Wasn't it the J.C. Newberry Co. - kinda of a five and dime store also - right on the corner of Fifth and Race? Or was that at Sixth and Race, across the street from Dodd Jewelers (605 Race Street and yes I can still hear that damn jingle).

 

Newberry's was on sisth street near race.  Not quitew at the corner.  I think the sign is still on the building, but it is now some type of beuty supply store. We used to buy "novelty IDs" there back in the late 70's that could actually get you into bars in Clifton.

How in the hell did this car get out there?

 

I think I remember some auto company being a sponsor of Tall Stacks 88, maybe they parked a car out there to display?

I can't believe I am just getting around to this amazing thread, while I am sure it is a walk back in time for some, I can't help but think of all the visual improvements we have today.  Riverfront Stadium and Ft. Washington Way were hideous.  Amazing to see Woolworth's on 5th Street, I used to go to Woolworth's all the time with my Grandma in Long Island.

 

I would love to hear more about those tracks on the riverfront, what where they used for?  Are they part of the track system that is still visible between the Bicentennial Commons parking lot and Sawyer's Point?

 

 

 

Don't apologize for the quality of the pictures, I like the old pictures that look old. The Main St picture in particular of Fort washington Hotel is incredible.

Its funny, I've only lived in Cincinnati for 4 years now and I'm already getting possessive, its not the suspension bridge its the "Roebling". LOL. I've really taken to that bridge for some reason.

Its funny, I've only lived in Cincinnati for 4 years now and I'm already getting possessive, its not the suspension bridge its the "Roebling". LOL. I've really taken to that bridge for some reason.

 

You're misplacing your possessiveness. I find that most locals simply call it the Suspension Bridge. It's only been named after Roebling since the 1980s.

Really? Thats wild it didn't have a name the first 120 years it was around?

Kind of ironic too that Washington Roebling built it and his dad John gets all the credit.

I guess being new I love things that long time residents take for granted.

 

The shots of the Purple People bridge with cars on it are priceless, how many accidents happened on there, it looks way too narrow for traffic.

Really? Thats wild it didn't have a name the first 120 years it was around?

 

It was named the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge.

I thought Washington Roebling finished the Brooklyn Bridge after his father passed away during construction.    I am pretty sure Cincy's Bridge is all big John's undertaking.    Washington was probably involved though.

Nope, John designed it and left for Brooklyn. Never saw it again until a few years after it was finished.

Interesting!  Lived here my whole life and have been wrong the entire time! :drunk:

The cars were placed on the ice breakers for many years by Toyota, during the Toyota/WEBN fireworks.

See I learned something new, I didn't know those pillars were ice breakers.

See I learned something new, I didn't know those pillars were ice breakers.

 

Pfsh! ... and you call yourself a Cincinnatian.

This coming from "Cincinnatis"

This coming from "Cincinnatis"

 

Whatever ... I wish you were standing right in front of me at this very second, because I'd ask you to spell thorough real fast.

Alright, Drew Carey.

I found this rare photo online and I thought I would share.

 

... crazy.

Cool picture. My understanding is that the flood waters never reached beyond Third Street in the downtown area because of the difference in height between Third and Fourth Streets.

Thanks for sharing...this is great.

Really interesting!

Bumping this old thread.  Any other good old pics you guys have dug up?

Great stuff, I think I was moving during this thread. While the city has certainly changed, I think the period 87-2007 will be seen as one of relative stasis downtown compared to what's expected to come online in the next 10-25 years.

^I tend to agree but don't forget the removal of old and construction of new stadiums/bridge...I also tend to minimize these b/c they are public but those have certainly altered the skyline radically. Also, Scripps, Chemed, 312.  Maybe 1992 to 2000 would be static.

Really? Thats wild it didn't have a name the first 120 years it was around?

Kind of ironic too that Washington Roebling built it and his dad John gets all the credit.

I guess being new I love things that long time residents take for granted.

 

The shots of the Purple People bridge with cars on it are priceless, how many accidents happened on there, it looks way too narrow for traffic.

 

I realize this comment is super old, but I'm replying to it anyway.  Yes, the long time locals call it The Suspension Bridge.  I prefer the new name, but I just can't get the old one out of my head.  I still refer to it as The Suspension Bridge, almost exclusively.

 

And yes, the South Bank Bridge was terrifying.  I only drove across it once, but that was enough to leave a lasting impression.  My high school had prom at Music Hall and somehow my girlfriend and I got detoured onto that bridge on the way home.  Wow.  I was whiteknuckled all the way over because there was a ton of fast moving traffic on it and it wasn't nearly wide enough.  I think that was the last year that was open to traffic.  I still think about that night and laugh every time I walk across it.

^Do you remember how - if you were headed south into KY - that the bridge unbelievably got narrower about 1/3 of the way across?  I would guess the lanes were no more than 9' at the narrowest.

Yes, but I thought it was my mind distorting the memory!  Glad to hear it isn't just me.

 

Speaking of which, after the railroad stopped using that bridge, I always thought it would be cool if they had paved both sides and had traffic moving between Newport and Cincinnati separated with one lane on each side of the bridge.  There would have been plenty of room for that and it still would have left the walk way in between for pedestrians, though I'm not sure how that would enter/exit the walkway without crossing the lanes.  Alas, it was not to be.

The building on the northwest corner of 5th & Vine was Mabley & Carew's department store until the early 1980's (late 70's - hard to remember).  Until the mid-1960's there was also a J.C. Penney store at 5th & Race (about where Saks is - again, it's hard to remember). 

 

There were four department stores and many window displays through the 80's.  I remember going on Xmas shopping trips there as a kid and it was very much like Miracle on 34th St., with many people on the sidewalks and crowded stores. 

That's a pretty good description as that's how I also remember Christmas.  As a child there were 2 mandatory shopping trips to Downtown each year, one just before the beginning of the school year and the other at Christmas.  This was true even though our family lived only a mile from the extremely modern Swifton Shopping Center (which was also anchored by Mabley & Carew) and the fact that my father thought that McAlpin's at Kenwood Shopping Center (which was a strip mall) and Shillito's at Tri County Shopping Center (then an open air mall - really 2 strip malls facing each other) were the most perfect shopping experiences on the planet (if you leave out going for ice cream at Berling's Dairy).  I always thought that the Downtown Shillito's had the best window displays (lots of toys in the windows on Elm at 7th).  Shillito's still had a "bargain basement" that was in the basement until they closed.

 

My strangest memory of the bargain basement was walking up Race Street around 1979 on my way to Shillito's.  Just as I was going to head into the store a burly looking guy (picture David Crosby) came running out of the "Bargain Basement" with a pair of blue jeans and headed south on Race.  Boy, you don't see that everyday.  After a few minutes in the store and no luck locating what I had gone in there for (new polyester pants for the disco?) I headed back out the door.  Just as I was leaving a guy grabbed a handful of something from a display by the exit and took off running south on Race Street.  Boy, you don't see that everyday. 

 

The one advantage to the Downtown trips was going through the arcade in the Carew Tower.  There was a novelty shop about midway on the 5th Street side that sold magic supplies and more useful items like x-ray glasses, chattering teeth, and that chewing gum that made your tongue turn black.  If I really want to start struggling with my memory I'll type a little about Potter's shoe store and walking down the little island on 5th Street that had a fountain in the middle and was eventually bulldozed for 5th/3rd......

I must say even into the 90s, the McAlpin's at Kenwood was one of the better anchor stores around. What a travesty Dillard's has been.

I've only been in Kenwood Towne Center twice, the second time I was drunk and needed dress shoes.  I kept wandering around wondering where the hell they moved the men's shoes until I finally realized I was in Macy's, not Dillard's. 

That's what happens when we let west siders cross the border. Northgate is more your speed.  :wink:

Jake you're a piece of work.  :D

That's what happens when we let west siders cross the border. Northgate is more your speed.  :wink:

 

NICE!

Here are a few old Cincinnati photos from the early 70's of Fountain Square and Vine St. at 6th I found in an old photo album...

 

 

 

 

Wow!  That is the first pic I have ever seen  of the Albee Theater in it's original location.

I like that the roads are fresh paved in those pics

It's a shame we lost that brick beauty for the Westin Hotel.

Ditto...

 

The demolition of the south side of 5th street was a major travesty.

Yeah, i was going to say.  The westin looks MUCH better than those buildings.

It's a sad day when the Convergys Tower or whatever it's called today is a better building than the thing that was previously there.

Maybe they should just recreate the appearance of this demolished part of 5th St. at The Banks.  The block lengths are the same.  They (sort of) do it in Las Vegas.  And throw in the Sinton Hotel while you're at it, I say. 

Really enjoyed these pictures!  I can't remember the last time I thought about being in Bell Block News!!

 

Maybe they should just recreate the appearance of this demolished part of 5th St. at The Banks.  The block lengths are the same.  They (sort of) do it in Las Vegas.  And throw in the Sinton Hotel while you're at it, I say. 

 

I really like that idea.  That's such a good idea that there is no way that it will happen.  :-(  Yep, and lets knock down the 5/3 building and put the fountain back where it was!  Since we're dreaming here I would also like to see fire alarm boxes brought back to the street corners and I'm all for the trolleys and the completion of the subway.  Now, if it were only 1930 or so and I had a good camera I could be happy......

It's a sad day when the Convergys Tower or whatever it's called today is a better building than the thing that was previously there.

 

Actually, I believe that is where the Palace Theatre sat, one of the last big three downtown to be lost, you just can't see it in the photo.  A forumer older than I might be able to verify that.

It's kind of tough for me to make out, but is the fountain at street level?  And if so, does this mean that this is the original configuration of fountain square?  The only pics I've seen of that previously were from the early 1900s, but I liked it MUCH better than what they replaced it with, and even a little better than how it looks now.

 

The Albee's facade looks fantastic in its original setting.

 

Great pics.  Thanks for sharing them!

It's kind of tough for me to make out, but is the fountain at street level? And if so, does this mean that this is the original configuration of fountain square? The only pics I've seen of that previously were from the early 1900s, but I liked it MUCH better than what they replaced it with, and even a little better than how it looks now.

 

The Albee's facade looks fantastic in its original setting.

 

Great pics. Thanks for sharing them!

 

The fountain was moved to the location on the plaza at 5th and Vine when the 5th/3rd complex was built in the late 1960's.  The plaza location is where the fountain remained until last year.  Prior to that the fountain was on a center island that divided the block on 5th between Vine and Walnut Streets.  The island was kind of a park with benches and plantings.  Much nicer than what exists today, but a far smaller place when you want to gather a crowd.

^ Cool.  Thanks for the clarification.  I was having a hard time placing "where" the fountain is in those pics, because I wasn't familiar with the square in this time period and it's changed a lot since then.

I decided to scan in some images from some books of mine of Cincinnati during the late 19th and early-mid 20th Centuries. Lots of transit fun and interesting views in/around the center city. Enjoy!

 

 

1. Looking west on 4th Street

 

2. Looking east on 4th Street near Sycamore Street

 

3. Bellevue Incline

 

4. Bellevue House...in an effort to boost incline ridership several resorts opened up at the top of the inclines. The effort worked as people "escaped" the pollution in the basin for the "clear skies" at the top of the hills at these resorts. They often boasted dance halls, beer gardens and restaurants.

 

5. Another view of the Belleview Incline

 

6. Carew Tower in 1930

 

7. Proposal for a boulevard replacement of the Miami-Erie Canal. This is Central Parkway today.

 

8. And here is another graphic of the proposal for the canal replacement. This one includes the subway that was also envisioned (and built, just never finished).

 

9. And another graphic

 

10. Here's the canal near Mohawk

 

11. Similar view, but frozen

 

12. Central District Subway Loop Plan from 1940

 

13. The next few are images of the newly completed Central Parkway back in 1928

 

14.

 

15.

 

16.

 

17. Eden Park entrance in 1900

 

18. Another view of that entrance with a streetcar running above. The bridge was discovered to have some structural issues, and streetcar routes were moved to Gilbert Avenue. The bridge was then demolished.

 

19. Fountain Square in 1925

 

20. Fountain Square again (not sure of date)

 

21. Gilbert Avenue Viaduct in 1920

 

22. Government Square in 1920

 

23. These are "highwater cars" that were developed after several large floods. They were used where there were high flood waters so that people could still be transported around.

 

24. Another canal image

 

25. Mt. Adams and the eastern portions of the basin in the foreground

 

26. Mt. Adams incline in 1905 (Cincinnati's longest operating incline)

 

27. Same incline in 1910

 

28. Streetcar stop at the edge of the O'Bryonville business district

 

29. "Observation Cars" were introduced for riders to take a scenic trip through Cincinnati. For 25 cents you could take a tour of the Queen City during the Summer months.

 

30. People enjoying an Ohio River beach in the Bellvue/Dayton Kentucky area around 1925

 

31. The Price Hill incline was probably the most important incline. Much of Price Hill was built as a result of materials being transported up this incline. It carried stagecoaches up a stationary lift. A second parallel lift was added for freight traffic. This image is from 1876.

 

32. Das Price Hill Haus (see the German on the image). This was just like the previously seen Bellevue house that was meant to be a resort of sorts for people to escape the "progress" err pollution of the basin.

 

33. And here is the Price Hill Incline in 1905

 

34. And here is a scene from a another similar resort - the Highland House around 1880

 

35. Rapid Transit Loop plan from 1913 (never fully built thanks to the materials demand for WWI)

 

36. Rapid Transit Loop Addition Plan to finish the project from 1936 (never happened)

 

37. Streetcar map with a downtown loop that connected to OTR, Clifton Heights, Clifton, Mt. Adams, Walnut Hills...sound familiar Cincinnati?

 

38. Downtown streetcar in the 1930's

 

39. An "observation car" at W. 8th Street & Elberon in Price Hill - 1940's

 

40. Walnut Street near 5th Street in 1925

 

41. That's it, hope you enjoyed a trip back in time

o what could have been.  great pictures, definitely some architecture that was unfortunately brought down

o what could have been.  great pictures, definitely some architecture that was unfortunately brought down

 

Yes, that church in the first picture was described in the book as being torn down to make way for a parking lot that was meant to further accommodate the increasing automobile culture.  Disgusting.

The demolition of a few of those central business district churches go a long way toward making the 1848 panoramic so unrecognizable.  I took my students over to look at the panoramic at the library and we might as well have been looking at a lost civilization on Mars or the moon.