Hooper Building

Hooper Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Front of the building
Location	139–151 W. 4th St., Cincinnati, Ohio
Coordinates	39°5′57″N 84°30′56″W
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1893 (1893)
Architect	Samuel Hannaford & Sons
Architectural style	Queen Anne
Part of	West Fourth Street Historic District (ID76001443)
MPS	Samuel Hannaford and Sons TR in Hamilton County
NRHP reference No.	80003058
Added to NRHP	March 3, 1980

The Hooper Building is a historic building in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Built in 1893, the 7-story structure was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford in the Queen Anne style. Located within the West Fourth Street Historic District, the building itself is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is named for William Hooper, president of the John Church Company, which was the building's first tenant. Built as a primarily commercial property, the structure was acquired by Bernstein Cos. in 2024, who announced plans to convert it into a residential building. The converted building is slated to open to residents in 2026.

Description and history

From its establishment until 1885, the John Church Company operated from premises at 66 W. 4th Street, selling musical instruments and printed music. It chose to move in 1885, and in 1893 it arranged for the construction of the present structure in the 100 block of 4th Street. The company's president was William Hooper at this time, and as such, the new building was given his name.

Built of brick on a foundation of limestone, the seven-story Hooper Building features a symmetrical facade designed in a variant of the Queen Anne style. Among its most prominent themes are its division into five bays on both the front and the western side, with the three central bays being recessed from the corners. On the top story, the normal lintels give way to an arcade decorated with limestone keystones carven in the shapes of scrolls. Masonry courses divide the building into several vertical components: the second and third stories are separated by a large beltcourse, while lintels are placed throughout the facade.

In 1976, much of West 4th Street was designated a historic district, the West Fourth Street Historic District, and added to the National Register of Historic Places. Although the district's boundaries did not include the Hooper Building, it was expanded eastward in 1979, and the Hooper was included as a contributing property in the larger district. One year later, the building was individually listed on the Register, due to its well-preserved historic architecture. Dozens of other properties in Cincinnati, including the Brittany Apartment Building, were added to the Register at the same time as part of a multiple property submission of buildings designed by Samuel Hannaford.

By 2024, the ground floor was occupied by two dining venues, though the office space in the building was mostly vacant. In May of that year, the building was purchased by Washington, D.C.-based developer Bernstein Cos., who announced plans to convert the structure into a residential building. The plan, which was projected to cost $33.6 million, called for 102 market-rate apartment units, a gym, shared working space, and 150 storage units. Hooper Building residents would also have access to the common facilities of the nearby Textile Building, which Bernstein had converted into a residential property in 2022. In exchange, Textile Building residents would have access to the storage units in the Hooper Building.

In November 2024, the Cincinnati City Council approved a 15-year tax abatement for the project. The following month, Bernstein received the full $3.35 million in tax credits that it requested from the Ohio Historic Tax Credit Program for the conversion. Bernstein was also granted $5.2 million from the federal government for historic preservation. Bernstein hired HGC Construction as general contractor and the RDA Group as architect. Bernstein filed a commencement notice for the conversion on April 28, 2025. On May 1, Cincinnati issued a permit to convert the building into a mixed-use space, and construction began later that month. The conversion is scheduled to complete by summer 2026.