Brewery District Master Plan

Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood, Cincinnati, OH

Over-the-Rhine is one of the most historic neighborhoods in the United States of America.  Originally built by the German immigrants of Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine hosts the largest collection of historic Italianate building anywhere in the USA. The 360 acre neighborhood has several distinct districts within it, including the Brewery District. 

Unlike much of Over-the-Rhine, which has smaller-scale mixed use buildings as its urban fabric, the Brewery District has many large structures.  The Brewery District’s large historic buildings include: breweries, manufacturing buildings and warehouses, large apartment buildings, some grand single family houses, and churches. The Brewery District also includes, at its core, Findlay Market – the venerable historic farmers market frequented by people from all walks of life.   

With knowledge amassed while working in Over-the-Rhine since 1992 as architect and developer, Jeff Raser led a team of designers to help the people and businesses of the Brewery District visualize strategies for redevelopment. One of Jeff’s first efforts was to author a new chapter to Cincinnati’s zoning code which allows residential uses to exist alongside manufacturing uses: the Urban Mix (UM) District. The UM District is now a part of Cincinnati’s zoning code and allows people to “live on the same block as the butcher the baker and the candlestick maker”.

The Brewery District held a public workshop, attended by over 80 people, to create a collective vision for the future development of the district. The resulting Brewery District Master Plan outlined 8 initiatives which chart key pathways toward redevelopment.  These phased initiatives include the construction of the Brewing Heritage Trail, the renovation of Liberty Street into a Complete Street, improvement of parks and recreation facilities, and the establishment of new historic districts to protect the district’s value.