Post your city's greatest historical loss...

As much as everyone bemoans the loss of Columbus' Union Station, I think the single greatest building loss in Columbus was the original Franklin County Courthouse:

 

 

 

Lets say all of euclid ave!

Probably the buildings that were on public square, thats now a parking lot. The buildings were not that great, but at least it would hem in public square nicely

Tough question.  While Jeff's threads have shown a lot of buildings in Dayton that it would be nice to have back, I can't think of one that sticks out in my mind above the others.

Crosley Field and the neighborhood that surrounded it! I always look at old pictures and think that it could be like Wrigley and Wrigleyville :-(

does anyone have pictures of the old state penitentary in columbus, or the mental hospital?

I always liked this one...the Bond Dept store (1946 - 1978) on the corner of Euclid and E 9 in Cleveland.  While I am sure that there are 100's more architecturally significant buildings that are gone in Cleveland, there is something very sexy and forward thinking about this one...to me it harkens back to a prosperous city going forward into the 1950's with a bold and positive attitude.  And I just think it's cool.

KJP took mine: I think the Hollenden was Cleveland's biggest individual loss.  The new office tower in its place isn't so bad but the parking garage in back kills the old-downtowny romance of the side streets behind it.

I forgot...the SOM designed National City Bank HQ is on the site of the Bond store.

I'm trying to find a picture of Cleveland' youth workhouse, before the operation was relocated to Warrensville Township. The predecessor building looked downright medieval!

I was thinking of the Hollenden House as well. I loved that tower on the corner.

Speaking of corner towers, I really dig the building that metro city's Bond store building replace (the Hickox building).

 

Probably not true, but I once heard that Cleveland clients weren't willing to pay SOM's top billing rate which is why we got such bland SOM buildings (NCB and Eaton, anyhow).

The Hotel Sinton in Cincinnati has to be one of them:

 

http://www.cincinnativiews.net/buildings_main.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post by KJP from earlier today made me remember the old Hippodrome theater, on Euclid near E. 6th. It was razed for... a surface parking lot. (See the UH-Atrium thread for a photo.)

 

Even more tragic are the neighborhoods on the near southeast side bulldozed for highways (the old Central Market area and the German neighborhood near where Tri C is now)... but that falls outside the scope of this topic.

I could see the Jetson's shopping at that Bond Dept store!  That's really cool and space-age.

 

KJP, I thought St. Agnes burned, and that was why the tower still stands.  Also, the rectory house, or whatever it is, is endangered by a proposed CVS.

 

I have to second the Central Armory.  It's a very unique building.  And besides, think of all the uses we could have for a second armory.  If the Canadians ever invade, or if anarchists try to take over our streets, we only have one staging point for the local militia.

Probably not true, but I once heard that Cleveland clients weren't willing to pay SOM's top billing rate which is why we got such bland SOM buildings (NCB and Eaton, anyhow).

 

If what you heard is true, that would certainly explain why Skidmore buildings in Cleveland are big yawners....I always wondered why.  Penton Media and The Diamond Building are also SOM designed...and also nothing notable.

"made me remember the old Hippodrome theater, on Euclid near E. 6th."

 

Here you go:

In Dayton it would be entire neighborhoods and streets I'd like to have back...in this town the sum was greater than the parts.

 

The building I'd like to have back, though its not gone yet, is the Arcade.

By the way, that Hotel Sinton in Cincinnati is absolutely beautiful. I'm almost afraid to ask what it was demolished for -- and when?

I had a hard time picking just one for Middletown, so here are a couple of buildings that I wish were still standing.  Every single one of these were gone by the time I was born.

 

South School - built in 1871 and included Middletown's first high school.  Located on South Main Street.  Used by the city's school system until 1951.  Fenwick Catholic High School operated out of the building from 1952 until 1963.  Sadly, it caught fire in 1965.

 

 

On fire

 

 

After the fire...what a shame.

 

 

George M Verity Residence, South Main Street.  The Veritys did not build this house constructed in 1890s.  It was designed by a Cincinnati favorite, Samuel Hannaford (several structures in Middletown were).  Mr. and Mrs. Verity died within months of each other.  The family tore down the house.

 

 

Paramount Theater

Constructed in 1931 with seating for 2,000, this was a favorite of locals.  My grandfather worked there while in high school and both he, my mom and dad all recalled the grandeur of this building, which was torn down in the 1960s.

 

 

Evangelical Lutheran and First Presbyterian Churches

I love old churches.  Middletown had (and still has) several beautiful churches that were torn down because congregations either moved to new locations or to modernize the building. 

 

The first picture is of The First Presbyterian Church on Main Street (another Hannaford building).  Built in 1891.  The congregation moved to eastern Middletown on Central Ave. in the 1950s (another beautiful structure).  This church was torn down to make way for a Sears.   

 

 

Built in 1882 and located at the corner of Broad and Second.  The church still exists on this site, but the sanctury has been rebuilt with a more modern structure.  There is another section of the building that dates back to the early 1900s.

 

 

Sebald Brewing Company

There is some discussion whether or not this building actually existed as shown in the picture below or if this was a drawing of how the company envisioned an expansion.  I have not seen a good picture of this structure besides this one.  Regardless, it is a beautiful building. 

 

I don't remember a fire at St. Agnes, but it's possible. Maybe it was closed and perhaps vandals got to it? Anyone know? By the way, I'm "borrowing some of photos MayDay found, showing the demolition of St. Agnes....

 

so that explains the weird tower by itself........

 

per the cleveland encyclopedia:

 

 

ST. AGNES CHURCH (ded. 1916) was demolished in 1975, St. Agnes Catholic Church at Euclid and E. 81st., ca. 1940. Cleveland Press Collection, CSU Archives. ( 159 Kbytes ) except for the 130' high bell tower on the church property located at 8000 Euclid Ave. An upper-middle-class parish with many Irish communicants, St. Agnes was noted for its modernized romanesque-style architecture. Designed by architect John T. Comes, the oblong church was built of Bedford stone with a facade featuring three round carved arches with deeply recessed doors in the entryway and a large rose window above. Faced with extensive repairs and a dwindling congregation, in a controversial decision the diocese had the church demolished in Nov. 1975. Many artifacts from St. Agnes were incorporated into the decor of the Greenhouse Restaurant on Adelbert and Murray Hill roads.

 

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=SAC

 

 

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funny thing is, the greenhouse has been closed as a restaurant for seven years

By the way, that Hotel Sinton in Cincinnati is absolutely beautiful. I'm almost afraid to ask what it was demolished for -- and when?

 

The Hotel Sinton was demolished in the early or mid 1960s.  In its place was built perhaps the ugliest building ever, the Provident (now National City) Tower.

I hated seeing Cinergy Field demolished.  I thought it was ugly compared to Great American, it just sucks that they couldn't build the new one near it and still utilize Cinergy.  What does it cost to demolish a building and clean up the wreckage? Any examples?  It seems like it wouldn't even be worth it in a lot of cases, regarding cost.

Cincinnati and suburban bell telephone Co., Hotel Gibson, and the inclines :)

the sinton oh man what a loss!

 

i miss the hullets the most, in both cleveland and lorain.

 

the bond dept store in cleveland got crummy at the end when i was a kid, but i think i was in there. here's some more cool views of it from cmp:

 

 

 

^ fyi -- founded in cleveland, it was the largest retail chain for men's clothing in the usa

http://www.library.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=797

 

here they are in atlanta

 

the groovy times square bond clothing store !!!

 

today that space is a restaurant...:

 

...but it was best known for the clash playing there for a week in the 1981.   :mrgreen:  scroll it --->

Wow.  Hard to pick just one.

 

I guess I might go with Steele High School.  I just love how stately it looks overlooking the river.  And it sure beats the parking garage that stands there now.  Actually the garage has been closed and eventually they want to tear it down and develop the site for business use...like the Relizon site.  The way Dayton's business climate is,though, I'm not expecting it to happen real soon.

 

Some runners-up...

 

At least some of the housing in the downtown area that was torn down for parking lots, highways, and other urban renewal projects.  Unfortunately many of these are now surface parking lots.

 

Some more of the canal era buildings

 

The top half of the Odd Fellows Temple on Third Street...the bottom half is still standing.  It was built in 1870

 

The Central Engine House on Fifth and Brown Streets was built in 1885

What a beautiful high school!  And with a riverfront location! 

I wish the old fountain square layout was back...with the bldgs. and everything around it (just as pictured).  Dont get me wrong I love the new redesign but the old one was absolutely gorgeous and cant be replaced.

 

I wish the old fountain square layout was back...with the bldgs. and everything around it (just as pictured).  Dont get me wrong I love the new redesign but the old one was absolutely gorgeous and cant be replaced.

 

 

Agreed.

The Palace Theater in Youngstown was demolished because a developer was thinking about building a shopping center in its place.  Well, that never happened, and the developer built the Southern Park Mall in Boardman instead.  To this day, there is only a surface parking lot at this location.

 

http://www.allthingsyoungstown.net/palacetheater/index.html

Ripping out the majority of the Warehouse District is unforgivible.

The Palace Theater in Youngstown was demolished because a developer was thinking about building a shopping center in its place.  Well, that never happened, and the developer built the Southern Park Mall in Boardman instead.  To this day, there is only a surface parking lot at this location.

 

http://youngstownphotos.orgfree.com/palacetheater/index.html

 

what a cute lil' guy. But definitely a shame too.

And as a Keith Albee theater, it was a "cousin" of Cleveland's Palace Theater - probably my favorite in Playhouse Square.

Wow...that pix of the warehouse district.!  Isnt a lot of that parking now?

Ripping out the majority of the Warehouse District is unforgivible.

 

Wow, that's incredible. Pictures like this make you wish you could travel back in time and walk around the area.

Wow...that pix of the warehouse district.!  Isnt a lot of that parking now?

 

Pretty much - most of the buildings were demolished to provide parking for the Justice Center.

For Hamilton, I'd most decidedly choose the Center Punch block at High and Second; the buildings were torn down in 1965 for a new Elder Beerman Department Store. This image doesn't show all the ornamentation that once adorned the building to the west/left.

 

i want all of broadway back in lorain.

 

what ohio's worst tornado didn't destroy or wreck up in the 20's (combined with abandonment to malls in the 60's-70's), the city itself knocked down for a little used freight rail overpass in the 90's. bah!

 

here it is after the tornado  :-o  :| 

 

at least it was still hopping back in this 40's-50's era postcard shot  :|

 

 

 

For Cincinnati the list is never ending.

 

1) Sinton Hotel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sinton_Hotel.jpg

 

2) Grand Hotel http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASH019e/523c189e.dir/ocp000692slide.jpg

 

3) The Federal Building http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASHb0b7/19f0d0b6.dir/ocp002360pcpfb.jpg

 

4) Mabely Carew http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASH0107/1de92430.dir/ocp000381slide.jpg

 

5) RKO Albee http://cinematreasures.org/images/photos/1044.jpg

 

6) Pike's Opera House http://www.cincinnatimemory.org/gsdl/collect/greaterc/archives/HASH18c0/e47e608e.dir/ocp000564slide.jpg

 

7) Pogues Department Store

http://www.selfcraft.net/Hannaford/Pogues.jpg

 

The List could go on and on, but I don't have that kind of time

The Union Terminal Concourse:

 

 

^Yea that sucks!      The West End!!    Cincy, how could you???   

Crosley Field and the neighborhood that surrounded it! I always look at old pictures and think that it could be like Wrigley and Wrigleyville :-(

 

I second this. 

I'd Third that!    Beloved I-75!

 

 

oakiehigh...do you have more of a modern day picture?  Not too familiar with Cincy overhead.

I haven't been able to find a similar modern pic.  This satellite view gives a good indication as to whats left (or lack their of) though.    UT was one of the few buildings that escaped the Great Curve of the new highway.  Even Shermans playground, the Hudy building survived this!!!!!

 

One wonders if they kicked the highway just to take out as much as possible!  Johio is right about the extreme poverty at the time.  My Grandfather was living on Western Ave about when this pic was taken.  The stories from that day were not heartwarming ones.  I just wish we could've left more of the neighborhood in tact.  What wasn't destroyed for the highway was eventually leveled when they went crazy building Projects throughout the WE and OTR.

 

 

A good reference with this shot is the DISCONNECTED street grid from downtown to where it turns into railyards in modern day Queensgate.  Why they did away with the grid, I will never understand.  The density of Queensgate even as industy is quite pathetic in comparison.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=39.107253~-84.530568&style=h&lvl=15&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

oakiehigh...do you have more of a modern day picture? Not too familiar with Cincy overhead.

 

Yea, that is Crosley Field in the top of that old photo.  I believe that they are clearing the way for 75 near the ballpark in that shot.

Detroit: Tiger Stadium, Olympia, Michigan Central Station (it might as well be gone), the Hudson's building and any number of other places that are now parking lots.

The more apt comparison might be Comiskey Park on Chicago's South Side... It's served by transit (sort of), but the vast majority of people tend to arrive by car. As with Crosley Field, they wiped out an entire neighborhood for parking lots, and eventually replaced the ballpark altogether, although in Comiskey's case, they simply built the new one across the street rather than move to a different part of town. Also, as with Cincinnati's West End, most of Chicago's South Side was obliterated for freeway construction and housing projects... The only real difference is that the scale of destruction in Chicago is several orders of magnitude larger than in Cincinnati.

 

Now that the new ballpark is in place and that the worst of the housing projects have come down, the area around (*cough*) U.S. Cellular Field is no longer as threatening as it once was, but the freeway and massive parking lots make almost any sort of mixed-use development impossible.

Answer to the thread:

 

Dayton: Rike's. Truly the Macy's (in the sense of the old flagship Manhattan Macy's store) of the Miami Valley. Especially their Christmas window displays, the elaborate Christmas model train on the 8th floor, and the Tyke's kids department (where little ones could buy their parents stuff for Christmas.)

 

Rike's even had bakeries with their own brand scattered around town.