EACC Young Professionals Happy Hour & Walking Tour: Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza

Description

Young Professionals in the Greater Cincinnati region are invitied to join the EACC Young Professionals Group for a networking happy hour at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza on Thursday, October 11 from 5:30-7:30 PM. The happy hour will take place in the bar area located in the Palm Court. Attendees are also invited to take a walking tour of the the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, which will take place at 6:45 PM.  Space is limited. Registration will close once the event has reached capcity or at noon on Monday, October 8.

About the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza:
The plans for the Carew Tower and Netherland Plaza Hotel were announced in August 1929. The foundation began in January 1930 and the project was completed in January 1931. The financing came from the Emery family, which made its fortune in processing the by-products of Cincinnati's stockyards. John Emery hired Walter A. Ahlschlager and Colonel William Starrett of Starett Brothers, Inc. of New York for the construction. Startett was well known as the builder of Washington D.C.'s Union Station and Linclon Memorial, and New York City's Empire State Building and Penn Station. Ahlschlager designed the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee and the Medinah Athletic Club in Chicago, which later became the Intercontinental Hotel.

The Carew Tower and Netherland Plaza Hotel were designed to be to a "city within a city." The concept was new in 1923, but Emery, Ahlschlager and Cincinnati were willing to gamble that this combination of shops, department stores, offices and hotel would work, easing the life of downtown residents, workers and visitors. 

Emery's vision of the Carew Tower led him to make some bold financial moves - which ended up working in his favor. Emery approached the bank to underwrite financing for the new "city within a city" project. Because the concept was so novel, the bank did not share the vision of the multipurpose facility and declined the loan. Emery, convinced his project would be a success, sold his stocks and securities, despite advice from his financial advisors. The plans and the financing for the Carew Tower were in place and then the stock market crashed. Had Emery left his stocks and securities tied up in the stock market, he would have lost everything.  But instead, with this money going toward the building of Carew Tower, the project could continue as planned. In fact, the construction project became one the city's largest employers, giving many men jobs during the dark era after the market's crash.

When the hotel opened in January 1931, it boasted the very latest in technology and comfort. The 800 guestrooms featured ultra-modern baths, high-speed automatic elevators and a garage that used an automated system that parked cars electronically - without anyone dirving the car!

The Netherland Plaza's famous guests have included: Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bing Crosby, John and Jackie Kennedy. 

While the Hilton Cincinnati Nethlerland Plaza has been renovated to show off its 1930s grandeur, it continues to move into the future. The hotel now offers all the modern conveniences and amenities that one would find in a new hotel, but with all the charm and atmosphere of one of the world's grandest hotels.

*Information provided by the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza