CINCINNATI — The city is reopening all streets and sidewalks near Fountain Square more than one week after a brick fell from the Carew Tower, damaging one vehicle.
Police originally shut down the road near Carew Tower on Nov. 13 after debris fell while a construction crew worked to repair bricks near the top of the 49-story building. Officials believe the crew hit the side of the building with its scaffolding, knocking off some loose bricks.
"I heard something go boom — I thought it was a car wreck," said Dottie Lynch, who works nearby and heard the bricks falling.
Vine Street between 4th and 5th, and 5th Street between Vine and Walnut remained closed as the city said it awaited "more permanent safety measures" to be put in place.
The city said Tuesday the crews working on Carew completed the installation of additional safety measures, including sidewalk scaffolding and netting on the exterior. All streets and sidewalks in the area are reopened as of 5 p.m.
Carew Tower is one of Cincinnati’s most important buildings. Constructed over 13 months at the start of the Great Depression, it rises 570 feet above sea level and was Cincinnati’s tallest building until the Great American Tower bested it by 91 feet in 2011.
In 2022, the building was sold for $18 million to a New York-based investor. Then, in December 2022, Gov. Mike DeWine announced it would receive more than $6.4 million in Ohio development grants for cleanup and remediation of the interior.
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