The old Lunken Airport terminal is finally getting opened up, literally. Crews have started slicing into the 1936 Art Deco lobby, kicking off what officials are calling investigative demolition as the once-bustling terminal inches toward a new life. The long-mothballed, city-owned landmark is being prepped for a full conversion into hotel, restaurant and bar space after years of fits and starts. For east side residents who grew up watching planes from the Sky Galley, the sound of saws and the haze of construction dust are the surest sign yet that the long-promised makeover is actually happening.
Crews began the investigative demolition on Jan. 12, 2026, cutting strategic openings to expose the building’s original steel and to test what kind of shape the electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems are in, according to WCPO. The station reports that anything not load-bearing or historically significant is coming out at this stage, as workers catalog what details can realistically be saved.
Renderings and project materials shared with the Cincinnati Enquirer show a terminal that looks more like a stylish neighborhood destination than an aging airport building. Plans call for a ground-floor restaurant, a bar positioned between an upscale dining room and a cafe, event and gathering spaces, and guest rooms above. The Enquirer’s gallery notes 34 rooms on the second floor, including a “presidential suite” in the old control tower, and points out that an Aeronca C-3 plane still hangs in the lobby. The redesign has required careful coordination across multiple federal and local agencies to keep both history and airport rules intact.
Developer, deal and preservation goals
The redevelopment is being steered by Guy van Rooyen’s Salyers Group (vR Group), the team behind Hotel Covington. The city recently signed an updated long-term lease to push the project forward, WCPO reported. That deal includes roughly $2 million in city assistance, and the latest renderings outline a two-story addition on the north side of the terminal, outdoor patios, an in-ground pool with cabanas and valet parking tucked behind the historic front facade. City officials told WCPO they expect the final design to spotlight the building’s Art Deco features and to preserve or archive original fixtures that cannot be reused on site.
Why the project got stuck on the runway
The makeover has been a long time coming. Earlier concepts ran into turbulence after the Federal Aviation Administration required a redesign, triggering multiple layers of review from city departments, federal regulators and airport authorities, according to local records and prior coverage. Minutes from the Lunken Airport Oversight Advisory Board show the project was projected to start in January 2026 and wrap up by the end of 2027, while public radio reporting has tracked months of negotiations between the city and the developer over how big the project could be and how to pay for it. Those reviews forced the team to recalibrate financing, scale and design to meet safety and height limits tied to an active airfield, and the resulting plan cleared the way for the current phase of work. The City of Cincinnati and WVXU provide additional background on the review process.
What “selective demolition” really means
Officials are calling the current work “selective demolition” for a reason. Crews are peeling the building back just enough to see what historic fabric survives and what the old structure and systems can reasonably support before they start tearing into walls in a big way. The findings from this investigative phase will inform the final construction drawings and permit applications, then heavier demolition and rebuild work will follow. City records point to a multiyear schedule that runs into 2027…