Here's what the renovated Duke Energy Convention Center will officially look like

Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
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The final look of the renovated and expanded Duke Energy Convention Center has been kept under wraps since the conceptual plan was made public back in 2022. Until now.

Official renderings of the $200 million project were unveiled Tuesday at the annual meeting of Visit Cincy, the region's tourism board. The design comes from Cincinnati-based, Black-owned architecture firm, Moody Nolan, and TVS out of Atlanta.

Here's what it will look like:

Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion
Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion

The design is a slightly toned-down version of the initial conceptual vision, which featured an undulating roof. Metal cladding shaped in inverted triangles will break up glass walls spanning Fifth and Elm streets. A floor-to-ceiling corner cutout at the convention center's main entrance will allow daylight to pour into the facility's lobby.

"This accomplishes everything we wanted to do with the wave design but for literally half the budget," said Adam Gelter, vice president of real estate for Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., or 3CDC, which is helming the project. "We want it to be both attractive on the outside but also allow people on the inside to actually see the rest of the city around it."

Cincinnati sign to stay, street to close

The revamped interior, which will include new exhibit space, all-new mechanical systems and other technology upgrades, will be modern and bright with a neutral color palette of wood and white finishes.

Other highlights:

  • A rooftop deck will be added to the convention center and the former Millennium Hotel site across Elm Street will temporarily become a landscaped public park and plaza. (The project team hopes to expand the building across Elm Street.)

  • Elm Street between Fifth and Sixth streets will be permanently closed to traffic with the creation of a pedestrian walkway that links the plaza and structure.

  • The beloved LED Cincinnati sign on the western facade of the convention center will also be incorporated into the project after public outcry over its potential removal.

Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion
Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion

What's next for convention center

Gelter expects to bring the development agreement and financing plan before city council and the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners for approval in mid-February.

Construction is scheduled to begin in July and be completed by the end of 2025. Cincinnati's Messer Construction, Triversity and Jostin Construction will serve as contractors, while Hargreaves Jones will lead the landscape architecture.

Many of the convention events previously scheduled in downtown Cincinnati will relocate to the newly expanded Sharonville Convention Center, located 20 minutes from Downtown. According to Visit Cincy's president and CEO Julie Calvert, others were rebooked for 2026.

"We've lost nothing from this region as a result" of [the convention center's temporary closure], she said.

Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion
Artist's rendering from Lifang, Moody Nolan, TVS of downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Downtown Cincinnati's renovated convention center will look like this