The Plan

Property History

The Clermont County Regional Event Center will be housed in two historic factory buildings located in New Richmond, Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River just east of Cincinnati at the Gateway to Appalachian Ohio.  The two factory buildings share a long rich history with the Village of New Richmond and the surrounding region.  Four businesses have occupied the property since the founding of New Richmond in 1814.  Each business played a role in the development of New Richmond and the region providing employment and products that fueled local, regional, and national growth.

The earliest recorded use of the property was the Charles Baumann Brewery in the 1870’s.  The brewery was followed by the A. Keyser & Co. Distillery which produced whiskey at the property until the late 1880’s.  The brewery and the distillery provided employment and products for the early inhabitants of the region and contributed to the development of New Richmond.

The Dormer Bros. Hosiery Mill moved to the property sometime between 1897 and 1904.  The Dormer Brothers constructed major improvements to the existing structures around 1915 joining the existing main factory building to the existing former whiskey distillery bonded aging warehouse thereby creating a 34,000 square foot factory mill for their operations.  The Dormer Brothers constructed the original 9,000 square foot brick building across the street in 1925 to be used as a warehouse and shipping facility.

The J&H Clasgens Company acquired the property in 1934 and moved their woolen mill operations to the property from a nearby site on the Ohio River.  The J&H Clasgens Company constructed the 20,000 square foot two story addition to the 9,000 square foot original brick warehouse building at 2384 High Street in 1969 creating an additional 29,000 square foot factory building for their operations.  The J&H Clasgens Company has been in continuous operation in New Richmond since 1865 and two members of the Clasgens family continue to wholesale finished yarn from the factory buildings today.  The J&H Clasgens company became the largest employer in Clermont County during its heyday.  The woolen mill provided products to the U.S. Military and provided the yarn used to make Major and Minor League baseballs.  The J&H Clasgens Company will finally be winding down their operations prior to the commencement of the property’s development and after over 158 continuous years in business in New Richmond.

We believe that the greenest building is the building that is already built.  Our historic buildings tell the story of those who built, occupied, and used them and are important and worth saving.  The worst place for old buildings is the land fill.  Old buildings should be put to new uses!

We believe that our shared history is one of our society’s most valuable cultural assets.  We should preserve the story of and learn from those who came before us to create the places that house our activities and the conventions that guide our lives today.

Business Concept

The Clermont County Regional Event Center will contain space to tell the story of this unique historic property and valuable regional cultural asset.  The buildings will be rehabilitated according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties as administered by the National Park Service.  The buildings will be designed and built to achieve LEED Certification.

The Clermont County Regional Event Center will be home to The Brewery Advertising Museum of Ohio, celebrating the history of the brewing industry and displaying brewery artifacts and advertising promoting regional breweries.  The McBrickerson Brewing Company will serve fresh brewed beer to patrons in the tap which will contain growler filling station and retail store offering souvenirs and fresh growlers and canned beer to go, for sale to the event center’s patrons and guests.

The event center will offer lots of space in two magnificent buildings to host events and for guests to hang out and enjoy!  Bricky’s Oven, the facility’s quick service casual restaurant, will offer delicious faire for visitors to enjoy.  The event center complex will host over 30,000 square feet of indoor event space as well as over 15,000 square feet of dedicated public space and over 11,000 square feet of outdoor patio and deck space.  The event center grounds will have space for outdoor events and large tent rental.

Mission Statement

The Clermont County Regional Event Center will honor and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Southern Ohio River valley.  The goal of the business is to provide and operate an event center complex consisting of components that will synergize to provide a spacious and multi-faceted resource where people from the community and the region can gather to socialize, celebrate, and hold special events.

The Clermont County Regional Event Center will serve the community and the region as a Business Innovation Center working to promote collaboration in entrepreneurship and business development.  As a Business Innovation Center, we will offer our event spaces and systems for conferences, seminars, lectures, talks, workshops, classes, competitions, and other events that foster and develop creative partnerships in local and regional business creation.  We will strive to build and maintain close working relationships with community and regional institutions and organizations to provide educational, training, and employment opportunities for all members of our community and our region.