COHatch to fill Hamilton historic building space

“We’ve gotten tons of requests to expand north and south of Cincinnati, so we’re making it happen,” said Megan Dotzauer, Cincinnati Market Leader at COhatch. “We’re chomping at the bit to better support the Hamilton and Covington areas, as well as surrounding communities, through our workspace solutions and event spaces and through our impact programs.”

COhatch will restore the historic Second National Bank building, 219 High St. Included in the restoration and renovation of the 26,000-square-foot building are coworking stations, 41 private offices, 12 meeting rooms, and an 80-person event space. The company is also exploring options with local partners for a food and beverage operation.

Dotzauer said the city is “a welcoming and growing city,” calling the city’s transformation “incredible.”

“A big passion of our is restoring and revitalizing vacant buildings, and what better building than here,” she said of the former Second National Bank building.

The COhatch project is another indication Hamilton is “transforming our city into a vibrant work-live hub,” said Hamilton City Manager Joshua Smith. “Their shared work and social space will be an amenity that will attract more business and residents to our community, and we are thankful they chose us as their next expansion.”

Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller said that a company like COhatch, which has sites in various parts of the country, means “our successes are being known truly nationwide.”

The mayor also said it’s exciting for High Street “because anybody doing business in this building, within two blocks, can probably find a place to go, whether it’s for breakfast or lunch, this will be a great place to have an office space to work.”

This project is part of JobsOhio’s Vibrant Communities Program, which was established to assist small- and medium-sized communities with the implementation of development projects that fulfill a market need and represent a significant reinvestment in the area. Hamilton is classified as a small city with around 63,000 residents, but it is a top-10 city in Ohio in terms of population.

“Ohio’s historic downtowns are at the heart of our local communities, and rejuvenating them contributes to our state’s economic success,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “Restoring the historic Second National Bank building and creating new space for the citizens of Hamilton to work and connect will infuse job growth and support future development.”

It was announced late last year that COhatch received a $1.8 million tax credit for the preservation and renovation of the 1931-built Second National Bank building. According to the state’s release on the award of the tax credits, it’s estimated the Hamilton renovation project will be $8 million.

The Covington, Kentucky, location will be at 407 W. 6th St. and offer the same business amenities in an 11,000-square-foot space above Juniper’s.

COhatch has awarded scholarships for free or highly discounted access to 50 nonprofits, 22 startups, and 10 civic leaders in the greater Cincinnati area, and the company seeks to support more Cincinnati metropolitan area organizations through the Hamilton and Covington locations.

“Cincinnati’s been a really great community for us,” said Matt Davis, co-founder and CEO of COhatch. “We’re excited to continue to see COhatch members, local nonprofits, and startups use our Cincinnati-area locations to grow and thrive in these new spaces.”

While the Cincinnati region will have seven sites, including the Hamilton and Covington facilities, COhatch has a total of 41 locations, either open or under development, including in Columbus, Cleveland, and Springfield in Ohio, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. The goal is to have 500 locations in 50 communities across the U.S. by 2032, and as many as 20 would be in Greater Cincinnati.

The Hamilton COhatch will begin construction later this year, and it’s expected to open in late 2024. The Covington location will start construction in mid-2024, with an anticipated opening in early 2025.