One of Cincinnati's underdog architectural icons is officially being taken down.
A University of Cincinnati spokesperson confirmed the crane crews will use to deconstruct Crosley Tower is ready, and work will begin Tuesday morning.
When crews built Crosley Tower on University of Cincinnati's Uptown campus in 1969, it was one of the largest single-pour concrete structures ever built — second behind only the Hoover Dam in the United States. And if you ask some people, that was about all it had going for it.
Critics have derided the 16-story brutalist tower for its bluntness, its austere concrete face. Architectural Digest even named it one of the nation's seven ugliest university buildings in 2017.
But the former home to science labs and classrooms also won itself a devoted cult following. UC students past and present, photographers, fans of modernist architecture and more have mourned the university's decision to tear it down. They've commemorated the building with social media accounts, memorial ceremonies and even a custom set of fonts inspired by its aesthetics.
A 'bold and unapologetic' building
Former UC student Sophie Lietz is a huge fan. She started the Crosley Tower Appreciation Club, a student group that now has more than 500 members. Though she's since graduated, Lietz says she'll have a hard time adjusting to whatever takes Crosley's place.
"I love how bold and unapologetic it is," she says. "Everyone has a polarized opinion on it. I personally love the style of architecture, how minimal it is. It's kind of like modern art."
Planners at UC say the building isn't configured in a way that will allow best use of the land it sits on. That, plus the age of its structure and foundation, precluded repurposing the building.
Crews will start at the top and remove pieces of the building piece by piece.
The deconstruction of the tower and remediation of the site is expected to cost roughly $47 million. It should be completed by February 2027, a UC spokesperson says.
UC plans to build a roughly $215 million, 200,000-square-foot STEM education facility on the site.
Read more: