Crosley Building & Camp Washington's Industrial Arts District

The Crosley Building is a nine-story, roughly 330,000-square-foot landmark in Camp Washington that has sat empty for over a decade, and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority now owns it with a new plan to bring the whole area back to life. Here's the twist: they are not fixing the building first. Instead, they want to build an industrial arts district in the blocks around it, then go after the giant, expensive Crosley Building redevelopment later.

We're the Baron Group, the number one large real estate team in Cincinnati, and we've helped sell over a thousand homes across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. When a plan like this hits, we pay attention, because it directly affects our market. This is one of those Cincinnati landmarks everybody knows and nobody's been able to crack.

In this breakdown, we'll cover what the Port actually is, the real history and numbers behind the Crosley Building, what an industrial arts district even means, why Camp Washington was the pick, and our honest read on whether it happens this time.

What Is the Port's Plan for the Crosley Building?

The Port's plan is to build an industrial arts district in the blocks around the Crosley Building first, and save the massive building itself for last. That's the whole strategy, and it's a real flip from how these things usually go.

For years, the assumption was simple. You fix the giant building first, then everything grows around it. The Port has now flipped that completely. Instead of starting with Crosley, they want jobs, housing, and places for locals and visitors to actually go in the surrounding blocks. Build the energy, build a sense of place, and then chase the hardest, most expensive piece at the end.

First, a name check, because it trips people up. When you hear "the Port," you might picture a project or something down on the river. It is neither. The Port is the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, a public agency whose job is taking old, underused industrial real estate and turning it into jobs and housing. They also run the Hamilton County Landbank. And they already own the Crosley Building.

They're working with a firm called MSA Design on it. The team has mapped out development opportunities in the blocks roughly between Arlington and Spring Grove, and Monmouth and Colerain. Early renderings show outdoor seating, landscaping, and street life the neighborhood doesn't quite have yet.

Where does it stand today? Early but moving. MSA Design is building the cost estimate, the Port is working out a phasing schedule, and the concept could go before a Cincinnati City Council committee in the coming months. As Lindsey Florea, one of the Port's senior real estate leaders, put it, they know Crosley is not what comes first, and it makes more sense to build a sense of place and bring people into the neighborhood. As a real estate read, that's smart. You don't lead with your most expensive problem. If you want the bigger picture, we broke down the biggest projects reshaping the city in The Future of Cincinnati: 10 Massive Projects Reshaping the City.

What Is the Crosley Building, and Why Has It Sat Empty?

The Crosley Building is a roughly 330,000-square-foot, nine-story building that went up in 1929 and has been abandoned since about 2009. It was condemned by the city in 2012 and sits on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons, the architecture name behind a long list of Cincinnati landmarks. And here's the part we love: this is where they built Crosley radios, then refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves. The top floor was home to WLW Radio, billed at the time as the most powerful radio station in America. You've probably driven past this thing a thousand times, and that top floor used to blast a signal you could pick up states away.

Then the story turns. Manufacturing wound down around 1960, and by 2009 the building was completely empty. The city condemned it in 2012. Being on the National Register is a fancy way of saying it's historically important and a genuine headache to redevelop. So you've got nine stories of Cincinnati history, gorgeous, and it's just been sitting there for more than a decade. Once you understand how big and how complicated this building is, the "go slow" strategy starts to make a lot more sense.

How Much Will the Crosley Building Redevelopment Cost?

Fully redeveloping the Crosley Building is now estimated at $90 to $100 million, and right now there is no private money behind that number. That's the mountain the Port is saving for later.

Here's how the money has moved so far. In January 2024, the Port's board voted unanimously to buy the building for $2.6 million using city and county funds. Since then, they've landed a $2.4 million Ohio Brownfield grant to deal with the nasty stuff: the asbestos, the lead paint, all of it. But to actually finish Crosley, somebody has to bring $90 to $100 million in private investment.

So in the near term, the Port is not renovating it. They're doing what they call securing the shell. They're stabilizing the failing roof, keeping the building standing, and making it the centerpiece of the neighborhood while they chase the money to do the big job later. It's a patient approach, and given the price tag, a realistic one. For a wider look at what's actually getting built around town, we covered The Future is Here: Cincinnati's Top New Developments Revealed!.

Why Did the Port Choose Camp Washington?

The Port chose Camp Washington because the neighborhood already has momentum you can walk up and touch. This plan works because it's amplifying energy that's already there, not trying to create it from nothing.

Start with the American Sign Museum. This is not some sleepy little attraction. They just put $5.5 million into a 20,000-square-foot expansion, reopened in the summer of 2024, and now show off more than 800 signs. That's real money betting on this neighborhood right now.

Then there's Camp Washington Chili, open since 1940 and a James Beard America's Classics winner. If you're from here, you already know it. If you're not, it's a genuine Cincinnati institution that's been anchoring this neighborhood for over 80 years.

And it keeps going. There's Wave Pool, an experimental art gallery in an old firehouse. Walk a little further and you hit a sculpture park and the Camp Washington Urban Farm on a couple of acres. Then there's Mom 'n 'em Coffee, which a lot of people point to as the moment this neighborhood started turning. And just recently, the neighborhood opened Cincinnati's first full-scale public skate park, complete with a concrete bowl and a cheese coney-shaped ramp, because that's the only way to do it. Add it all up, and this is a real, slightly weird, working arts community. You go to Camp Washington on purpose.

The first likely piece is an empty lot right behind the American Sign Museum. The Port wants to turn it into a modern maker space, broken into flexible units of different sizes. You could rent a small spot as a one-person operation or a bigger bay as you grow. Here's the clever part: it's built almost like a ladder. You start small in the district, your business grows, and you can graduate into bigger space, and eventually maybe into the fully redeveloped Crosley Building itself. The district becomes the on-ramp, and Crosley could become the destination. That's a smart way to build demand before you drop $100 million on the anchor.

So what kind of tenants are we talking about? Picture neon and sign fabricators, furniture makers, a distillery, a coffee roaster, even robotic shops and film and TV production. Imagine walking a single block lined with all of that. That's the pitch.

We have to be straight with you, though, because honesty matters here. It is early. There is no cost estimate for the district yet, no named anchor tenant, and no groundbreaking date. You may hear a jobs number floating around, but nobody has attached real jobs figures to this specific arts district concept yet. We're not going to sell you a number that isn't tied to this plan.

Where Is Camp Washington, and Is the Location Any Good?

Camp Washington is in Cincinnati's urban core, about three miles north of downtown, right along Mill Creek off I-75. The location is one of the most underrated things about the whole plan.

From here, it's just under 10 minutes to downtown, under 10 minutes to Over-the-Rhine and Findlay Market, about seven minutes to UC and the uptown hospitals, and only roughly 25 minutes to the airport. That's the off-peak read, so budget a little extra at rush hour, but this spot is genuinely minutes from everything in every direction.

That kind of access is a big deal for a maker district. Small manufacturers and creative businesses need to move people and product easily, and Camp Washington sits right on the highway with the whole city a short drive away. The neighborhood right next door, Northside, has the same industrial-meets-artsy energy, and we did a whole breakdown on it in Is Northside ACTUALLY Cincinnati's Most Fascinating Neighborhood?.

Will the Crosley Building Plan Actually Happen This Time?

Our honest read: we're cautiously optimistic, but this is a real "believe it when you see it" situation. This is at least the third big vision for the Crosley site, so the skepticism is completely earned.

Let's give the skeptic case first, because it's fair. There was a housing plan. There was an artist's enclave plan, a couple hundred apartments, that fell apart. Now this. The funding is the real question. There's no district cost estimate yet, and Crosley's own $90 to $100 million redevelopment has no money behind it. There's also a structural problem: Ohio has a rule that blocks stacking federal historic tax credits with low-income housing tax credits, and that obstacle helped kill the last plan. It hasn't gone away. And there's the gentrification tension. Branding a neighborhood as an arts district can drive up rents on the exact artists and makers you're celebrating. Anyone who loves Camp Washington should keep an eye on that.

But here's why we're not writing it off. The Port is not a group of dreamers with a pretty rendering. They took over the old Cincinnati Gardens site in Bond Hill, cleaned it up, and built a working advanced manufacturing facility on it. They turn dead industrial land into real buildings for a living. Starting around Crosley instead of with it isn't a dodge. It could be the smart move: seed the district, prove people want to be there, then go after the $100 million building from strength instead of desperation. So where do we land? Cautiously optimistic. A lot of Cincinnati has been quietly pulling for this building, and we want this one to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Crosley Building in Cincinnati?

The Crosley Building is a nine-story, roughly 330,000-square-foot historic building in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati. Built in 1929 and designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons, it once produced Crosley radios and appliances and housed WLW Radio. It has been vacant for over a decade and was condemned by the city in 2012.

Who owns the Crosley Building now?

The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, a public agency often called "the Port," owns the Crosley Building. Its board voted in January 2024 to buy it for $2.6 million using city and county funds. The Port focuses on turning old industrial real estate into jobs and housing.

What is the plan for the Crosley Building redevelopment?

The Port plans to build an industrial arts district in the blocks around the Crosley Building first, then redevelop the building itself later. In the near term, they are stabilizing the structure, sometimes called "securing the shell," rather than renovating it. Full redevelopment of the building is estimated at $90 to $100 million and would require private investment.

How much will it cost to redevelop the Crosley Building?

Fully redeveloping the Crosley Building is estimated at $90 to $100 million, and there is currently no private funding secured for that work. The Port bought the building for $2.6 million and later landed a $2.4 million Ohio Brownfield grant to handle asbestos and lead paint. The larger redevelopment cost is still an open question.

What is an industrial arts district?

An industrial arts district is a cluster of small manufacturers, creative businesses, and artists who build physical things. In Camp Washington, the idea is to combine the neighborhood's manufacturing history with its growing art scene. The first likely piece is a flexible maker space with rentable units of different sizes behind the American Sign Museum.

Where is Camp Washington in Cincinnati?

Camp Washington is a neighborhood in Cincinnati's urban core, about three miles north of downtown along Mill Creek off Interstate 75. It sits under 10 minutes from downtown and Over-the-Rhine, about seven minutes from the University of Cincinnati and uptown hospitals, and roughly 25 minutes from the airport off-peak. It borders the Northside neighborhood.

Is Camp Washington a good neighborhood to visit?

Camp Washington has become a genuine draw thanks to a growing arts and food scene. Highlights include the American Sign Museum with more than 800 signs, Camp Washington Chili open since 1940, the Wave Pool art gallery, an urban farm, Mom 'n 'em Coffee, and Cincinnati's first full-scale public skate park. It's a working, creative community you can visit on purpose.

Will the Crosley Building plan actually happen this time?

It is genuinely uncertain, since this is at least the third major vision for the site and earlier plans stalled. There is no district cost estimate yet and no private money secured for the $90 to $100 million building redevelopment. That said, the Port has a real track record, including redeveloping the old Cincinnati Gardens site in Bond Hill into an advanced manufacturing facility.

The Bottom Line on Camp Washington's Industrial Arts District

The short version: the Port owns the Crosley Building, and instead of leading with a $100 million renovation, it wants to build an industrial arts district around it first and let the momentum in Camp Washington carry the anchor over the finish line. It's a patient bet on a neighborhood that's already moving.

Whether or not Crosley gets its second life, this is exactly the kind of project that tells you where Cincinnati is investing in itself next. As Cincinnati's number one large real estate team, we watch this stuff closely, because it shapes the market our clients are buying and selling in. If you're thinking about making a move in Greater Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, reach out to the Baron Group, explore more of our neighborhood breakdowns on our website, or watch the full video for the complete story.