I took advantage of the mild November weather and got some shots of one of my favorite cities last weekend  8-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't been up to Devou since the last renovation.  Nice shots.

Nice shots. Cincinnati looks so clean and well-kept!

You almost took a photo of my cousin's house. 

Lots of nice classic cincinnati shots. The early ones of Northside are particularly interesting. Thanks.

There aren't many cities with such sheer architectural diversity between neighborhoods as there is in Cincinnati.

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

 

They would if many of these areas weren't full of blight and abandoned buildings.

 

The quicker these neighborhoods can go through gentrification, and the blight can be cleaned up, the more you will have Mason tourists visiting downtown and taking note of what we have.

 

At the present time, there still reluctant to go down to OTR, and at best frequent The Banks or Newport. And that tells you all you need to know about architecture in Cincinnati if your basing it off those locations.

 

 

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

 

They would if many of these areas weren't full of blight and abandoned buildings.

 

The quicker these neighborhoods can go through gentrification, and the blight can be cleaned up, the more you will have Mason tourists visiting downtown and taking note of what we have.

 

At the present time, there still reluctant to go down to OTR, and at best frequent The Banks or Newport. And that tells you all you need to know about architecture in Cincinnati if your basing it off those locations.

 

This isn't a dig on anyone in particular, but I wish people could learn to see that even blighted buildings still have underlying beauty. It almost seems that a brand-new strip mall is viewed as inherently more valuable than, say, a building in Mohawk just because it's "new". Such a mentality leads to things like Moving Ohio Forward.

I know its mostly on reddit or the enquirer comments and those aren't most civil environments, but I've gotten into so many arguments justifying that Cincinnati is unique and its architecture is an asset it gets my head spinning.  I feel like I jump up and down saying not every city has miles and miles of italianate townhouses.  Sadly, all people see is blight = bad and don't realize that blight = opportunity particularly with the amazing architecture that Cincy does have.

 

Even when I lived in Cincy there was one guy who talked about wishing that all of OTR would just be bulldozed for parking.  Its extremely frustrating how people can be so unaware of their own assets.

Yes and unfortunately it seems like this is a common mind set.

 

Not sure why, maybe it's because historic american architecture isn't as extravagant as say Historic European Architecture, but for whatever reason when I go down to OTR with my friends they will always be more impressed by new modern Mercer building, compared to the architecture that's already there. I've even had a friend call the Italianate architecture, "old and shitty".

 

Just no appreciation for architecture whatsoever unless it's new, modern and bland.

See by american standards Cincinnati is quite extravagant, close to Europe.  If you compare Cincinnati to ANY of the cities that are within a 150 mile radius there is nothing that compares.

 

I think the issue is more provinvcialism - people don't get out enough to know what their architecture could be like if fully utilized.

Pittsburgh has some really cool architecture though..granted it's not as diverse compared to Cincinnati, and is more tied within the bounds of it's CBD, and not much elsewhere.

 

 

^...that isn't true.  Pittsburgh has many neighborhoods of architectural diversity from the Mexican War Streets, to Manchester, to Squirrel Hill, to Shadyside, to Homewood.

See by american standards Cincinnati is quite extravagant, close to Europe.  If you compare Cincinnati to ANY of the cities that are within a 150 mile radius there is nothing that compares.

 

I think the issue is more provinvcialism - people don't get out enough to know what their architecture could be like if fully utilized.

 

There are definitely moments where I get a European vibe from this city - especially Mt. Adams and OTR from afar. The ornamentation here seems more across-the-board elaborate than a lot of other comparable rowhouse cities. Nut the use of brick vs. stone facades and the more rough-hewn nature if a lot of the detailing gives the buildings a distinct frontiersy and "American" vibe.

^...that isn't true.  Pittsburgh has many neighborhoods of architectural diversity from the Mexican War Streets, to Manchester, to Squirrel Hill, to Shadyside, to Homewood.

 

Guess I didn't venture far enough.

Pittsburgh has some really cool architecture though..granted it's not as diverse compared to Cincinnati, and is more tied within the bounds of it's CBD, and not much elsewhere.

 

 

 

I was going to add except for Pittsburgh, though I wasn't sure if that fit within my 150 mile radius statement.  Still Pitt doesn't have any thing that's quite comparable to OTR, the mexican war streets come close, but nothing that's was as historically dense.  (I also didn't state anything over 150 because I wanted to avoid including Chicago in that radius).  Parts of Old Louisville have somewhat of a Cincy vibe but still generally not as impressive.

Pittsburgh has some really cool architecture though..granted it's not as diverse compared to Cincinnati, and is more tied within the bounds of it's CBD, and not much elsewhere.

 

 

 

I was going to add except for Pittsburgh, though I wasn't sure if that fit within my 150 mile radius statement.  Still Pitt doesn't have any thing that's quite comparable to OTR, the mexican war streets come close, but nothing that's was as historically dense.  (I also didn't state anything over 150 because I wanted to avoid including Chicago in that radius).  Parts of Old Louisville have somewhat of a Cincy vibe but still generally not as impressive.

 

Im looking at these locations on Google Maps, like Mexican War Street, and the area looks cool, but I'm always disappointed by the size of the district.

 

It's literally just a few blocks. I wish there were more OTR sized locations in other cities, but most of the time it's just a few blocks, with maybe a few restaurants and bars scattered about. Nothing really "meaty" which you can spend a whole day, if not 2 days just really explore the hell out of it, and really explore the history. That's what I love about OTR, every street is different. Main Street is different then Clay. Clay is different than Walnut, Walnut is different than Vine, Vine is different than Race, and Race is different than Elm. They each have there own character and identity.

 

Especially if you go into the Northern Liberties of OTR which has this more grungier, industrial feel, compared to south of liberty which is more picturesque.

 

That's what I wish there was more of in America.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the North End in Boston, and New Orleans French Quarter, and SoHo/Tribeca in NYC. But I just wish there were more places like OTR where it still feels "intact". Where it still feels like it's in a time capsule so to speak. Where it doesn't feel touristy, or fake. Where you can spend the whole day just exploring and still have that itch for more. All those places I mentioned above or either to small, or just filled with shops and restaurants and bars that you forget about the history.

 

 

 

That said, I can see maybe spending 2-3 hours top for those type of neighborhoods in Pitsburgh.

As cool as that "raw" feeling is from the neighborhood, its going to have to become a bit more polished and touristy if its going to survive - so much of OTR is on the verge of crumbling to the ground that I feel that's the only way that it won't be lost forever and besides, its a treasure its something to share with the world - I think a lot of Cincinnatians have a really hard time grasping this concept of sharing what's good about their region and truly understanding what makes themselves a region that's worth sharing.

 

One other thing that is going to be nice as OTR comes back is seeing people on the streets again, its a wonderful feeling to find a neighborhood as magnificent as OTR and to see it full of bustling activity, that's why I get such an amazing feeling whenever I'm in the North End or San Francisco's chinatown, there is something really sublime about neighborhoods that are structured this way when they are functional and fully activated.  When I was younger I'd often imagine OTR looking more like NYC - the fact that I traveled to NYC gave me an idea of what it could look like and I wanted that.

Don't get me wrong, I love the North End in Boston, and New Orleans French Quarter, and SoHo/Tribeca in NYC. But I just wish there were more places like OTR where it still feels "intact". Where it still feels like it's in a time capsule so to speak. Where it doesn't feel touristy, or fake. Where you can spend the whole day just exploring and still have that itch for more. All those places I mentioned above or either to small, or just filled with shops and restaurants and bars that you forget about the history.

 

Have you ever visited Philadelphia? You can go on day-long walks there through virtually 100% intact historic urban fabric. It always surprises me how little attention Philly gets for what they have - all you hear about is how they throw batteries at Santa during hockey games, etc.

 

Here are Google street views of some areas I'm talking about, covering different parts of the city:

Quince St in Washington Square West: http://tinyurl.com/orxc9tk

Waverly St in Rittenhouse: http://tinyurl.com/ox6h8yy

Italian Market: http://tinyurl.com/onb7tcf

3rd St in Old City: http://tinyurl.com/qdhy3wt

Callowhill (aka the Eraserhood, where David Lynch lived. He evidently was not a fan of the city): http://tinyurl.com/qf4omuw

I loved Philly when I visited it its aesthetically one of the coolest american cities and has an incredibly deep history.  I think its proximity to NYC and its general unfriendly vibe are what keeps it not as well known as similar places.  There are a handful of rowhouse areas in Newport KY that remind me a touch of Philly btw.

 

They even have some active old school streetcar lines.

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

 

The friend I was visiting has lived in Cincy for a couple years now, and he would agree 100%.  He knows transplants from the east coast that rip on Cincinnati for not being Philadelphia and won't open their eyes to what the city has to offer.  And as you mentioned, there are provincial people who complain about how there's not enough to do even though they never venture outside their section of the city.  Personally, I think Cincinnati has more than enough urban amenities for a city of its size.

Thanks for sharing those sections of Philly. Really cool architecture...

 

That said, it's still different than what I'm describing with OTR. I still remember my first time ever in OTR (which was last october I believe), and felt like I was in a different world. Seeing music hall for the first time, and washington park, and the cool buildings on Vine, I was like holy crap, am I still in Cincinnati? I literally felt like I was transplanted into a different time, and a different place.

 

I still haven't been able to shake that feeling, of crossing a few streets over, and literally feel like your in a whole different place that feels so detached from everything else.

 

I try to evoke that same feeling in many places I go to, and its just hard I guess to replicate that sudden "shift" so to speak.

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

 

The friend I was visiting has lived in Cincy for a couple years now, and he would agree 100%.  He knows transplants from the east coast that rip on Cincinnati for not being Philadelphia and won't open their eyes to what the city has to offer.  And as you mentioned, there are provincial people who complain about how there's not enough to do even though they never venture outside their section of the city.  Personally, I think Cincinnati has more than enough urban amenities for a city of its size.

 

The relevant characteristic of Cincinnati in this regard -- if there is one -- is not that Cincinnati has such people; every city has people that gripe. It's that Cincinnati thinks too much that it's worthy of conversation.

Has anyone here been in Montreal?

 

If so, tell me I'm crazy but do you also notice the similarities between Montreal and Cincinnati? When I visited Montreal for the first time I was amazed by how much it reminded me of Cincinnati (granted the Old part of Montreal is a world of it's own).

 

It wasn't just the abundance of Italianate architecture that both cities seem to share, but I also think it's do to the similarities of both having very hilly regions, and rivers.

@ jim uber - Are you saying there is too much boosterism?  That can also be said about any city.

Wish more of the locals in Cincinnati appreciated it more than they do.

 

The friend I was visiting has lived in Cincy for a couple years now, and he would agree 100%.  He knows transplants from the east coast that rip on Cincinnati for not being Philadelphia and won't open their eyes to what the city has to offer.  And as you mentioned, there are provincial people who complain about how there's not enough to do even though they never venture outside their section of the city.  Personally, I think Cincinnati has more than enough urban amenities for a city of its size.

 

The relevant characteristic of Cincinnati in this regard -- if there is one -- is not that Cincinnati has such people; every city has people that gripe. It's that Cincinnati thinks too much that it's worthy of conversation.

 

Now on the flip side I'm going to say don't be fully content with what you have, always demand more, but what I want to get at is the fact that people too often don't realize there is room for more.  Cincinnati wouldn't be in the shape its in if people were weirdly complacent with a broken city.  The guys from the east coast who rip on Cincy probably have some valid points.

 

And Speaking of East coast, one of the coolest areas I discovered in Philly by accident (drove by it on a business trip) is Manayuk, it looked so cool from the schuylkill expressway that I decided to check it out on google streetview, and I was not disappointed :D -

http://tinyurl.com/nepgtrj

 

Tony, it may not be raw but Hoboken NJ is another area that looks remarkably similar to OTR.  They even both were major German enclaves around the same era, with the difference being the Hoboken continued to be an Italian Enclave after the Germans left: http://tinyurl.com/o89olcn

@ jim uber - Are you saying there is too much boosterism?  That can also be said about any city.

No - I should have been clearer. In other cities people will gripe about all sorts of things, but it's not internalized as "OK, now I'm griping about the unique characteristics of this city that I am living in."  It's just assumed to be a normal part of urban life. For example I might complain about a pothole in any city, but in Cincinnati the person I'm talking to seems more likely to extrapolate that I'm criticizing the City of Cincinnati and it's DOTE policies. So it's actually quite the opposite of excessive bravado or booster-ism. We just need more healthy pride, and to believe we deserve to have it.

Yes Hoboken looks almost identical to OTR, including the hill rising in the back and even a school that looks just like the old SCPA. 

 

I don't agree that Cincinnati really looks that much like Montreal.  It has some scaling that is similar, and big forested hill in the middle, and one or two bridges that are similar in style, but it seemed to me that the "old world" part of Montreal wasn't very big or impressive, and that the bulk of the island was scaled and had similar building styles to nondescript neighborhoods in Chicago. 

Nah from what I remember of Montreal is many more rowhouses than Chicago (most neighborhoods in Chicago are made up of detached houses and apartments).  It really reminds me more of outer boroughs in NYC (with a touch of Parisian influence) - looks a lot like areas in Queens or Brooklyn that are off the beaten path.

At the present time, there still reluctant to go down to OTR, and at best frequent The Banks or Newport. And that tells you all you need to know about architecture in Cincinnati if your basing it off those locations.

 

I know that you're probably referencing Newport on the Levee specifically, but you really need to walk around Newport if you actually believe it is a poor example of local architecture.