WCPO: Local committee moving forward with vision for King Records building

University of Cincinnati student Valerie Erd grew up in the Netherlands, so she wasn't familiar with King Records.

She is now.

King Records was a leading independent record company and label founded locally in 1943 by Syd Nathan. The label owned several divisions, including Federal Records, which launched the career of James Brown. It operated until 1975. The building that served as its headquarters received a historical marker from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and was designated as a historic landmark by the city in 2015.

Erd and 31 other students in UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning just completed a fall studio project to create architectural 3D models and interior design renderings for the future revitalized King Records building in Evanston, Ohio. 

The design project was perfectly timed for supporters of the King Records Legacy initiative. In October, Cincinnati City Council approved a motion from Mayor John Cranley to create the King Records Legacy Committee that will be responsible for overseeing the revitalization of the old building and creating a use for it.

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