John S.

I cringe every time I hear or read someone using the term "right-sizing" to justify wholesale demolitions that erase neighborhoods. Cincinnati is by no means the worst in doing away old houses but this year seems to be especially bad and it is spread out over many parts of the city. The biggest project, the Lick Run-South Fairmount MSD sewer/stormwater project is poised to take out several blocks (1800, 1700, and 1600) of Westwood Avenue and there are some impressive homes and 1880's commerical buildings in the path. Neighborhood leaders have signed off on them being bulldozed. Salvagers will talk about the bonanza from this area for a long time-it's ten times the number of the losses in Corryville. The 1700 block of Westwood alone has FOUR pages of property lisitings with the City Auditor. Anyhow, building attrition due to redevelopment is the most difficult to prevent or stop.

Agreed. Corryville is pretty much toast now with the best 19th century architecture in the neighborhood rapidly coming down. Bond Hill's prospects for improvement might be a stretch but certainly Avondale (including the north end) and West Side (as in the West End along Dayton St.) have potential for preservation and improvement.

It's not just in Corryville and Walnut Hills...on the southern boundry of Avondale on Erkenbrecher Avenue, is a two block row of towered brick Queen Anne style mansions (200-300 blocks) just opposite Children's Hospital. They are among the finest of their kind in the City but their survival is highly unlikely. Children's Hospital has already obliterated most of the old historic neighborhood and there's nothing to indicate the expansion is finished. The South Fairmount, Lick Run MSD project is poised to take out blocks of historic housing in the 1800, 1700, and 1600 blocks of Westwood Avenue in South Fairmount. The former Vitt & Stermer Fairmount Funeral home at 1824 Westwood is an impressive structure with fine original stained glass in the former chapel area. It was likely designed c. 1908 by one of Cincinnati's leading architects. This is not shaping up to be a good year for Cincinnati's historic building and housing stock.

Not likely. The new housing is entirely speculative and is specifically aimed and marketed at Casino employees who typically do not earn a lot of money. (unlike the owners who make millions) almost a re-hash of "if we build it, they will come". The Cincinnati Preservation Association is suggesting to the developers to concentrate new construction on vacant lots but as noted, already an 1880's multi-story commercial building (with a neat Victorian corner entry supported by a column) has come down. Developers also want to change this stretch of McMillan from a one-way back to a two-way thoroughfare. I have yet to see any conceptual drawings of the proposed new housing so no telling at this time whether it will be esthetically compatible with the historic streetscape or not. Of course, if the historic streetscape disappears entirely, I suppose compatibility is a moot point.

Very nautical and touristy looking...

Fantastic collection! You put into your pictures far more than I could ever say about Cincinnati. You could probably take this amazing collection, walk into a publisher, and without much effort walk back out with a coffee table book deal, it's THAT good! Good as it is, there were many some picturesque areas of Cincinnati not included and I'm sure you could have doubled the size of the collection. During our first visit to Cincinnati, we were unprepared for the architectural diversity represented in the City; we soon realized we only had time to see but a fraction of the total. Cincinnati's historic architecture is on a par with Charleston, SC, New Orelans, or even San Francisco...yet it barely registers on the national or international tourist "radar screen" in that regard. Thanks for capturing the gritty side of the Queen City as well...all-in-all these photos add up to a very balanced collection representative of everything that is Cincinnati. Nice work!

There's a pretty good obvious clue: the building in the foreground has a name "C.C. A-------" wholesale wallpapers, paints, varnishes, ladders, brushes. Since we know the date (1938...1788+150=1938) a look at a city directory from this period should only have one supplier with this name and a corresponding address. Mystery is then solved. (Right?)

Since you asked, I believe Toledo's Old West End is one of the largest National Register Historic Districts in the country. Locals please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Wow, Robert, talk about a photo-essay...this is a real blend of urban decay, promising pockets of progress, and unrecognized future potential. Almost like a photographic metaphor for much of the nation these days. As for Wichita Falls, TX, (and Sheppard AFB) my spouse and I met there, graduated from Midwestern State U. and couldn't wait to get away from there fast enough in the early 1980's. I wholely concur with your personal assessments of that place as well as the rugged panhandle towns. We did what most grads did back then: (and still do today) we moved to the booming Dallas-Ft. Worth area. After 25 years of doing that gig, we're ready to start our next adventure in Cincinnati. (that is, whenever we can sell our home) Despite the discouraging 2010 census numbers, colder weather, and higher taxes, Ohio has appeal for some aging boomers like us who appreciate the beautiful old architecture and a slower pace in many places. I love the railroading photos... railroading goes back 5 generations on my father's side; I too worked in the trade repairing railcars in my grandfather's (Evanston, WY) shop the 1970's. I still love the old depots, steam engines and the unique railroad atmosphere. That's one 19th century invention that has not been made obsolete... yet. Thanks for the photos.

It seems that Mayor Mallory did a credible job as undercover boss. He was also quite adept at side-stepping the delicate issue of compensating the other participants by referring to "friends" as benefactors. All in all, I think he portrayed Cincinnati's city employees in a positive light and did not try to sensationalize or trivialize anyone's role. It might have been better to have chosen sunny days for filming because one is left with the impression that Cincinnati is perpetually cold and gloomy. It was interesting that Mallory's Dayton St. family home location was referred to as "Millionaire's Row" rather than as Historic Dayton St. or the West End. It would have been nicer if some more PR for the city itself had been worked into the episode (to offset the presence of dead animals littering the streets) but overall it was tactful and credible. Just my outsider impressions...

The juxtaposition of Mayor Mallory with J. Bieber borders on the bizarre. Seems like Mallory is trying to become a bona fide "celebrity" politician in the tradition of Jerry Springer who also once took his turn in the Mayor's seat. He's also appearing in Undercover Boss (March 6 on CBS) maybe as part of a conscious effort to raise his name recognition nationally. Maybe its all part of his personal aspirations for a national political office run in the future? At least Mallory is helping to raise the profile and national awareness of Cincinnati at a time when the city seems to be making progress. (despite the national recession) We are living now in an era of "celebrity" politicians; witness Obama, Palin, et al...

Buffalo's recognition in historic architecture circles is well-deserved as these photos vividly demonstrate. The challenge today is to preserve these reminders of the City's glorious past. Thanks for sharing.

Neil, I've spent a lot of time looking at this project's footprint. Interesting that the six homes along E. University are also going to be re-zoned, but not immediately demolished and redeveloped. I think it's safe to assume that those Euclid Avenue homes on the east side of the avenue as well as those fronting E. University will be the next redevelopment phase. These kinds of re-development projects, if financially successful, tend to spread with a domino effect by gradually consuming block after block until the old neighborhood disappears. The questions to be answered: does Corryville have adequate new apartments and multi-family housing at this time? At what point will the neighborhood be saturated with this type of housing? Last, is this (multi-family redevelopment) the best and highest purpose for the land? One thing's certain-the historic homes up for demo are among the best of their kind surviving in Corryville. No matter what gets built, this picturesque slice of 19th century architecture will be lost forever along with the old world craftsmanship, designs, and now scarce materials (old growth lumber) that went into building these homes. In short: they don't build them like that anymore and never will again. I was also surprised to read in the aforementioned article about these homes being "slightly blighted to vacant to condemned". This description makes it sound like a virulent slum yet one has to look hard to find any of these deficiencies. These carefully crafted negative terms reduce the perceived value of what is being lost by converting them from picturesque to "eyesores". Taken literally, it makes the developer seem like he's doing the neighborhood a huge favor by eradicating this worthless "blight". In any event, gathering all the support you can is a good idea. Perhaps create a facebook page (as has been done for the Gamble House) and see how many "friends" of Euclid Avenue can be quickly found. I do not have the timetable for the re-zoning but I'm sure time is short. Wish I could be there to lend a hand (I'm in Texas) but it's often outsiders who recognize the value in the things locals take for granted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a favorable outcome.

Who's to say that responsible renters, including students and those who live in the neighborhood and care about the neighborhood can't make a difference? Yes for this is a more transient group, but I think they can help out too ;). For any successful effort to save these endangered homes, there has to be some vocal and visible support from those who live in the neighborhood. Right now, we only have a few folks on UO discussing this matter and our discussions are largely academic. I've been in contact with the Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) about the endangered Euclid Avenue properties during the past couple of days and they inform me they can present an argument for saving them but first there has to be visible support from neighborhood residents or from those having a direct stake in the neighborhood. With few exceptions, no organization has the authority to implement historic preservation based solutions without the support of neighborhood stakeholders. Therefore, I urge if there are any individuals (students, faculty, renters) or, as you suggested, some sympathetic developers or property managers, they need to come forward quickly and represent an advocacy voice for saving these historic homes. Otherwise, we will once again be lamenting their loss and then quietly move on to discussing the newest Cincinnati preservation emergency. If you or someone you know supports saving these unique homes, please personally contact the CPA and state your support. Zoning hearings will be forthcoming as well as (likely) City Council project approval so the more visible the support for preserving historic Euclid Avenue, the more likely this objective can be accomplished. Worth remembering is the more famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland that was once "America's Showplace" (there's a book about Euclid Ave. by that name) encompassing 4 miles of grand Victorian era mansions, but all has been almost totally obliterated. Maybe those surviving homes on Euclid Avenue in Cincinnati will have a better fate.

" what we need for a situation like the one in Corryville is something of a two-tier approach. If they want to upzone the area and demolish those nice existing houses, then the new development had better be so awesome that nobody could possibly object to it. That CAN be done, but I won't pretend that it's easy. If they can't deliver a good design, then no upzoning, and they'll have to make do with infill and preservation of the best properties. " Some issues in the 800 block of Euclid Avenue make saving the stately historic homes there daunting. A check on the Co. Auditor's property data pages shows that most of these historic homes are owned by rental LLC's and other property management firms. To their credit, most of the homes remain unaltered and still present visually historic facades to the streetscape. However, the owners are there to make a profit and little else. From their perspective, so long as they are adequately compensated, few objections to a wholesale demolition would likely be voiced. In a more cohesive neighborhood with homeowner occupied residences, a strong opposition to redevelopment could be mounted and it might help preserve the area intact. Enough remains there to create a compact National Register historic district with appropriate in-fill housing, but finding property owner support is critical. In other places, financial incentives exist to preserve these 125+ year old homes but not in Cincinnati. Most likely, T.I.F. or "Enterprise Zone" incentives are available to the developer for demolishing and building new but none are available for preserving the existing homes. Alternately, a developer who personally cared about preserving this impressive area of historic homes could also find a way to build in-fill, architecturally compatible housing on the current vacant lots while upgrading the existing historic homes (most in good repair and currently rented) for a more upscale rental market. (perhaps for university faculty members and other professionals?) It is unrealistic to expect expensive new "mansion grade" housing in an area where most housing is decidedly marketed towards (less expensive) student housing needs. The wholesale conversion of Corryville into block after block of student housing does not bode well long term. A future fluctuation in student housing demand might bring in other renters who are only seeking the cheapest place to rent. Student housing areas are rarely neighborhood points of interest unless you are a student so Corryville is forfeiting a lot of potential economic opportunities in exchange for immediate redevelopment. Regardless of these issues, the most pressing problem now is finding someone or some people who live in this area and are willing to voice their opposition to demolition in exchange for redevelopment. A preservation friendly solution, when there's little or no support from the existing rental property owners or few homeowner residents, is very challenging. In a more preservation conscious city, the developer(s) would be required to take steps to mitigate historic home losses (even to the point of relocating some structures) but not in Cincinnati. If nothing else, this situation points to a real problem for Cincinnati as it tries to balance the need for new growth as well as preserve its tremendous architectural heritage. A balanced city policy which accomplishes both objectives has been proven in other cities but has yet to emerge in Cincinnati. Since the problem is inherently political and local it will be up to the citizens of Cincinnati to bring these issues into balance. The perception that Cincinnati does not care about its architectural heritage presents a serious impediment for bringing newcomers and investment into town. Now is the time to deal with this city-wide issue which is not limited to Corryville.

Thanks for the fascinating info!

I commented on one of the photos stating that there seemed to be some archaeological evidence (brick walls, pottery, and glass shards) showing in the trenches and wondered if any scientific investigations had been conducted. I also noted that historically part of Washington Park had once been used for human burials. It made me a bit queasy to read the reply that some remains had been recently excavated and re-buried at Spring Grove cemetery. All of that excavated dirt from the site probably had many small treasures and artifacts long buried beneath the ground. Some folks with metal detectors and-or sifters could have probably discovered them but it's all been hauled off now. Wonder what Washington Park looked like before it became a park?

Although long ago mostly converted to (mainly student) rental uses, the existing historic homes along Euclid Avenue were built as grand single family and apartment residences when Corryville was a prosperous 19th century neighborhood. These fine brick and frame homes sometimes sporting towers, dormers, ornamental porches, and turrets, would be considered cherished architectural landmarks in other cities less blessed with historic architecture. Only in Cincinnati would they ever be considered expendable for modern student housing. When these old homes are gone, so too will be the neighborhood charm created by having this unique architecture from over 125 years ago. We've all been to sections of cities which are "apartment-villes" with block after block of bland, low-rent contemporary residential complexes. and, unless we live there, they are usually areas to be avoided. Why re-develop (or "rebrand") Corryville into this uglier image? It is unrealistic to hope that what might be built here will somehow be architecturally impressive; the original homes were individually designed at considerable cost and were considered "artistic" at a time when such things mattered in architecture. Today, functionalism rules and everything is about the numbers. (densities, profits) While in-fill housing can be designed to be compatible with the existing historic homes, we all know in this case it's about taking the easy and most profitable route and just clear-cutting everything. The result is the same as if it were being built out in the far suburbs and nothing will distinguish this redeveloped area from any similar apartment housing development in Atlanta, Dallas, or Phoenix. Surely there remains enough vacant land in Corryville for redevelopment to consider alternatives and preserve this unique picturesque historic streetscape. In the current rush to build a more modern Cincinnati, the past is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Other more successful cities have recognized their historic architectural assets and embraced them to enrich their neighborhood and city identity. Imagine San Francisco without its iconic Victorian row houses? Reading about these redevelopment plans is akin to being kicked in the stomach-such a senseless, short-sighted waste! And yes, where is the CPA's voice in this and why aren't Corryville residents enraged about some of their neighborhood's finest architectural assets being erased forever so that someone can make a quick buck without having to live with the results?

Great news for both landmarks!

Very good points. The Potters Bank building in East Liverpool is an excellent example of buildings disappearing one at a time until only one or two isolated buildings remain standing, now very visibly out of their original context. These isolated survivors are then far more prone to come down as well to finally end up with large "demolition greenspaces" in place of a once dense built environment. Amazing to learn how so many of these structures in the video succumbed to fires-made even more remarkable because they were vacant at the time while their stone and brick construction often caused them to be considered "fireproof". This is a sobering catalog of losses that seems to continue year after year. Hardly ever is something new built on the demo site that equals the scale and quality of the historic building that was torn down. Wish we could see many more nicely restored and adaptively re-used historic structures instead. There's nothing "green" or progressive about this senseless waste. The "urban renewal" model has been a failure since the 1950's.

Wellsville, East Liverpool, and communities on the WV side of the river (Wheeling, WV in particular) down to Williamstown, WV are declining and need some kind of economic boost. Maybe an "enterprise" zone with tax incentives for new and existing small businesses would help? In looking at the official Wellsville website, there was talk there several years ago about an alternative energy (ethanol?) plant to be built with 2,500 construction workers coming into town. It appears the project went bust or never happened. It was sad to see the website's collection of photos showing old Wellsville buildings and landmarks being demolished and then oddly tagged as "progress". (?) Many of the links on the site were dead and no apparent updates in several years. As already mentioned, The East Liverpool-Wellsville area at the turn of the last century made some of the finest ceramics in the nation and shipped their quality wares to all corners. The Pottery Museum in E. Liverpool tells the story of this glorious period and has some exquisite examples of local products. Quality glassware was also produced in this region with artistic examples now being very collectible. As always seems to be the case, foreign producers with lower production costs brought about the demise of local manufacturing. The quality was lower as well, but consumers often choose cheaper over quality. To survive, this region will have to re-invent its local economy with new, sustainable models. Planning a successful regional economic transformation should keep the Phd. types busy for a while. This is one of the most picturesque areas anywhere authentically revealing "old" small town Americana; folks should go see it soon before its gone forever. I appreciate Ink taking these photos; they are the proverbial tip of the iceberg as for how much there actually is to see in the region. (one of my personal favorites to visit)

Robert, That is so true. Perhaps the only thing more endangered than small town America is the traditional American family owned and operated farm. Just as the Mom & Pop Main St. businesses have given way to national chain stores operated by huge corporations, so too have small farms been replaced by "corporate" farms of enormous size and scale. As you mentioned, both the supplies and the markets for the corporate farms' produce are located far away, not from the local farming communities as in the past. This, of course, puts even more economic strain on these fading communities. You are also correct about the Amish carrying on the old farming traditions but they are too few in number to make much of a difference. I recall one community in Missouri, (Jamesport) which was in steep decline but got a new lease on life when Amish and Mennonite families started buying up old family farms close to the community. In turn, they soon bought some of the old vacant storefronts in town and opened up an Amish bakery, restaurant, gift shops, and similar enterprises. While the town isn't booming, it isn't in decline either. Guess we need a few million more Amish farmers?

Nice photos, Ink. Too many vacant storefronts and overall a scenery of abandonment and decline. But this phenomenon is not just in Wellsville, or Ohio, or even Appalachia, I can show you similar dying small towns in the deep South, in Nebraska, Montana, Texas, Arizona, and even in Oregon. As we become more globalized and internationally competitive, economic investment bypasses smaller communities in favor of large urban centers. Those small communities, which once depended on manufacturing or agriculture, have been especially hard hit because our current "service" based economy isn't part of these places. Some kind of new economic model or tax-reduction based investment policy will have to be offered to make these places attractive and level the economic playing field in order to make them competitive with the large regional urban centers. (cities) Otherwise, IMHO, the countless fading American small towns from coast to coast will be gone in another generation or two. BTW, that last photo of an 1890's towered Queen Anne style house is really a diamond in the rough-opening up the beautiful wrap-around porch and a period appropriate paint job would make this old house pop. Perhaps then it could be used as a bed & breakfast? Sellers are asking $28k for the yellow house in your photos-looks like some cheap real estate there. Some good old bones in this town.

Ohio has plenty of talented restoration people; the badly deteriorated 1860's Cozad House mansion in Cleveland has recently been brought back to beautiful original condition. It is comparable in size and scope to the Steele Mansion minus the fire damage. No shortage in Ohio for structural engineers either including some who are knowledgeable about fire (and water) damaged structures. I'm currently based in Texas (gasp!) but intend to relocate to Cincinnati when logistics permit. I have tackled projects in St. Joseph, MO and Vallejo, CA, but a project as extensive as the Steele Mansion presents many uncertainties. To be successful, it will require a team approach with multi-disciplinary expertise being called on, especially for the structural issues. When I'm in Ohio again, I'd enjoy going by and taking a look at the Steele Mansion to find out how the project is going. From the photos, videos, and article, it looks do-able, but definitely isn't a project for the faint of heart or shallow of pocket. I hope the owner realizes what he's getting into-he should go watch the movie THE MONEY PIT at least 3 times before going forward. Some aspects of that movie seem almost documentary when compared to the real life experiences of restoring historic structures.

Kind of reads like a mixed bag of good and bad news. While the house has a new owner with plans to reconstruct it, the new owner also admits having zero experience in historic restorations or ever tackling a project of this scale. The ideal owner would be someone who has already completed a similar project or two of this scale and knows exactly what they are getting themselves into. The newspaper article author should be commended for pointing out some key ingredients for project success. The most critical among these is putting a roof over the shell. Only when the interior is in the dry can any serious interior work begin. Stabilization of the exterior walls should be headed by a structural engineer with personal experience stabilizing damaged historic masonry-stone structures. It may very well be necessary to install some temporary steel beam braces to insure the weakened walls can hold up a roof until additional load bearing interior walls can be reconstructed. The $1-2 million dollar projected price tag is realistic unless the new owner's family members have had years of experience in reconstructing badly deteriorated structures. A project of this kind is exponentially more challenging than run-of-the-mill old house re-dos. (and believe me, even those can have a goodly share of nasty and costly surprises) My only advice to the new owner is to not hesitate bringing in expert help whenever problems occur which they inevitably will. I've worked on a couple of projects similar to this one and can emphatically state that they will take longer and have far more costly surprises than are ever anticipated. Someone mentioned in the article comments the PBS show that renovates old houses; applying their upscale standards to this house might take it well over the $2 million mark. I sincerely hope the house reconstruction isn't being naively looked at through rose colored glasses. There appear to be some good "bones" in what remains of the old mansion, but they are just that: bones. The current reality is a very long way from a pristine-looking fully reconstructed and renovated mansion. I wish the new owner and his family helpers the best of luck in their new venture-they sure will need it.