Xavier Square

[_LH]

I drove past campus this past weekend and see that the Xavier Square project is underway with the Woods gone and construction equipment working to clear the area. This is an exciting time for XU grads and students as we may never see a commercial influence like this so close to the university as well as Cintas again in our life times.

I now only head back to campus for basketball games but it has not been too long since I was a student living on a somewhat dead campus and I remember the places we had to visit to accomplish the daily chores Xavier Square will not provide to students.

Trips to the grocery store were an event. Finding a barber or a late night fast food place also was not an easy task.

I have not heard what Xavier and Corporex have planned for the retail part of Xavier Square so I thought I would see what everyone on here would like to see in an ideal world.

For me:

Small grocery store, IGA maybe
Skyline
Irish Pub
Dewy's Pizza
Men and women's hair barber/salon
Blockbuster
sports bar
electronic store
cell phone store

[Muskie]

I drove past campus this past weekend and see that the Xavier Square project is underway with the Woods gone and construction equipment working to clear the area. This is an exciting time for XU grads and students as we may never see a commercial influence like this so close to the university as well as Cintas again in our life times.

I now only head back to campus for basketball games but it has not been too long since I was a student living on a somewhat dead campus and I remember the places we had to visit to accomplish the daily chores Xavier Square will not provide to students.

Trips to the grocery store were an event. Finding a barber or a late night fast food place also was not an easy task.

I have not heard what Xavier and Corporex have planned for the retail part of Xavier Square so I thought I would see what everyone on here would like to see in an ideal world.

For me:

Small grocery store, IGA maybe
Skyline
Irish Pub
Dewy's Pizza
Men and women's hair barber/salon
Blockbuster
sports bar
electronic store
cell phone store

Some of the things they're moving closer would have meant the lost of some of my best college memories if they existed in my time at X. Whether it was a late night trip to the fast food on Ridge Road, the party source or Gentlemen Jim's to by adult beverages, or Hyde Park for groceries (when you didn't want to deal with the Norwood supermarket).

It's great that X is doing these things, I just worry that with all of this new stuff, that X might lose some of what makes (made) it very special to me. I suppose all alum go through this though no matte the school.

[boozehound]

Some of the things they're moving closer would have meant the lost of some of my best college memories if they existed in my time at X. Whether it was a late night trip to the fast food on Ridge Road, the party source or Gentlemen Jim's to by adult beverages, or Hyde Park for groceries (when you didn't want to deal with the Norwood supermarket).

It's great that X is doing these things, I just worry that with all of this new stuff, that X might lose some of what makes (made) it very special to me. I suppose all alum go through this though no matte the school.

I know a few people who got DUI's on those late-night fast food runs. It would be good to have some kind of late night food within walking distance.

It would be very good for younger students to have some kind of a grocery store that isn't a complete slum close by as well.

[_LH]

I forgot to list Graeters and I would like them to have a Bogart type place nearby campus as well.

[Smooth]

I was always too scared to go to ??Tony the Barber?? (too many question marks on the sign) but having a haircut interrupted three times so Brill could take bets was one of my favorite Xavier experiences. So was going through Hardee's drive-thru in reverse at 3 AM. How did we not get a DUI that night? And who can forget the thrill of discovering the one isle in Theftway that did not have either a camera or a two-way mirror. And then there was Record Theater with the conveyor belt you dropped the cassettes on, some kind of anti-theft thing. And who needs Dewey's when you have the Down Under and $6 large Domino's?

Damn I'm getting old.

[Juice]

The Kroger's at Surrey Square has been torn down and they are building a new one right next to it.

[Muskie]

I was always too scared to go to ??Tony the Barber?? (too many question marks on the sign) but having a haircut interrupted three times so Brill could take bets was one of my favorite Xavier experiences. So was going through Hardee's drive-thru in reverse at 3 AM. How did we not get a DUI that night? And who can forget the thrill of discovering the one isle in Theftway that did not have either a camera or a two-way mirror. And then there was Record Theater with the conveyor belt you dropped the cassettes on, some kind of anti-theft thing. And who needs Dewey's when you have the Down Under and $6 large Domino's?

Damn I'm getting old.

Smooth.. .i was always skeptical about the "the barber". I usually ended up waiting till i went home for a weekend or would sneak back to Indy (on the way to Purdue or IU to see friends) to get a haircut.

[_LH]

Juice,

You are correct about the Krogers but it is hardly walking distance from the dorms. That is why I suggested a smaller grocery store like an IGA.

[pickledpigsfeet]

I was always too scared to go to ??Tony the Barber?? (too many question marks on the sign) but having a haircut interrupted three times so Brill could take bets was one of my favorite Xavier experiences.

I was in Brill's one day and there was a full waiting room of people. Some of them were just hanging out but the rest of us were there to get a hair cut (if you can call it that with the clippers hooked up to the vacuum, really just a semi-professional version of the Flobee). Anyways, one of those waiting was this black guy and he had apparently been waiting for a while, and likely had been skipped at least once. When Brill called on another patron to come up next, the black guy stood up and said, "Um, I believe that I was next", to which Brill responded with "I don't cut your kind here, you should go down the street to Curtis'". The black guy left without saying another word and there was an uncomfortable feeling in the place.

I never went back to Brill again. Not only did I feel it was wrong with what he did but on top of it, he made the guy wait for what was likely an hour before telling him when he at least could have told him when he walked in.

From then on, I went to the other barber down the street on Montgomery closer to X than Brills but on the same side of the street and was operated by a woman with redish hair. Its name escapes me but I know that Hair Club President used to tip her an extra buck when she rubbed her boobs on the back of his head more than usual.

[Kahns Krazy]

Considering X's population is only in the thousands, and many of them are on campus meal plans, there's no way there is support for a grocery store. A glorified convenience store maybe, but nothing bigger. I also believe there is a student run on-campus video rental. Dewey's is in Oakley, so I doubt they'd put another shop so close, though some decent, non-chain pizza would be high on my list, as long as they could make it affordable for college students.

Skyline sounds like a great idea. Where is the nearest skyline currently?

I'd like to see Ryan's get a larger, better laid out location.

[The Artist]

Considering X's population is only in the thousands, and many of them are on campus meal plans, there's no way there is support for a grocery store. A glorified convenience store maybe, but nothing bigger. I also believe there is a student run on-campus video rental. Dewey's is in Oakley, so I doubt they'd put another shop so close, though some decent, non-chain pizza would be high on my list, as long as they could make it affordable for college students.

Skyline sounds like a great idea. Where is the nearest skyline currently?

I'd like to see Ryan's get a larger, better laid out location.

There's a skyline right down in surrey square...so I don't see it happening. The only thing that MUST be in there is some sort of food place that stays open until 4 AM. Such a restaurant would make a KILLING. I know I would have stopped there 2-3/week when in school. It could even be ridiculously overpriced and nobody would ever realize it/care.

[_LH]

There certainly does not need to be a Kroger size grocery store but an IGA sized one would be nice for those in the Village and house on Cleneay, etc. The Skyline in Norwood is hardly a haunt for those before or after an XU game so it makes sense to have one on Xavier Square and it needs to be open as late as the one on UC' campus.

The plan right now is to have a brand new Sports Center in Xavier Square. Does anyone know what will become of the former Sports Center when that happens? What about the field house, does it get used for anything since Cintas was built? Maybe they plan on building a 75,000 seat football stadium there so the football team has a brand new field for XU's move to the ACC.

[boozehound]

There's a skyline right down in surrey square...so I don't see it happening. The only thing that MUST be in there is some sort of food place that stays open until 4 AM. Such a restaurant would make a KILLING. I know I would have stopped there 2-3/week when in school. It could even be ridiculously overpriced and nobody would ever realize it/care.

24 hour White Castle on or adjacent to campus. They would absolutely rake it in.

[XU05and07]

24 hour White Castle on or adjacent to campus. They would absolutely rake it in.

White Castle blows...PRC needs to move to campus...but then it would need to be renamed NWC

[Kahns Krazy]

The artist's rendering of the project (corporex's artist, not our resident scalper) don't exactly look like there's a spot for a white castle.

[STL_XUfan]

Open up a Denny's or another 24 hour breakfast place and you would clean up at Xavier.

[flatspat]

Kroger at Surrey Square is not being torn down. It is open and they are adding to it to make it a superstore. A Cici's Pizza is being built next to Kroger and will be opening soon.

[The Artist]

Kroger at Surrey Square is not being torn down. It is open and they are adding to it to make it a superstore. A Cici's Pizza is being built next to Kroger and will be opening soon.

Oh no, Cici's is aweful. However, I could see it absolutely thriving in Norwood.

[_LH]

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/11/05/daily8.html

Some say Chipotle's will be going in the new area.

You have to think with the Keystone Park on Dana, the new Surrey Square in Norwood along with the Rookwood areas that Corporex will have their work cut out for them trying to fill retail and office space at Xavier Square.

Since the ever failing mall that was once Forest Fair Mall is again struggling to survive, maybe the Old Spaghetti Factory would consider moving to Xavier Square. I would like to see them at the Banks but that project probably won't be completed in my life time.

[Jumpy]

24 hour White Castle on or adjacent to campus. They would absolutely rake it in.

http://i.pbase.com/u34/gurlafraid/upload/34729144.carterlookinstoned.jpg






Yo quiero Taco Bell!

[bourbonman]

24 hour White Castle on or adjacent to campus. They would absolutely rake it in.

Used to get a sack walking back from Dana's to the dorms. Usually finished 8 or 9, which left a few for in the morning. Lost something when they tore it down IMO.

[yougotdbagged]

Oh no, Cici's is aweful. However, I could see it absolutely thriving in Norwood.

When I was in school, a friend and I would drive to Finneytown for a cheap meal at Cici's that served as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We always joked about opening one in Norwood because between the rednecks and the students it would rake in some money. Guess someone else thought the same...

[xubrew]

Some of the things they're moving closer would have meant the lost of some of my best college memories if they existed in my time at X. Whether it was a late night trip to the fast food on Ridge Road, the party source or Gentlemen Jim's to by adult beverages, or Hyde Park for groceries (when you didn't want to deal with the Norwood supermarket).

It's great that X is doing these things, I just worry that with all of this new stuff, that X might lose some of what makes (made) it very special to me. I suppose all alum go through this though no matte the school.

i know what you're saying, but i wouldn't worry too much. there is a bar within walking distance of where i live that i love, but i'm not in there every night. just because xavier village will have all that stuff doesn't mean students won't venture out and go elsewhere. no one wants the same thing every single night. they'll still find and love PRC or quatman's or ramundos at 3am or any number of things. those are some of my greatest memories as well.

denny's pretty much left town altogether. there used to be a perkins pretty close to xavier that we used to love to go to, but it packed up shop and left as well. i could never figure out why because they always seemed so busy. it was on madison road in that plaza right across from rookwood. i believe there is a fried chicken place called the hitching post there now. it's pretty good from what i understand, but not open 24-7. we quickly got over perkins closing. we discovered PRC. that was great because we'd never heard of the place. a cop actually pulled us over for not signalling, asked us what we were doing, and then told us to go to PRC when we told him we were looking for a late night snack. pretty soon all of our friends were hitting it up on a regular basis. i remember being kind of pissed that we were pulled over for a bogus reason, but he let us go and turned us on to PRC. i should be, and am, greatful.

i guess what i'm saying is xavier square won't stop the exploration element that comes with being a xavier student (or a college student in general for that matter).

[Fan4XU]

What is PRC?

[XU05and07]

What is PRC?

Pleasant Ridge Chili...the greatest Gravy Cheese Fries in the land

[cheeba]

I once had a gun pulled on my as I was walking out of PRC late one night. Someone was getting out of his car in the PRC parking lot as this was going on and he pulled a gun from his glovebox in my defense and told me to get the heck out of there but not in those exact words. I about pissed my pants, ran to my car and flew out of the parking lot not looking back to see what was happening.

[Muskie]

i know what you're saying, but i wouldn't worry too much. there is a bar within walking distance of where i live that i love, but i'm not in there every night. just because xavier village will have all that stuff doesn't mean students won't venture out and go elsewhere. no one wants the same thing every single night. they'll still find and love PRC or quatman's or ramundos at 3am or any number of things. those are some of my greatest memories as well.

denny's pretty much left town altogether. there used to be a perkins pretty close to xavier that we used to love to go to, but it packed up shop and left as well. i could never figure out why because they always seemed so busy. it was on madison road in that plaza right across from rookwood. i believe there is a fried chicken place called the hitching post there now. it's pretty good from what i understand, but not open 24-7. we quickly got over perkins closing. we discovered PRC. that was great because we'd never heard of the place. a cop actually pulled us over for not signalling, asked us what we were doing, and then told us to go to PRC when we told him we were looking for a late night snack. pretty soon all of our friends were hitting it up on a regular basis. i remember being kind of pissed that we were pulled over for a bogus reason, but he let us go and turned us on to PRC. i should be, and am, greatful.

i guess what i'm saying is xavier square won't stop the exploration element that comes with being a xavier student (or a college student in general for that matter).

I think the Perkins closed due to mismanagement. (Ie the management team was skimming money). That's the only reason fathomable. That place was packed virtually every time i went there (which was many times).

[Kahns Krazy]

there used to be a perkins pretty close to xavier that we used to love to go to, but it packed up shop and left as well. i could never figure out why because they always seemed so busy. it was on madison road in that plaza right across from rookwood. i believe there is a fried chicken place called the hitching post there now. it's pretty good from what i understand, but not open 24-7.

First of all, you're a grown ass man, find your shift key.

Now that I got that out of the way... The Hitching Post has always been there. (Well, not always, but it was there when Perkins was there). The old Perkins is now Bonefish.

I miss that Perkins, not for the food, but for the late night crowd watching. I saw boobies flashed in that place, people hooking up, random, hammered strangers sharing food. It was quite a joint. That crowd moved to the Chili Company, where I also saw some great things. I saw a chick pass out in a booth and slide under the table like a wet noodle.

Quality.

[Strange Brew]

What is PRC?

Only the greatest late night dive on the planet!! I recommended a double order of gravy cheese fries. It looks aweful but tastes unreal and the best part is that your not hung over the next dat due to the massive amount of grease and fat.

Also, you will have enough calories to sustain you for three days. Man, do I miss stubling out of Dana's and having my girlfriend at the time drive me to PRC. Good times, good times.

[Get Real]

I, being in the field of retail development, can address some of the unknown.

White Castle will never relocate from their current spot.

Kroger's was demolished, they now occupy the old Media Play site. Surrey Square is being rebuilt, but there has not been a stampede of tenants wishing to place their business there. Also, the owner, Centro Properties, is in heap big trouble with their lenders. They keep getting a extension on the 2.8 billion they used to expand.

Perkins were shut down because of money mismanagement. No skimming, nothing illegal. Thst ownership group bought it (and all the Perkins in Cinti) from the original franchisee and then commenced to beat the business into the ground

As for Xavier Square, it is unknown what the final plan will be. There are plans for a Hotel, which I believe will be one of Corporex's inventory of Hotels. The new sports complex, no surprise to anyone, is a definite, as is the additonal student housing. That brings us to the retail project. This will prove to be tricky for many reasons. The demographic outside of Campus is low income, high rental, and decent traffic counts. There are a handful of retailers that insist on being located amongst or near colleges and universities, but is usually those with a 20K enrollment. Grocery stores are intriguing, but unless a bodega type store is in the mix, a full size grocery store is a long shot. Although you would think a wireless store makes sense, the tend to stay away from colleges. The simple truth is that the majority of students already have cell phones before school starts. The rest of the mix is an unknown. A bar makes sense, but liability would be a tremendous concern. Remember this is Xavier property, and it's the landlord. But look for service based retailers, college apparel, book store, quick service restaurant w. drive thru. Right now everything is in the planning stage. The hotel, athletic complex and the student housing will likely be the "anchors" of this project with retail further down the road.

And as a side note, Keystone has no amenities near the site, but with Rookwood being so close, I'm not sure if this project would attract the office tenants
Stay tuned boys

[_LH]

Sounds like we are in similar fields. I was hoping for responses of your nature as opposed to the nostalgic responses that have ruled this thread (not that those replies were unwelcome but they were not what I was hoping for).

According to Corporex, they expect to attract office space tenants at Xavier Square and I do not see a demand as you said.

The Surrey Square area of Norwood has really fallen on hard times and I do not see potential tenants lining up to move there.

At least Xavier Square has a built in base of college students and those coming to campus for basketball games and other events to use when making the decision on what kind of tenants to pursue.

[Smooth]

I miss that Perkins, not for the food, but for the late night crowd watching. I saw boobies flashed in that place, people hooking up, random, hammered strangers sharing food. It was quite a joint. That crowd moved to the Chili Company, where I also saw some great things. I saw a chick pass out in a booth and slide under the table like a wet noodle.

Quality.

I saw a drunken local suck the waitress's toes. I think he got $5 to do it.

[Tardy Turtle]

Bonefish Grill occupies the old Perkins spot.

[blobfan]

Kroger's was demolished, they now occupy the old Media Play site.


Last time I drove past Surrey Square, which was a few days ago, it appeared that the area that used to be McDonalds and Media Play had actually been torn down. Did I hallucinate? I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically. It's been an odd day.

I think the Kroger is still in its old spot but I did hear they plan to move it to the former Media Play spot. They moved the McDonalds into the parking lot. There's still a strip of shops there with Radio Shack and I think Skyline, Subway, the chinese buffet, and a couple other shops are still there. Then there's this big gap where Media play was. Then there's Kroger in the same old spot. Past the Kroger it appears they are building more strip-type retail spots. I understood the plan was to convert into an open air shopping mall. Not quite Rookwood but something a little classier than your average strip mall perhaps?

I wonder, too, about building more office space in the area give that the new building North of the lateral appears to still be mostly if not all un-leased. It looks like a nice building and they've re-done all the roads around it but there's still no activity suggesting people have moved in. However, completion of Xavier Square is a ways off so perhaps things will change by the time it is built.

[boozehound]

First of all, you're a grown ass man, find your shift key.

Now that I got that out of the way... The Hitching Post has always been there. (Well, not always, but it was there when Perkins was there). The old Perkins is now Bonefish.

I miss that Perkins, not for the food, but for the late night crowd watching. I saw boobies flashed in that place, people hooking up, random, hammered strangers sharing food. It was quite a joint. That crowd moved to the Chili Company, where I also saw some great things. I saw a chick pass out in a booth and slide under the table like a wet noodle.

Quality.

The Chili Company was always quality. You just have to love a place where you can eat breakfast at 3am while blackout drunk.

Probably the most hilarious thing that I have ever witnessed/participated in occurred there. I would recount the details here but it is a very long story. Suffice to say it involved a lot of Gin, 9 people in a toyota camry, and a blowup doll, at 5am on a tuesday.

The Chili company closed recently, didn't it?

[MADXSTER]

The Chili Company was always quality. You just have to love a place where you can eat breakfast at 3am while blackout drunk.

Probably the most hilarious thing that I have ever witnessed/participated in occurred there. I would recount the details here but it is a very long story. Suffice to say it involved a lot of Gin, 9 people in a toyota camry, and a blowup doll, at 5am on a tuesday.

The Chili company closed recently, didn't it?

Yes it did. Apparently it had something to do with a lot of Gin, 9 people in a toyota camry, and a blowup doll, at 5am on a tuesday.

[Kahns Krazy]

The Chili company closed recently, didn't it?

I believe it's been a couple years now.

[boozehound]

I believe it's been a couple years now.

Wow. Time flies.

I'm still surprised it closed. The lack of late-night food in the Hyde Park/Oakley area is astounding to me. With the amount of bars concentrated in that area there should really be more than just Romano's Pizza at Mt. Lookout Square. I know that anytime I am closing down a bar I'm usually ready for some late night grub afterward...


(BTW, good one MADXSTER. I'm sure that some of the people in my office are wondering why I busted out laughing for no reason just now...)

[xudash]

This has no ties to X Square, but does anyone know when Bob's closed in Norwood (it was down by, or close to the GM factory)?

bhound, you made me think of it, because that - eating to soak up alcohol - was precisely what it was used for, although Bobs served huge omelettes with hash browns, etc. instead of pizza.

It saved me from many a headache after Dana's closed.

[boozehound]

For some reason breakfast food is great for absorbing alcohol. I don't know why, but it is.

[The Artist]

Wow. Time flies.

I'm still surprised it closed. The lack of late-night food in the Hyde Park/Oakley area is astounding to me. With the amount of bars concentrated in that area there should really be more than just Romano's Pizza at Mt. Lookout Square. I know that anytime I am closing down a bar I'm usually ready for some late night grub afterward...


(BTW, good one MADXSTER. I'm sure that some of the people in my office are wondering why I busted out laughing for no reason just now...)

Lucy Blue is there now, too. And it's approximately one bajillion times better than Ramundo's.

[boozehound]

I haven't tired Lucy Blue. Next time I am faced with the choice of Lucy Blue or Ramundos, I will try Lucy Blue.

[xubrew]

For some reason breakfast food is great for absorbing alcohol. I don't know why, but it is.

if you were still boozing at 5am, you could always open up h&h grill, which was right next to the woods. for that matter, you could stop into the woods, which used to open at about the same time, and have one or two more rounds before heading over there. i did that a few times.

i was never a fan of the woods, but it was fun going there at 5am when it was first opening. the only time i've really ever been thrown out of a bar was at the woods, and the reason was that the doorman (who was more drunk than most of the people in there) didn't believe my kentucky driver's liscense was a real driver's liscense. i can't say i blamed him because it looked more like a fake i.d. than most fake i.d.s i've seen, but shit!! i was 24 at the time. i thought he was going to keep it, so i said something along the lines of wanting him to call the police if he wasn't going to give it back. he got pissed at me, threw it at me, and told me never to come back. i never went there that much anyway, and was only going up there to meet up with some friends on that night, so i can't say i was too dissapointed. if anything, i'm proud to say that at least i've been thrown out of one bar in my life.

who else here was ever kicked out of the woods??

[xu95]

if you were still boozing at 5am, you could always open up h&h grill, which was right next to the woods. for that matter, you could stop into the woods, which used to open at about the same time, and have one or two more rounds before heading over there. i did that a few times.

i was never a fan of the woods, but it was fun going there at 5am when it was first opening. the only time i've really ever been thrown out of a bar was at the woods, and the reason was that the doorman (who was more drunk than most of the people in there) didn't believe my kentucky driver's liscense was a real driver's liscense. i can't say i blamed him because it looked more like a fake i.d. than most fake i.d.s i've seen, but shit!! i was 24 at the time. i thought he was going to keep it, so i said something along the lines of wanting him to call the police if he wasn't going to give it back. he got pissed at me, threw it at me, and told me never to come back. i never went there that much anyway, and was only going up there to meet up with some friends on that night, so i can't say i was too dissapointed. if anything, i'm proud to say that at least i've been thrown out of one bar in my life.

who else here was ever kicked out of the woods??

I used to love going to H&H after my morning PT. How long ago did that place close?

xu95

[xubrew]

i wasn't aware that it was closed. haven't been there in years, but i thought it was still there.

[Juice]

H & H grill is still there but I believe it is soon to suffer the same fate as the woods, but thats just what I heard.

[Kahns Krazy]

I think the Skyline in Oakley is open until like 4 on Fridays and Saturdays, but to be honest, I haven't been there in a long time late night. I think the last time I was there late, Fred Garvin took the mirror off the side of the car on the way there. I have been in actual accidents that were not as scary as having a side view mirror explode a few inches from my head.

Good times.

[XU05and07]

The word is the H&H did not sell...so the plan is to build around it

that's just the rumor I had heard

[GoMuskies]

The word is the H&H did not sell...so the plan is to build around it

that's just the rumor I had heard

Heard the same.

[Juice]

I stand corrected

[Muskie]

ah... the one holdout... I'm ok with H&H staying in business... it's a shame some sort of deal can't be worked out to upgrade the facility though.

[xu95]

I stand corrected

Me too. It sure looks closed to me, but than again, it has always looked like that. That is probably what I liked the most about it.

xu95

[An X Fan]

H&H was the lone holdout but very recently sold. It is now closed. I see it every day on my way in to campus and it looks the same (closed) - but it's ready to meet the wrecking ball in the near future.

I haven't read all the posts in this thread (sorry if this is a repeat), but Xavier also recently purchased the Norwood Plaza - formerly with Kroger, Ben's, Super 99 Center, etc. No plans yet. Hopefully an expanded Captain D's.

[BlueGuy]

who else here was ever kicked out of the woods??

Several times. All of them for F'ing with Donny the doorman. I can remember a few times, where i went home changed, and came back. That moron never noticed, or maybe was too drunk to notice.