	2015	Hospital
38	303 Broadway Tower		303 Broadway		15	2006	Office
39	Tri-State Building	–	432 Walnut Street		15	1903	Office
40	Ingalls Building		6 East 4th Street		16	1903	Hotel	World's first reinforced concrete skyscraper.
41	1010 on the Rhine		1010 Walnut St		18	2019	Residential	Contains 8 floors of apartments above a 10 story base, which consists of a 2 floor Kroger Grocery Store and an 8 story parking garage.
42	Fourth and Race Tower	–	101-105 West 4th Street		16	1927	Hotel

Tallest under construction or proposed

Under construction

Since the completion of 1010 on the Rhine in 2019, there have been no buildings under construction in Cincinnati that were planned to be taller than 200 feet.

Proposed

This table includes buildings that have been proposed or approved to rise at least 200 ft tall as of 2026. The year column indicates the estimated year of completion.

Name	Height ft	Floors	Year	Status	Notes
Banks Tower 1	*	24	2029-2034	Proposed	In early planning stage
Banks Tower 2	*	24	2029-2034	Proposed	In early planning stage
Convention Hotel		23	2028	Approved

Tallest demolished

This table lists buildings that once stood taller than 200 ft in Cincinnati that have been demolished.

Name	Image	Height ft	Floors	Year completed	Year demolished	Purpose	Notes
Millennium Hotel Cincinnati			32	1977	2022	Hotel	The hotel closed in 2019, and demolition was completed three years later. Tallest building ever demolished in Cincinnati.
Sander Hall	–		27	1971	1991	Residential	When it stood, the building's tip was the highest point in Hamilton County.

Tallest buildings in the Cincinnati metropolitan area

Cincinnati holds the majority of buildings taller than 200 ft in its metropolitan area. The remainder are in Covington, Kentucky, which lies directly south of Cincinnati across the Ohio River.

Rank	Name	Image	City	Height ft	Floors	Year	Purpose	Notes
1	RiverCenter I		Covington		19	1990	Office	Tallest building in Covington and in the Cincinnati metropolitan area outside of Cincinnati.
2	The Ascent at Roebling's Bridge		Covington		21	2007	Residential	Tallest residential building in Covington. Noted for its curved roof and striped facade.
3	RiverCenter II		Covington		17	1998	Office
4	Madison Place	–	Covington		18	2001	Residential

Tallest unbuilt

This table includes former proposals designed to rise at least 200 feet that were approved for construction in Cincinnati, but were cancelled or downsized prior to construction.

Name	Image	Location	Height ft	Floors	Project years	Status	Notes
Fountain Square West		505 Vine St	862	63	1985-86	Canceled	$257 million skyscraper was proposed by Galbreath Co. in 1985 and was a final contender for bidding in the Fountain Square West bid. Was cancelled in May 1986 due to not being picked by final committee after a controversial RFP process. Would have been the Second Tallest Building in Ohio if built. 800,000 sq ft of office space, four floors of retail, 750 space underground parking garage, 250 room hotel.
Fountain Place		505 Vine St	725	50	1985-1988	Canceled	Federated/Emery were chosen to develop Fountain Square West, naming the development Fountain Place, by the City of Cincinnati in May 1986. Project was estimated at $200 million in cost. Project was cancelled due to the developer defaulting on the development agreement with the City of Cincinnati in September 1988 after 2 years of false starts and tensions between the City of Cincinnati and the group. At 725 ft. it would have been the tallest building in Cincinnati. 705,000 sq ft of office space, 400 room hotel, 1,000 space underground parking garage, 233,000 sq ft of retail.
Fountain Square South		21 E Fifth St	660	50	1972-1974	Canceled	Tower was proposed in January 1972 by Unit One Co for the SE Corner of Fifth and Vine Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Project was cancelled in 1974 due to immense pushback by community over destruction of Albee Theater and the height throwing a shadow over Fountain Square. The Westin was later built in the corner this tower would have been built. Albee Theater would be torn down anyways in 1977 despite protest. 50 stories in height, 400 space underground parking garage.
Fountain Square West		505 Vine St.	648	48	1989-1991	Canceled	Galbreath Co., having been the back up developer if Federated/Emery would drop out was selected again to develop Fountain Square West in late 1989. The $275 million Helmut Jahn designed proposal was unveiled in June 1990. Approved in July 1990. Galbreath was the second developer to default on its development agreement for the long-winding Fountain Square West project, defaulting in February 1991 due to financing difficulties and financial issues with the developer. At 648 ft it would have been the tallest building in Cincinnati. 1.7 million sq ft of office, hotel, retail and parking. 750 space underground garage. City erected a surface parking lot after this proposal fell through in the center of Downtown Cincinnati from 1992 to 1996.
Pluss Holdings Entertainment Center and Office Tower		650 Walnut St	550+	46	1988-1990	Canceled	Proposal was accepted by committee in September 1988. Design was fully unveiled in January 1990. $200 million mixed use project would have had a 5-story entertainment center with a 41-story office tower on top. Pluss Holdings defaulted on its development agreement in June 1990 after being unable to secure financing. Block instead became the Aronoff Center.
Temple Tower		142 E Fourth St	470	40	1929-1930	Canceled	First Presbyterian Church proposed this 470 ft skyscraper in August 1929. $3 million project would have included 32 stories of offices, 8 stories of tower, and a 4-story church at the base. Project was cancelled due to financial difficulties stemming from the Great Depression.
1 East Fourth St		1 East Fourth St	456	35	1964-1965	Downsized	Project was proposed in September 1964. The $18 million Provident Tower would have been 35 stories and 456 ft tall. 860,162 sq ft total floor area. By late 1965 the project was significantly downsized, with the finished building in 1968 having a markedly different design and height, reaching only 279 ft.
311 Race St.		311 Race St	400+	30	1990-1993, 1998.	Cancelled	Duke and Associates proposed this project as a second phase and taller twin tower to 312 Elm. Project would have been 30 stories and around 400 ft in height. Project was stalled by early 1993 due to economic factors in Downtown Cincinnati and fully cancelled by the late 1990s.
Fourth and Race Apartment Tower		407 Race St.	300+	30	2013-2014	Cancelled	This $82 million 300-unit residential tower with a grocery store was proposed in 2013 by Flaherty and Collins. Council approved the project and subsidy in late 2013. Due to opposition by Mayor Cranley over amount of subsidy, project was scrapped in 2014 with a smaller 4th and Race tower eventually being developed by 3CDC and Flaherty and Collins.
Union Central Annex Tower		309 Vine St	300-350	24	1925-27	Downsized/Cancelled	Annex Tower of the Union Central Tower was approved in January 1926. 24 story office tower would have provided additional space for the Union Central Insurance Co. The 8-story base for the tower was completed in 1927 but the tower plan was quietly scrapped by the company around the time the base was completed, despite the base being designed for a tower on top.

Timeline of tallest buildings

This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Cincinnati.

Name	Image	Street address	Years as tallest	Height ft	Floors	Reference
Cincinnati City Hall		801 Plum Street	1890–1901	228	4
Bartlett Building		36 East 4th Street	1901–1904	252	19
Fourth & Walnut Center		105 East 4th Street	1904–1913	255	19
Fourth and Vine Tower		1 West 4th Street	1913–1930	495	31
Carew Tower		35 West 5th Street	1930–2011	574	49
Great American Tower at Queen City Square		301 East 4th Street	2011–present	665	41