Art Academy Building

When the Cincinnati Art Academy is moving downtown to Over-the-Rhine, the Eden Park building will become the property of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Click here for detail.

Suggested plans for this wonderful example of American Romanesque Architecture is to level it and build something new. To kick off this plan Greg Smith, President of the Art Academy, plans on ripping out the beautiful slate staircase, worn down by years of great Cincinnati artists. They will be turned into benches for the new building. These stairs once carried the artists of the past to the beautiful north light studios, and will now be a place for today's art students to sit their bottoms.

Mr. Smith also plans on ripping the front facade off the building and hauling it downtown as part of the big trade with the museum for the building downtown. He seems to feel that tearing apart this building will be a wonderful gift to the Alumni.

So after the building is raped architecturally, it will be the perfect time for the current museum administration and board to finish the job, and destroy it.

Coming from two institutions whose major concern ought to be art education, neither of these moves seems very educational or artistically minded.

Many consider the artist Frank Duveneck to be one of the true fathers of American painting. Much of the great work he did as a teacher of other great American artists was done in this building. It is a part of our cities history, and is in danger of disappearing forever. This building is the house that Duveneck built.

If the community stands together, we might have a chance to prevent this from happening. The Cincinnati Preservation Association suggested there be a meeting to discuss the options. The most important thing right now is to get the word out.

If anyone is interested in getting involved, please contact: richard_luschek at yahoo.com.

Opinions:
-- City Beat Letter 06/01/05 from Jason Franz, Walnut Hills
-- No Place Like Home, Margo Pierce's Article