The Worst Sidewalk Downtown

 

[where: 13 E. Thirteenth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]
(SW corner of Thirteenth and Jackson, 1227 Jackson ie: Jackson Street Warehouse is the owner responsible)

More Vacant Buildings

 

[1532, 1534, 1536 Republic Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Brick House Example

Last week I had a post about stone and brick buildings. I was saying that they can be fixed-up for a reasonable price. Some readers may have been skeptical. Well, it just so happened that this past weekend, I attended a celebration of completion of such a project.

I know the owner of this building, and consider him a friend. He is a very intelligent and very hard working family man. He had been looking for a vacant building to rehab for a few years, and finally found this one. He did some research, contacted the owners and purchased it. It had been used as a storage building by Southern Ohio Glass Co. for several decades. During that time, it did not have any heat or electricity, and the roof and windows were leaking. So the building was in pretty rough shape, and it was completely full of junk.

My friend's budget was quite low, so he put lots of sweat equity into the rehab. There were many delays and unexpected costs in the permitting and construction process. However in the end, he got a 3,000 square foot, 4-story brick home with a small backyard for under a very reasonable cost. I don't know the exact expenses, and maybe he doesn't either, but I am sure purchase and rehab combined could buy you two or three new suburban houses. And the interior is very modern and clean. It turned out very nice.

Some before photos:

Front entry stairs during demolition and clean up phase:

 

Attic before:

 

Exterior before:

 

Finished Exterior:

 

I didn't take any interior photos, because it was packed with people, and it is a private residence after all.

However, he is one of the first people in this block to rehab. From Republic Street you can see the rear of 1511, 1515, and 1517 Vine Street. They are in pretty rough shape. I have been watching the one in the middle and lately some of the rear brick wall has collapsed:

 

[Where: 1510 Republic Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Choices Cafe

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH) has opened a small coffeehouse on Elm Street. I heard from my neighbors that it was good, and I tried to go, but they were not open last Saturday, I think because they had this night-time event schedueled with Jake Speed. The hours are posted as 8-5 M-Sat. I like low-key places like this. Just a few tables and coffee and sodas. Let me know if you've gone and what you think:

1500 Elm Street Building:

 

Front Door:

 

Hours:

 

Odd Building on Pleasant

Perma-stone, a cement-based fake stone product was often used in the 30s-50's to cover old buildings. This one may have deserved being covered. Very odd one-story building with side porch in a neighborhood with 3 and 4 story buildings:

 

Fire Melted the Zbrick

There was a fire on this corner last week, so we walked by today, and the buildings are already gone. There are now 3 vacant lots here. The one closest to the remaining building, was 127 Green Street. It was owned by Marvin Smith (Owning the Realty Inc.) and it was demolished maybe 10 years ago. The two remaining buildings were in bad shape and were vacant and supposedly being remodeled when they caught fire. The one on the corner was a one-story store, and the other was a typical OTR 3 story brick residence.

 

This building, 125 Green, is an old wood-framed building, that is covered with an asphalt-shingle product, called Z-Brick. Although the fire was 20 feet away, it melted the z-brick:

 

Here is the auditor's photo from last year:

 

[Where: 1624 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Germans Were Here

According to this website, the building below with the arched doorway was a police station, then a bath house, then owned by the Kolping Society:

 

 

This says: "Gott Segne das Ehrbare Handwerk" which means something like "God Bless the Honorable Craft".

I'm guessing that this motto was not there in 1870, when it was a police station but was added in 1926 when the Kolpings bought it?

[Where: 1523 Reublic Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

1132 Bar Sunbeams

 

[where: 1132 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Snow Play in Street

Once the storm died-down Saturday, we took the sled out for a walk-around:

 

Pulling sled in Washington Park:

 

Sledding on Pleasant Street:

 

Old neighborhood garden, soon to be replaced with new townhouses:

 

A big fat guy, named Walt, used to run a corner store here. It was a bad hang out for a while, now pieces are falling off the building:

 

1500 block of Elm, looking north:

 

West 15th Street looking toward Vine:

 

Looking south on Elm Street:

 

I did NOT put this sticker on the canon in the park:

 

Gazebo:

 

View over pool to Pleasant Street:

 

Snow on rear of new Elm (Correction 1100 block of Race) Street condos:

 

1300 block of Vine:

 

West 13th Street:

 

Sun comes out right before setting:

 

First English Lutheran:

 

Vacant Race Street

Two weeks ago, Sunday morning walk. 1500 block of Race is vacant:

 

Snowy parking lot in front of Music Hall:

 

Body Tire Service Sign on long-vacant building:

 

The rear of some buildings on Republic Street.

 

Rexall Prescription Drugstore in old Paulus Kirche:

 

Hart Realty Inc, the company that used to own many of these buildings:

 

1419 Race, a sturdy townhouse, now in the hands of the City:

 

Tour of the Q

I took a tour of the rehabs along Vine between 12th and 13th today. I was impressed with the layout of the new units under construction at 1232 Vine. I also liked the finished interiors of 1124 and 1126 Race, which I had not seen before. I am not a great photographer, and I have a hard time getting good interior shots, so here are a few interesting shots I took of the surrounding buildings:

1132 Race, South side of the building is solid brick.. lots o' bricks:

 

Different angle, showing the townhouse balconies and old windows:

 

The back (south) of Jackson Lofts, blue sky, St. Mary's Steeple and the Art Academy:

 

Similar shot, but lower, showing the rear of some Jackson Street buildings:

 

Cornice of 1132 Vine with buildings across the street:

 

Shot from inside a corner unit looking onto 13th and Vine

 

Rehab at 13th and Race

A couple of shots of the almost completed rehab by Urban Sites at the Southeast Corner of Thriteenth and Race Streets:

 

South side waiting for construction of elevator shaft:

 

[Where: 1232 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Demo of Vine Street Buildings

Model is going to build new homes here. I have not seen the designs and I do not know if I will like them or not, however, my wife saw the proposal and thought it looked ok.

Front of Buildings before demolition. The gabled building behind is a very early Over-the-Rhine home. The miserable cinder block front addition was added 10 years ago without any building permits:

 

The north side, along 14th Street, a few months ago:

 

 

Demolition in progress:

 

I'll post photos of the new building as it gets built.

 

[Where: 1335 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

An announcement about this project:

Please join Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory on February 8th at 10:00 a.m. at the corner of 14th and Vine Streets in Over-the-Rhine, as he announces what’s next to keep the momentum going in The Gateway Quarter. Over the ast two-and-a-half years, 3CDC and the City of Cincinnati have invested over $70 million in Over-the-Rhine. Part of that investment has resulted in “The Gateway Quarter”, a mix of new and renovated condominiums and retail establishments currently centered around 12th and Vine Streets. Now, its time to move the “Q” further up Vine Street with an official groundbreaking for Gateway (UrbanLiving) Quarter Phase III.

Crack Smoking Area

..in Washington Park. At the locked door to the toilets. Empty today, but often the scene of dealing, smoking and drinking.

 

Freestore Hearing Monday

The Freestore Foodbank is going to the the Board of Historic Conservation 3pm Monday, on the 7th floor of Two Centennial Plaza, 805 Plum Street, to ask for permission to demolish two 125 year old Italianate homes. I wrote a letter to the Board this morning that included some of the following points:

In August when the plan to demolish 1606 and 1608 Walnut Street first became public I took the time to meet with the Director of the Freestore at the site, and also took the time to visit the architect in his office to review the plans.

From those meetings and from investigating the condition of the buildings, I have come to the conclusion that the proposed demolition is not necessary and indeed will be detrimental to the Freestore and the neighborhood.

The current loading dock is located in the rear, as it should be. The elevator that is now used to take goods from the dock area to the basement is serviceable, but nevertheless is planned to be replaced with a larger freight elevator. The proposed loading dock on Walnut is planned to be depressed to allow direct offloading from trucks into the sales area. Admittedly this will save use of the elevator, but at what cost? The cost of valuable streetscape. The cost of our neighborhood's infrastructure. The cost of labor reduction (at a place that is full of people looking for work).

The existing rear loading dock could easily be reconfigured such that loading would be directly onto the elevator platform. When visiting the site, this solution seems obvious, but has not been considered.

The Freestore's future plans include further demolition and control of most of this block for use as parking. Buildings such as 112 Corwine, and 1614 Walnut are viewed as nuisances to be rid of by the leadership of this institution, when buildings like this are exactly the opposite. Italianate rowhouses like these are really this neighborhood's only hope.

If the Freestore has its way, the block bordered by Liberty, Walnut and McMicken will resemble the block immediately to the west, where the Shell gas station and three lonely buildings remain. Fifteen years ago much of this adjacent block was demolished because Husmans could not survive without additional parking. Now Husmans is gone, and the neighborhood has a big hole in its center.

Institutions like the Freestore have the ability to be a healthy contributor to the neighborhood by restoring housing, or they can be a hungry monster gobbling up the neighborhood around them in disregard for those of us who live here. Unfortunately it seems we must force them to be a good neighbor.

Finally, I want to point out one obvious point. If the two rowhouses are demolished, the remaining German Baptist church will be an island and will look out of place, with a huge blank wall facing south along the sunken loading docks. It will not look right and it will increase its chances of future demolition.

I choose to live in OTR, like many others because of the superb tight urban fabric. Removing yet another piece of this fabric to create a parking space for semi-trailers will make it very unlikely that any kind of neighborhood will develop on north Walnut Street.

Please, keep the loading dock on Corwine Street where it belongs!

You may also want to read my previous post on this issue.

Send emails to:
Historic Conservation Office
Department of Community Development and Planning
805 Central Ave., Suite 700
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 352-4890
William L. Forwood, Urban Conservator
skip.forwood@cincinnati-oh.gov
adrienne.cowden@cincinnati-oh.gov

Heroin in OTR

Google notifies me of recent online posts about "Over-the-Rhine". Because of this, I know more about Linford Detweiler than I ever cared to know. However, sometimes some downright strange posts come to my inbox. For example the following exchange on a druggie website (link, probably not work safe):

Due to circumstances beyond my control I am out of pods for 4 days or so and I need to be well for work, so I will be traveling up to Cincinnati to cop some heroin. I haven't been there for this purpose in awhile so I was curious if much has changed. Still open air over the rhine? Any other general safety tips?

Nothing specific, of course. Thanks

Responses:
1. Either there or Vine-ish.
__________________
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yCM_wQy4YVg - Ron Paul 2008

2. Just take care man.

Father Christmas on Main

 

Luminaria this Saturday

I moved this post up to the top to remind everyone to come by Washington Park and Main Street tomorrow! I believe there will be some live music by my friend Todd O'Neal and his church choir at 6pm.

 

This Saturday, December 1st is the 7th annual Luminaria in Washington Park.

Neighbors will be assembling the lights in the afternoon, and setting them out from 5-6pm. They will be lit from 6 - 10pm. Helpers will be needed, so feel free to show up anytime in the late afternoon or send me an email for more info. Everyone is welcome.

Main Street is also having a Luminaria and Christmas Lights as part of their Kristkinle Markt on Main 2007 which will be all-day Saturday. They will have carolers and shops will be open late.

After the Luminaries in the park are lit, neighbors will have an open house with soups and hot drinks.

 

photo of last year's Luminaria courtesy of Joe Wessels.

1401 Race Photos

I found a few old photos of this building at 14th and Race, so while taking photos of the Washington Park Elementary Demolition a few days ago, I took photos from similar angles for comparison. I know that there are plans for a major renovation of this building, so hopefully I will continue the series.

Race Street facade in about 1991:

 

The same building today, Race Street front:

 

Old photo of south side:

 

From the south, today:

 

Washington Park Elementary Demolition

"Stop Closing OTR/Our Schools":

 

About to take a bite:

 

A kid watches his old school demolished: