CincyWhimsy: architecture

Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts

50 YEARS OF PRESERVING CINCINNATI

Cincinnati Museum Center is kicking off their latest local exhibit with an elegant gala: both celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA). The organization was started by three women dedicated to saving Native American and early settlement sites, then evolved their mission into saving entire neighborhoods. Since 1964, the non-profit has worked buildings with historic architecture, public art, monuments and landscapes, as well as archaeological sites. One of their several current focuses, in addition to advocating for Union Terminal repairs, is restoring the historic neighborhood of Walnut Hills.

If you've visited Over-the-Rhine, it's likely that you've passed by or enjoyed a meal in one of the buildings saved by the CPA. They've worked along side developers to rehabilitate:

Renaissance Hotel, Downtown
The Color Building on Vine Street, home to Asian fusion restaurant, Kaze.
Nicolay Lofts and Westfalen Lofts, at Race and 14th Street
Hummel Building, condos located adjacent to Washington Park and Music Hall

The new grey facade of the Hummel Building.

The former is where they'll be hosting the gala, November 8 at 7:00PM. Taking place in the Marriott Renaissance, Burnham Room C, the evening kicks off with cocktails at 6:00PM, followed by a gourmet dinner at 7:30PM. Tickets are available via phone (513-721-4506 Ext. 2) for $150 per person.

On a budget? Be sure to check out the FREE exhibit, Celebrating 50 Years of Working Together Saving Places at Cincinnati Museum Center in the Culture Gallery, located near the Historical Library in the center of the rotunda, lower level. The installment runs through April 5, 2015.

DIXIE TERMINAL BUILDING

From a distance, a non-descript office tower lines the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets among the many skyrises in the Financial District. Currently the home of Great American Insurance, this building was once epicenter of transit in Cincinnati.

Erected in 1921, Dixie Terminal was used for streetcar service until the 1950s. Streetcars arriving from Northern Kentucky crossed the Roebling Bridge and took elevated ramps over Third Street into the southern terminal. Passengers would arrive and depart through the grandiose north building. Over 100,000 passengers on Northern Kentucky’s Green Line streetcar were transported daily. A $3.5 million project, the facility was hailed as the "Gateway to the South." After the City of Cincinnati stopped streetcar service, Dixie Terminal was used as a bus terminal through 1998.

Dixie Terminal in the 1940s via CincinnatiViews.net

Streetcar entrance ramps into the southern terminal via CincinnatiViews.net

Streetcar ramps over Third Street in the 1920s via CincinnatiViews.net

Ten stories housed railroad ticket agencies, administrative offices of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, Cincinnati Stock Exchange, and retail shops. Marble floors and wainscotting accent the interior, while the vibrant vaulted ceiling depicts children riding on the backs of animals. The entryway catches the eye from the street, with gold framing and Rookwood Tile archway.

Free and accessible to the public, the next time you're downtown, take a peek inside Dixie Terminal. Pause for a moment to remember the hustle and bustle that once passed through the halls during a time when rail was a key component to transportation in the Queen City.

MT. AUBURN INCLINE CLIMB

East of Christ Hospital resides remote park, perhaps the most inaccessible piece of pubic space in the city. Surrounded by the twists and turns of dead end streets, Jackson Park once hosted the beginnings of suburban public transit in Cincinnati. In addition to its electric street railway, Mt. Auburn was home to the Queen City's very first incline.

Mt. Auburn Incline construction via CincinnatiViews.net

Mount Auburn Street Railway rain from Fifth and Main Streets Downtown to Auburn Avenue on top of the hill. The difficulties of mounting Jackson Hill, particularly in the winter, led the electric street to adapt an incline system, inspired by Pittsburgh's Monongahela Incline which was erected in 1870. Two years later, Cincinnati opened Mt. Auburn Incline.

via CincinnatiViews.net

Like other inclines, Mt. Auburn built an entertainment establishment at the top of the hill: Lookout House. Six hundred passengers a day and a million persons each year rode the incline and likely patronized the resort. Sunday became their busiest day, as the Lookout House boldly ignored liquor laws and served beer and wine on the Sabbath.

Lookout House via CincinnatiViews.net

A series of untimely events led to Mt. Auburn Incline's demise. In October 1889, eight passengers were aboard the car when a mechanical error launched it full speed from the bottom of the hill, sending it crashing into the top station. After a moment of dangling, the car broke loose and plummeted back to the bottom where it collided with a grocery store and sent the roof cascading 100 feet down Main Street. Three days after Mt. Auburn Incline reopened from the horrific accident, then-judge William Howard Taft ruled against the incline in a court case regarding vehicular interference with telephone lines. It closed permanently in 1898.

Our journey to the top of Cincinnati's steepest incline began in an inconspicuous vacant lot at the corner of 8th Street and Glenway Avenue. Marked only with a billboard, it was hard to imagine the site once being a bustling venue of commerce and transportation on the West Side. Along the way, we snapped pictures of the remnants, including stone walls, wooden stringers, concrete with structural imprints, sheave wheels, and even old rail! - See more at: http://www.cincywhimsy.com/2013/07/price-hill-incline-climb.html#sthash.8fstqzqR.dpuf

Mt. Auburn Incline Wreck via CincinnatiViews.net

As part of the Cincinnati Incline Climb, our journey to the top of Cincinnati's first incline began at a stairwell at Main and Mulberry Street. Now known as the Main Street Mosaic Steps, this quiet area was once one of the main transit arteries of Cincinnati. Remnants of the incline can still be viewed from the foundation, a reminder of the bygone era when the Queen City was once called "The Paris of America."

MT. AUBURN INCLINE

Hike Difficulty Level: ★☆☆☆☆

Length: 960 feet

Height: 312 feet
Steepness / Grade: 35% and 25%

Cat of the Mt. Auburn Incline

Medical bracelet found on the stairwell

Jackson Park, at the top of the former incline.

Jackson Park: great views for photography

PRICE HILL INCLINE CLIMB

The only family-owned and operated incline in Cincinnati was also the sole transport carrying both freight and passengers up the hillside. Price Hill Incline was the city's second oldest incline, dating from 1874 - 1943. It also had the most intact remnants that we discovered on our Cincinnati Incline Climb. Founded by the Price family, the namesake pioneers for Price Hill, the incline carries poignant folktales from the era.

Price Hill Incline via CincinnatiViews.net

At the very top of the incline was Price Hill House, a resort highlighted by a summer garden and a stunning view of the city. Unlike the other resorts that served alcohol, the Price family was "dry," otherwise known as supporters of Prohibition. Locals referred to the Price Hill House as Buttermilk Mountain, as this was the strongest drink the bar would serve customers. Of course, this gave way to a landslide of opportunity at the foot of Price Hill, where drinkeries leading up the the incline were named First Chance Saloon, Next Chance Saloon, and Last Chance Saloon.

In 1906, catastrophe struck Price Hill Incline as a cable broke on one of the freight cars. Just six feet away from the hilltop terminal, it ripped free and began to plunge downward. Aboard the platform were two workmen, one carrying a load of sand and the other a load of manure. Each buried themselves in their load and when the cars crashed to the ground, both miraculously survived. As the platform and horses lay in a twisted metal mess, the workmen walked away a bit smelly, but unscathed.