A construction fire that sent smoke billowing over Anderson Township on Wednesday, July 29 caused $50,000 in damage but did not slow work on the $160 million Farmer Music Center.
Messer Construction spokesperson Joanna Masterson said the structure was not impacted and that crews returned to work Thursday, July 30. The Cincinnati Fire Department says the cause remains under investigation, though officials at the scene told WLWT welding sparks ignited roofing insulation.
"The fire looked more spectacular than it really was," Cincinnati Assistant Fire Chief Craig Coburn told Local 12, noting the combustible insulation produced heavy smoke visible from downtown Cincinnati.
As reported July 29, fire crews from Cincinnati, Anderson Township, and Union Township responded around 2 p.m. No one was injured. Kellogg Avenue was temporarily closed but reopened in time for the Train, Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson concert at neighboring Riverbend Music Center.
What's being built
The Farmer Music Center will be the largest new concert venue in the Cincinnati region when it opens in spring 2027. According to the venue's official website, the amphitheater will seat 8,000 under a covered roof, with a 12,000-capacity general admission lawn made of synthetic grass. A 300,000-square-foot concourse will hold 25 bars and concession stands across three levels, according to WVXU.
Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI), a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, will operate the venue. MEMI already runs Riverbend Music Center and PNC Pavilion next door. The CSO purchased the former Coney Island property for $60 million in 2023 and announced plans for the new amphitheater that same year, according to Local 12.
Messer Construction is building the project. Cincinnati City Council voted 5-4 in March 2026 to direct $8 million in city funding toward the venue, but Mayor Aftab Pureval later reduced that figure; the final city budget approved in June included $2 million, according to Fox 19.
What it means for Anderson Township
The Farmer Music Center sits in a stretch of Kellogg Avenue that already draws nearly 2 million visitors a year to Riverbend, PNC Pavilion and Belterra Park, according to an Anderson Township newsletter from 2023.
One unresolved question: revenue. Anderson Township's Board of Trustees approved a $1-per-ticket "Protect and Serve Charge" on July 24, 2025, applying to tax-exempt venues with at least 2,000 capacity.
Riverbend and PNC Pavilion currently pay the fee. But Trustee Dee Stone said at that July 2025 meeting that once MEMI builds the new venue, most concerts will move into the City of Cincinnati, where the township would not collect the charge.
Trustee Vice Chair Josh Gerth said at the same meeting that high-level conversations were underway about whether Cincinnati might share future ticket revenue with the township. The Board of Trustees also considered a letter of support for MEMI's request for state capital funding at its Tuesday, March 3, 2026 workshop meeting, according to township records.
The Farmer Music Center is scheduled to open in spring 2027.
