Originally the epicenter of freight rail travel in the western portion of the United States, Cincinnati’s downtown riverfront area has always been central to its identity and its image. In the later portion of the 20th century – like so many other urban cores in cities around the United States – Cincinnati experienced a period of population and commercial decline.
One of the many ways Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati signaled their commitment to the revitalization of the downtown urban core was by approving the new Cincinnati Central Riverfront Master Plan in 1997. Since that time, the city's riverfront has welcomed both the new Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Cincinnati Bengals), the new Great American Ball Park (home of the Cincinnati Reds), and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
In mid-2007, Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati selected Carter and The
Dawson Company to develop the remaining 18 acres on the riverfront and to create one
of the nation’s preeminent “Live, Work, Play” destinations. To serve as a catalyst for
the economic development brought about by this approximately $800 million project, a coalition of City and County governments came together to provide funding for infrastructure improvements for the site. This consists of parking garages, street grid improvements, and related work. Referred to both locally and nationally as “The Banks,” construction began on the development in 2008.