One of the city’s largest redevelopment projects finally opened its doors after a decade in the making. The Fidelity Hotel, located in the historic Gwynne Building Downtown at the corner of Sixth and Main streets, is now open for business.
“For more than a century, this building has stood as a part of Cincinnati’s skyline,” Visit Cincy interim CEO and meetNKY CEO Julie Kirkpatrick said at the event. “It represents the ambition, the craftsmanship, and the entrepreneurial spirit that’s helped shape our region. Every guest that walks through these doors will experience more than a beautiful hotel. They will experience a piece of Cincinnati’s story. They will stay in a building that reflects our city’s character: historic, authentic, resilient and always evolving.”
The Gwynne Building, a 14-story Beaux-Arts structure recognized as a U.S. Historic Landmark, was constructed in 1913. It was named for Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt, who served as the matriarch of one of America’s most famous families for 60 years. Known for its extensive use of steel, limestone and concrete in its structure, the building was once home to the headquarters of Procter & Gamble.
Now, the Gwynne Building, located at 602 Main St., has transformed into something wholly new thanks to an adaptive reuse campaign to the tune of $81 million from Denver-based owners NuovoRE and the Texas-based hotel development firm New Waterloo, which manages and operates the hotel. The Fidelity Hotel Cincinnati still maintains the building’s famed exterior and focus on metal-based structure, but now features 165 rooms, two restaurants and more sprouting out from the hotel’s spectacular arched hallway.
“Our goal from day one was to create a space of design and culture and community come together, a place that feels timeless, energetic, and completely rooted in the spirit of this city,” said General Manager Michael Dunbar. “The building has been reimagined as … an energetic social hub designed to connect locals and travelers. Whether you’re having coffee at Cora’s, or dining at Gwynn, or having a cocktail at the lobby bar, this space was built for you, our local community.”
Cora’s Cafe inside the hotel will be an all-day neighborhood hub, presenting fresh coffee, pastries and lunch offerings before shifting to a cocktail joint in the afternoon, while Gwynne is a fine-dining New American spot with a focus on fresh ingredients. Both restaurants are led by renowned local chef Brad Bernstein; you can read CityBeat‘s prior report on the hotel’s star-studded food program by clicking here.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, New Waterloo CEO Bart Knaggs told the crowd that his very first visit to Cincinnati sold him on the city’s endless possibilities—and jokingly noted he’s become a Graeter’s addict, which “cost him five pounds.”
“For us, this has just been a labor of love for a short 10 years or so,” he said, laughing. “Adaptive reuse is not easy. We like to do the hard things. We believe in the value of restoring special places … It was hard to bring this building back to life. It took a lot of very, very special people working who are really, really dedicated to the craft, and I hope you’ll have the same experience I had walking in.”
With more than $2 billion being invested in visitor-facing infrastructure right now — including Paycor Stadium, the Cincinnati Marriott Downtown, and the First Financial Center and its adjoining parking garage — the opening of the Fidelity Hotel comes at “a really pivotal moment for our region,” Kirkpatrick said.
“Anything that’s adaptive re-use, I’m going to be a sucker for. This building is part of our history, and I love taking our history and turning it into our future,” Kirkpatrick told CityBeat. “To have this elevated hotel experience in the heart of our urban core just complements everything that’s going on in this region right now. It’s another breadcrumb we’re laying out in the national story for why people need to take a new look at Cincinnati.”
Kirkpatrick praised the hotel’s “careful, thoughtful touches” on preserving the Gwynne Building’s look and feel, and made sure to draw special attention to the hotel’s culinary program, which she says is part of the reason the hotel will draw in “elevated visitors.”
“This will be a luxury touch point for our arts crowd, our culinary crowd, even our sports crowd that want an elevated experience when they’re staying in the market. We have a couple of what I would call luxury properties, but this one is a whole new game,” she said. “And our culinary scene is absolutely amazing. So to have a phenomenal, very new and thoughtful restaurant anchoring this hotel, it’s just another item on the menu for why you need to order up Cincy.”
For more information on the Fidelity Hotel Cincinnati, including reservations for Gwynne, visit the hotel’s official website.
