Posted December 21, 201113 yr The following set of 56 photos was taken on October 22, 2011, during an Urban Ohio meetup and tour through Downtown. Following a walk through Fountain Square, down E Fourth Street, through Great American Tower at Queen City Square and Lytle Park, and then past The Banks development, we headed back up into the heart of Downtown. Carew Tower, until early this year Cincinnati's tallest skyscraper, has an observation deck on the 49th floor. $2. Recommended. After an extended period of time taking photos, a roar could be heard from the streets below. Protesters from Occupy Cincinnati were making their way down E Fifth Street -- toward Fountain Square -- for a rally. Later, we went down to check it out. The final two photos are just pretty, from Walker Street in Mount Auburn. Photos from the observation deck generally start looking northward and move in a clockwise direction. Like what you see? There are now 4,461 photos of Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods available here. Comment and share! 1. Onward! 2. Over-the-Rhine. (L-R) Elm, Race, and Vine streets. Macy's and Kroger buildings prominent, also School for Creative and Performing Arts, Music Hall, Washington Park. The University of Cincinnati is at the top right of the photo. 3. Over-the-Rhine. Race Street left, Vine Street right. 4. Up the hillside, from Main and Mulberry in Over-the-Rhine, to Dorsey Street and Christ Hospital in Mount Auburn, to the steeple-free Old St. George Church in Clifton Heights. 5. I-71, with Gilbert Avenue winding northeastward toward Walnut Hills. In the foreground, construction on Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. Portions of Mount Adams and East Walnut Hills are also visible. 6. A closer look at the casino construction site. Visible are such buildings as the Hamilton County Justice Center, the Hamilton County Administration Building, the Flatiron Building, and 800 Broadway (Times-Star Building). 7. Even closer. Reading Road splits the Downtown casino site from the Pendleton neighborhood. 8. Newish signage on the Fifth Third Building. 9. Nada, at E Sixth and Walnut streets Downtown. The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for the Contemporary Arts is at left. 10. Government Square bus hub, E Fifth and Main streets. Surrounding buildings include the Potter Stewart United States Courthouse, John Weld Peck Federal Building, and PNC Center. 11. Rusty mechanicals. 12. Looking over I-71 at Mount Adams and beyond. Notable: The Holy Cross Church and Monastery, the Celestial, the Edgecliff and Edgecliff Point condominium towers. On the other (same) side of the Ohio River, one can make out the red-brick St. Rose Church. 13. A close-up of Mount Adams and Cincinnati's East End. Notable: Holy Cross Church and Monastery, the Celestial, Holy Cross-Immaculata Church, and St. Rose Church. 14. Closer. 15. Columbia Parkway (U.S. 50) winds its way out of Downtown, past Park Place at Lytle, Adams Landing, and the Palisades of Mount Adams. 16. Approach to the Purple People Bridge, and an amphitheatre at Sawyer Point Park. 17. I-471 going southeastward into Northern Kentucky. The City of Newport is in the foreground, St. Elizabeth Fort Thomas is the complex at the top right. 18. Great American Tower at Queen City Square. I-471 and Northern Kentucky in the background. 19. Again, zoomed out. The Daniel Carter Beard (Big Mac) Bridge (I-471), the approach to the Purple People Bridge, and Newport's SouthShore condo tower. 20. The Tower and Newport. Here you can see the Purple People Bridge leading to Newport on the Levee, the utilitarian Taylor Southgate Bridge, U.S. Bank Arena, part of Great American Ball Park, and reflections off of the back of Scripps Center. 21. A shot that kind of combines the last two. 22. So photogenic on a sunny day. 23. U.S. Bank Arena and Taylor Southgate Bridge. 24. Taylor Southgate Bridge, Newport, and more reflections. Was my desktop for a while. 25. First phase of The Banks development, with the E Second and Walnut street intersection at the bottom of the photo. Portions of the Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center are visible. 26. The Banks and Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park construction, plus the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Across the Ohio, Newport is on the left and Covington is on the right. A small portion of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is visible at right. 27. PNC Tower and parking. Eventually, that parking will be capped by development. 28. Boater on the Ohio, having passed under the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. 29. Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals. In the background, the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge carries several U.S. highways into Kentucky, and the double-decked Brent Spence Bridge carries I-71 and I-75. 30. Duke Energy Convention Center and the intersection of W Fifth and Elm streets. 31. Looking northwest toward the West End. Front to back, such highlights as the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Building, the beautiful City Hall, Uptown Towers, the prison-like Hays/Porter Elementary School, and the City West HOPE VI development. 32. A closer look at the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Building and some urban trees. 33. Similar to two photos back, except this one now shows the Betts Longworth Historic District, an unattractive Duke Energy substation, the Fire Museum of Greater Cincinnati and Lloyd Library and Museum, and the Waldo Apartments. 34. Looking over City West at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal and the CSX Queensgate Yard. 35. Looking northwest. City West and Stargel Stadium, Taft IT High School, Stanley Rowe Towers, I-75, and the Western Hills and Hopple Street viaducts. 36. The Singing Mural on the side of WCET's studios, with the suburban-style Court Street Center I office building in the foreground. 37. Back to Over-the-Rhine, watching W McMicken Avenue, Central Parkway, and Central Avenue bend toward the northwest. At the top right, you can see some of the hillside development in Clifton Heights and Fairview. 38. Here come the Occupiers. 39. ... 40. ... 41. Occupy Cincinnati rally on Fountain Square. No comments..they tell their own story. 42. ... 43. ... 44. ... 45. ... 46. ... 47. ... 48. ... 49. ... 50. ... 51. ... 52. ... 53. At Mynt Martini on Fountain Square. What rally? 54. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.... 55. Remember flowers? 56. And color?
December 22, 201113 yr These are some of the most cleiar Carew Tower Observation Deck photos I have seen. Thanks for posting! I am delighted that the horizon line can still be seen through the lattice on Queen City Square. I suspect that this wasn't intended, but a happy coincidence. Another happy coincidence is the way that the CG&E building is reflected in the glass of 312 Walnut, the downward perspective view of the Central Trust Tower, and the way that the Ohio River is partly hidden from view but still makes an appearance in the west. All of these things and more enhance the Carew Tower experience.
December 22, 201113 yr ^I think it had rained the day before, lending to a clear day. Great photos Kevin. This one was the first I have seen of the interior courtyards on top of the parking decks at The Banks:
December 22, 201113 yr Another nice collection of photos. One thing that stands out to me is the high density of the OTR and the almost suburban-like newer construction spread out around it. The downtown CBD core is still high density but once you move out a bit the density levels drop off very quickly. Newport still looks densely built from this perspective-of course, modern construction reflects the car-centric culture not the pedestrian friendly, human scaled layout of the old OTR area. Thanks for these great photos...BTW, the OWS Movement has almost disappeared off the public radar screen lately but politics seems to be taking center stage right now.
December 22, 201113 yr Great photos Kevin. This one was the first I have seen of the interior courtyards on top of the parking decks at The Banks: Yeah, when Ronny and I went on the tour of the Banks in March, we couldn't really see that. You can see the vegetation from Walnut Street, but it's not apparent what is actually going on up there.
December 22, 201113 yr Another nice collection of photos. One thing that stands out to me is the high density of the OTR and the almost suburban-like newer construction spread out around it. The downtown CBD core is still high density but once you move out a bit the density levels drop off very quickly. Newport still looks densely built from this perspective-of course, modern construction reflects the car-centric culture not the pedestrian friendly, human scaled layout of the old OTR area. Thanks for these great photos...BTW, the OWS Movement has almost disappeared off the public radar screen lately but politics seems to be taking center stage right now. I don't know about that. What's left of the West End is still pretty dense, Clifton Heights, Fairview, Mount Auburn, etc. are as well. Maybe not OTR dense, but small lot dense. But I guess this could be an argument about what one considers "dense". If you mean attached buildings, then you are right. But I consider streets like Victor, Stratford, or McGregor fairly dense.
December 22, 201113 yr Another nice collection of photos. One thing that stands out to me is the high density of the OTR and the almost suburban-like newer construction spread out around it. The downtown CBD core is still high density but once you move out a bit the density levels drop off very quickly. Newport still looks densely built from this perspective-of course, modern construction reflects the car-centric culture not the pedestrian friendly, human scaled layout of the old OTR area. Thanks for these great photos...BTW, the OWS Movement has almost disappeared off the public radar screen lately but politics seems to be taking center stage right now. I don't know about that. What's left of the West End is still pretty dense, Clifton Heights, Fairview, Mount Auburn, etc. are as well. Maybe not OTR dense, but small lot dense. But I guess this could be an argument about what one considers "dense". If you mean attached buildings, then you are right. But I consider streets like Victor, Stratford, or McGregor fairly dense. Agreed, my "argument" was that newer construction is of much lower density than the old in most cases. Compare the old aerial photos of the West End with what remains there now and you can see a sharp difference between the new and old. The Queensgate development was once just as dense as the old West End but the whole Kenyon-Barr neighborhood was leveled and what replaced it was low density commercial/industrial. Until land values or zoning requirements mandate denser development we will continue to see suburban type new development built in former urban areas as the norm. Of course, one could argue that there's no need for dense development anymore because the pedestrian friendly era of the long ago past is long gone and privately owned cars will always be with us. Suburban campus type development placed in an urban setting makes more sense with that logic. (hey, it worked for Houston, TX which now takes up over 500 sq. miles) I personally like the old density, even if it is functionally obsolete.
December 23, 201113 yr Awesome photos. I forgot about those bees! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 23, 201113 yr The bees are hilarious. What's up with the bullet strap? In lieu of stinger...ratatatatat!
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