By Ken Alltucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Western & Southern Financial Group has sold the Florence Mall to Chicago-based General Growth Properties for an undisclosed sum.

Western & Southern, which owned the mall since 1982, said it plans to use the money to focus on its projects in downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine.

"We have a number of projects we are exploring in downtown Cincinnati, both in the core of the city as well as Over-the-Rhine," said Mario San Marco, president of Eagle Realty Group, a Western & Southern subsidiary. "It will allow us to focus on those projects."

Among the downtown projects on the drawing board for Eagle Realty include a retail development at Fifth and Race streets, a Walgreen's drug store topped with apartments at Sixth and Race streets and a high-rise office tower on Fourth Street.

In October, Eagle Realty purchased 73 Over-the-Rhine apartment units at an auction of some of Tom Denhart's properties. No plans have been announced.

General Growth Properties and Teachers Retirement System of the state of Illinois will share ownership stake of Florence Mall, developed in 1974 and renovated in 1994. The mall, with nearly a million square feet of retail space, is anchored by Sears, J.C. Penney, Lazarus and Lazarus Home Store.

E-mail kalltucker@enquirer.com.