Cincinnati’s convention center has a new name to match its new look.
The convention center on Elm Street in downtown Cincinnati will now be known as the First Financial Center, named after First Financial Bank—which has its headquarters just a few steps away at Fountain Square.
The building was formerly known as the Duke Energy Center before it was remodeled.
After a remodel that took 18 months and cost the city over $250 million, the center just reopened on Jan. 7. Major additions to the building include a 6,000 square foot rooftop deck, a complete redesign of the building’s entrance, and 7,500 square feet of space added to the center’s main hall.
First Financial purchased the naming rights to the building from the city of Cincinnati for an undisclosed amount and will hold the rights for the next 15 years.
Those funds will help the city pay for the new hotel that will soon be built next to the convention center as part of an attempt to rejuvenate business in downtown Cincinnati. Previously, the Millennium Hotel was next to the convention center; it was closed in 2019 and demolished in 2021.