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Volume 1, No. 7. May 4, 2001

Surviving the riots

The building was fated for Bruce D. Robinson Architecture· Design to occupy. Even a riot couldn’t dislodge that destiny.

Bruce D. Robinson, who specializes in theme park and entertainment design, had rented space in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 10 years. When road construction rerouted Robinson’s normal drive to work he started passing a 1919 former car dealership at 28 Central Parkway West. Finally, the architect said, "I’ve got to have it."

He asked a realtor to set up a tour of the building, and though the owner didn’t want to sell, he agreed to field an offer. Circumstances led to the owner’s changing his mind, and on March 30 Robinson moved his firm into the second floor of the building with an eye to leasing out the ground floor. "It was like it was meant to be," he said.

Then civil unrest shook the city, a four-day rage centered on the Over-the-Rhine district. "This building was the epicenter of the riots," Robinson said. "There is a park a block north where the crowds gathered, then they came down to our corner. One night lines of police on horseback were positioned on our corner."

Amazingly, the building suffered no damage. "I’m not sure why," Robinson said. "We were incredibly lucky, I guess." With most of the disturbances erupting in the evenings, his employees left early when the neighborhood atmosphere heated up. Robinson was with his elementary school teacher wife on spring break in Key West at the time of the riots. "I was on the cell phone a lot, but not in the middle of (the riots). I was nervous."

Nevertheless, he is committed to keeping his new professional home. "I don’t think the neighborhood is at its highest point yet. The best is still to come."

For a description of the firm’s historic new premises, see the current issue of Amusement Today.

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