This year’s Best Urban Infill Project Award was presented to New Republic Architecture for the Perseverance on Vine project in Cincinnati’s historic Over-The-Rhine neighborhood.
Perseverance on Vine is a mixed use, multi-family housing project consisting of four buildings, including three historic rehabs and one new construction. Located in the Overthe-Rhine Historic District, the project brings 32 affordable housing units to the 15th Street block of Vine Street. The project transformed this Vine Street block by rehabilitating three of the eight historic buildings and infilling one of the two vacant lots. To bring Perseverance to fruition, the project used a combination of 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits through the Ohio Housing Financing Agency (OHFA), Federal Historic Tax Credits, and State Historic Preservation Tax Credits.
The renovated historic buildings preserve the historic elements and character of the classic Italianate and Greek Revival styles and introduce necessary new elements that are contemporary/minimal but compatible with the historic character of the buildings. The new infill building was designed with contemporary elements and materials, but respects the surrounding historic fabric, rhythms, and proportions of the neighborhood without creating a false narrative.