The Phoenix, the 1893 landmark at Eighth and Race streets, is being repositioned for a new generation of weddings, galas and other events. Delightmore has signed a 10-year lease to operate the building as a downtown event venue, targeting a first-quarter 2027 opening, although no confirmed date has been set.
A New Operator for an Old Cincinnati Landmark
The operating plan calls for Delightmore to use about 27,000 square feet, according to Axios. The company plans to retain the Italian Renaissance architecture and vaulted ballroom while installing hardwood floors, removing carpet and updating restrooms. The President's Room is planned as a private dining space rather than a public restaurant or bar.
Delightmore CEO Don Vonderhaar said the company is excited to bring the Phoenix back, according to Axios. The location also places the project within a downtown area undergoing broader investment, although the venue's reopening timeline remains subject to an unconfirmed opening date.
From German Jewish Social Club to Banquet Hall
How the Phoenix compares with another Cincinnati revival
The Phoenix is part of a broader pattern of historic Cincinnati buildings being adapted for events, but the projects do not follow identical models. According to The Royce's official history, another Cincinnati historic building was restored and reimagined by Springhouse Architects as a wedding and event venue in 2024. The available plans for the Phoenix instead describe a roughly 27,000-square-foot operation preserving its Italian Renaissance features and vaulted ballroom while making specific interior changes, with an opening targeted for the first quarter of 2027. The comparison shows both the appeal of historic venues and the different preservation scopes and timelines involved.
The building's history runs deep. It originally housed the Phoenix Club, founded by Cincinnati's German Jewish community, before the Cincinnati Club took over the space, the outlet notes. It later became a restaurant and banquet venue, designed originally by noted local architect Samuel Hannaford. The Phoenix operated as an event space as recently as 2023, and its closure followed the broader pandemic shutdown that hit venues citywide.
For years, Garfield Place and Race Street experienced disinvestment even as other pockets of downtown Cincinnati saw new life. That backdrop makes the Phoenix's return notable to longtime observers of the area's ups and downs.
Couples Already Booking Before Reopening
The Phoenix's established wedding business appears to be carrying into the transition. Axios reported that three weddings had already been booked at the venue despite the lack of a confirmed reopening date.
Part of a Larger Downtown Building Boom
The Phoenix reopening arrives as Cincinnati develops its first comprehensive downtown plan in nearly 40 years, and city leaders are framing the project as one piece of a much larger picture. The Fort Washington Way caps are described as a planned project reshaping the city's urban core, while the city's convention district has seen continued redevelopment. A 700-room Marriott convention center hotel is also planned, alongside the new Fidelity Hotel downtown and a refreshed look for the First Financial Center building.
Chase Mosijowsky, vice president of the Cincinnati Downtown Residents Council, has pointed to the role of new spaces and activity in strengthening downtown's walkability and connecting the neighborhood from The Banks through Over-the-Rhine. Other historic-building conversions provide additional context: Cincinnati's Northside saw The Factory Events open in 2019 as a 5,000-plus-square-foot venue inside a historic structure, while a Kettering project described by COhatch envisions a $16.5 million, multi-phase redevelopment built around community-focused spaces. At the same time, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported that Cincinnati's historic-preservation pipeline had slowed toward the end of 2025. The Phoenix therefore joins a varied group of adaptive-reuse projects, with its own combination of a large event footprint, targeted interior updates and a 2027 opening goal.
