Schwartz's Point

From a visit in December

Items Found in Vacant Building

Inside every vacant building are hundreds of stories. This particular building was last occupied/owned 10 years ago by an old man and his brother. Neighbors told me that in the end the last brother was sleeping in his car, because there were too many rats in the building. After he died, no one entered the building for years. His niece, who never entered the building because of the stench, sold it a few months ago. The basement was filled a foot deep with raw sewage. And if you go back in the City Directories, you can see the names of people that lived here and sometimes what their profession was. Anyway, I like to post these things for the record. Sometimes years after I post a photo like those below, someone will google a name and find it and send me a message saying they always wanted to find a photo of such and such... So here is some detritus found this weekend:

5 gallon, glazed clay crock with label of G. Gennert found in crawlspace. The Gottlieb Gennert Co. was a camera and photography supplies manufacturer in operation from 1869-1921 in NY. City Directory at the library shows that 100 years ago a photographer had his shop at the building where this was found:

Found amongst the debris was this customized notepad from Greg Spring a man who demolished lots of buildings in OTR, 20 years ago.. Check out the logo of a Trackhoe chomping into a seemingly occupied house...

Futuristic model car, box misprinted

A beautiful woman, "Itche Hogue"? (written on back)

1986 "Rita and Baby"...

"with love, your sister"

fountain square with Carew Tower in backround (and whatever the building was at the SE corner of Vine and 5th in the 70s)

A teenager's journal entry from 1999

second journal entry

And lastly, found in the attic:

Todd Oneal is a good man. Maybe he should run again..

Forward!

Obama won re-election last night.  Hamilton County elected a Democrat for sheriff for the first time in maybe forever.  And even more dramatic to my mind, the Freestore decided to renovate housing instead of tear it down. 

One of my earlier blog posts, in 2007 was about how the Freestore Foodbank was trying to demolish historic buildings in OTR.  That post got tons of hits and publicity.  It also triggered the director of the Freestore, John Young to invite me over to try to convince me his position was correct. 

But when I met with John Young, I was struck by how out of touch he was with the neighborhood surrounding his business.  He was extremely dismissive of Over-the-Rhine, comparing it to the Gaza Strip.  It was obvious he was totally disconnected to all the positive change happening around him.  I also met with his architect, whose name escapes me.  But he too was dismissive of not just OTR, but totally dismissive of the idea that people in America would desire to live in dense urban settings like OTR. He believed only the poor who couldn't afford a car should live in the inner City.  I remember the architect saying that that these buildings they wanted to demolish had a European feel about them, but that people in the Midwest want parking, and that is exactly what the Freestore needed, more parking. 

But what the Freestore clients actually needed was this housing restored.  Housing near services.  Housing near transit, and near jobs.

Today the Enquirer has an article that was already partially covered by Building Cincinnati back in March, that the new director of the Freestore has plans to renovate 1606-1608 Walnut Street.  The Freestore has changed their leadership and their attitude to the neighborhood.  This is fantastic. 

I think that parts of today's Republican party are like the old Freestore management.  They do not see the way our City and our Nation have changed.  Locally, a growing portion of our citizens wants to live in urban areas and care about transit options.   Nationally, a growning portion of our citizens support gay marriage and universal health insurance.  Republicans cannot continue to run on Ronald Reagan's ideas.  Obama is akin to Reagan in that Reagan totally understood the mood of 1980; Obama understands the mood and the needs of our country in 2012

.

Our kids made this sign, which somehow ended up on the front of the New York Times today. Wow.

Ehrlich Shoes 1600 Main

1986:

2009:

Close up of Ehrlich's shoes sign:

[Where: 1600 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202] nec Liberty and Main

I originally made this blog post in August 2009. Over past few years I have been contacted by people who used to shop here, and by the Ehrlich family. Below is a great picture sent in by the family. In the photo is Emil and Otto Ehrlich in July 1943. The photo was sent in by Otto's son, Ron. If you click on the photos you can get a larger view. I really like that the tile and storefront are the same now as 1943, not like the 1986 photo I took. I also like that in the glass you can see reflections of lots of old buildings.  Thanks Ron for the great photo.

 

Another Walk 2

A New Years walk is turning into a bit of a tradition with my son. I love the quiet companionship on a cold day walk. First came upon the recently demolished 1314 Vine Cornice laying on ground  

Stones intended for Washington Park to match old stones around perimeter 

SWC Walnut and Mercer, demolition happening this week 

Somehow never noticed this doorway before 

This nondescript building on E 14th hides an upscale residence 

This is a very strange building, seen from Findlay Street is kindof an annex to the building at the corner of Vine and McMicken  

[where: 3 West McMicken, Cincinnati, OH 45202](rear) Vacant and condemned buildings owned by a church located in Washington DC,,, What a waste.. 

Northern end of Findlay Playground 

Two vacant houses on the northernmost stub of Republic Street 

private alley between Vine and McMicken 

Only a few buildings on lonely Kirk Alley, heading up to Ohio Street Steps 

This single family house with an unusually huge front yard at 104 W Clifton backs up against Kirk Alley above.  It is for sale for $110K 

Steps that once went somewhere  

Looking back down 100 steps, Ohio Street  

Mulberry in the distance. I was reminded of the area to the left which a commenter on a previous post said was called Little Bethlehem.  

When at Adriatico's last week, I noticed that their delivery map listed some sub-neighborhoods that I had never heard of, including Little Bethlehem and Jerusalem...The blue line is zip code boundary  

The same map had Frenchman's Corner near Brighton Corner (but now under I-75) and Rohs Hill at the top of Straight Street  

Civil war era house at high point on Ohio Avenue in bad shape.  

(where: 2210 Ohio Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219) It had been a gray cold day, but just as the sun set, it broke through the clouds  

On the way back down the hill, we found fossils on the steep cliffs of West Clifton Ave.  

Son really wants to climb this cliff. Maybe next time.  

Almost home, Prince of Peace church with moon,  

Photos from another Walk

Scene on lower Ohio Avenue, in OTR
 

if you want to buy one of the junkiest buildings in the city, call this number.
 

[where: 2012 Ohio Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Interesting pink building, I think for sale
 

[1808 Republic Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

steps from Ohio, Van Lear to Vine
 

exploring
 

Anton and George Zimmerman, 1883
 

Once the corner of Poplar and Buckeye, now the corner of Frintz and E. Clifton
 

Frintz was Poplar 

short little basement entry
 

Buck Rogers type lintels
 

Believe it or not, this beauty is on Peete Street
 

The lower half
 

[where: 102 Peete Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Street Artist Ron English

Ron English can often be found sitting on a stoop on Main Street, sketching on cardboard or writing his thoughts on a sheaf of paper. For this post, I googled his name and came up with a great post about him. If you see him, say hi, and if you like what you see, buy a drawing.

I like his art quite a bit, but this is not the best example: