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YO U ’ L L B E Delighted
Construction changing the face of downtown Randy Tucker Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Shane Gosney, the Green Derby Restaurant building co-owner with his brother, Dean Gosney, stands inside the main entrance at the Green Derby Restaurant building in Newport on Jan. 11. The Gosneys plan on the construction being fi nished June 1, , and the restaurant being opened July 1. The building was originally erected in 1876.
Construction projects in and around downtown Cincinnati are changing the face of the city. From new concert venues, to soaring offi ce and apartment towers – even a new big-screen TV in the heart of Downtown – the city’s urban core is undergoing an HGTV-style makeover intended to help restore the area to its former glory. The transformation, which is part of long-range development plans on both sides of the Ohio River, will also help attract more businesses and residents to the area, experts say. Some of the most signifi cant projects announced over the past two years have already been fi nished or are nearing completion and expected to open by the end of the year. Here’s what you’ll see:
ALBERT CESARE / THE ENQUIRER
What’s next for the Green Derby space in Newport? Chris Varias Special to Cincinnati Enquirer
The Ovation site will house a new indoor/outdoor music venue, a hotel with a rooftop bar and an office building. KAREEM ELGAZZAR/THE ENQUIRER
USA TODAY NETWORK
A new restaurant is opening this year in a space that was once home to a landmark Newport eatery. Whether a fi sh sandwich will be on the menu is to be determined. Brothers Dean and Shane Gosney own 846 York St., the former address of the Green Derby, a restaurant that had a 70-year run in Newport serving its famous fi sh sandwich among other American fare. The Gosneys are giving the building a full renovation. They said they have found an operator, and the business is expected to open in July. “The reason we bought it was the history of the building,” Dean said. “But we’re not restaurant people. We’re building people.” The original two-story building, located on the northwest corner of Ninth and York streets, is 1,300 square feet on each fl oor. The main dining area will be on the fi rst fl oor, with a dining room on the second available for private events. Coming down is the single-story addition along Ninth Street, to the rear of the building. Going up in its place is a 1,400square-foot addition for a kitchen, as well as a patio with an outdoor bar. As part of the renovation, the Gosneys removed formstone, likely installed in the 1950s, from the facade, revealing the original brick construction, as well as a hand-painted “Green Derby” sign on the front of the building, likely dating back to the 1947 opening. It is that sort of historical detail that the Gosneys want to preserve and highlight, even if the new restaurant is not named the Green Derby. “Is it going to be the Green Derby? Probably not,” said Dean. “Because the Green Derby becomes the building and the location, not the restaurant. That building will become the Green Derby and stay the Green Derby. There’s not anyone over the age of 50
The Ovation Pavilion
years old in Northern Kentucky that doesn’t know the name the Green Derby. That name recognition carries a lot of weight.” The Green Derby closed in 2018, and its business and quality were in decline in its last few years. But before that, it was a destination. Buicks and Cadillacs would fi ll the Green Derby’s parking lot on Fridays during Lent, when a faithful clientele would roll in for a fi sh sandwich. Mike Brown was a Green Derby diner and could be spotted at a table at lunch on a weekday, taking a break from Cincinnati Bengals business. The Gosneys believe that several factors will immediately bring customers to the new restaurant: the revitalization of York Street specifi cally and Newport in general; the completion of the new 7,000-seat music venue, located a few blocks north on Route 8; and the Green Derby’s legacy.
Across the Ohio River in Newport, another concert venue is nearing completion and will be ready to open April 1, according to Columbus-based PromoWest, which will promote concerts there. The building is essentially fi nished, except for the installation of lighting, sound and other equipment, which will take place over the next several months, PromoWest said. The venue will host concerts for 2,800 indoors, and 7,000 outdoors. It’s part of a $45 million, 25-acre mixed-use development that will eventually include 900 residential units, a variety of restaurants and retail shops, offi ces and a hotel. Covington-based Corporex Cos., the master developer for Ovation, is currently in the fi nal stages of design and development for a Homewood Suites hotel with rooftop bar and an offi ce building which will both be built on top of the 550-car parking garage next to the concert venue. Another garage stretching from the concert venue north to the levee will serve as a platform for future development. Corporex will soon begin construction of a $9 million retaining wall at the foot of the
See DERBY, Page 2A
See PROJECTS, Page 8A
Dean Gosney, the Green Derby Restaurant building co-ownery, stands outside the main entrance in Newport.
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