^the complex where both of my grandparents moved was part of a weird amalgamation of two apartment complexes built in the 1970s (Imperial Oaks and the West Hills Apartments), then an early-80s condo complex called Eagle's Nest, and then the late-80s condo complex Eagle's Lake.   This area might look nondescript from the air, but it turned into a legal wasp nest:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/condominium+complexes+near+Eagles+Lake+Drive,+Cincinnati,+OH/@39.188725,-84.6639331,1508m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

The Imperial Oaks apartments had access to Rybolt but they permanently closed it off.  Eagle's Lake was supposed to build access to Wesselman but never did.  So that meant that Eagle's Lake and Imperial Oaks had to drive on the private drives of the West Hill Apartments & Eagle's Lake to get in and out.  It caused ENDLESS drama as it pitted the Eagle's Lake HOA against the Eagle's Nest HOA, plus the management of the Imperial Apartments and West Hill Apartments. 

 

What's hilarious is that the developer of the Eagle's Nest complex built the clubhouse and pool next to the planned Wesselman entrance that they skipped town without building.  The HOA never built the entrance because of the expense and the fear that people would "drive through".  So the residents were doomed to entering and exiting their complex through the back door forever.  The clubhouse, which physically faces an entrance that was never built, looks hilariously sad facing an incomplete roadway and unlandscaped zone. 

 

Complicating things further, all of these complexes were built with independent sewage treatment plants since the western half of Hamilton County didn't have sewers until around 2000.  When the time came to switch over to the new sewer system and decommission the complex's original plant, the residents fought it because of a special one-time fee, which was like $500. 

 

There was also the matter of waterfowl on the lake.  The association brought in two swans around 1990 that were beautiful but had the habit of attacking the grandchildren of residents, so a years-long fight broiled over the removal of "Rambo", the nickname for the more aggressive of the two swans.  A resident also fell through the ice feeding ducks one winter, which resulted in a lawsuit against the HOA. 

 

 

Edited March 30, 20196 yr by jmecklenborg

^Also, I remember my grandfather buying a model RC speedboat around 1990.  Obviously, any boy aged 12 or so coudn't wait to take the boat out on the lake.  I only remember us taking it down there once, and the battery died out in the middle of the lake, and we had to wait a half hour for the thing to drift over to the shore.  It came pretty close to Rambo's nest, so I remember grandpa getting especially stirred up.  The draining of the battery was an embarrassing to him; then he had to pivot to the matter of Rambo, the alpha swan.  He was overwhelmed by it all and it ruined his day. 

 

A few months later I asked if we could take the boat out again and he said that the HOA had banned all model boats from the lake. 

9 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

^the complex where both of my grandparents moved was part of a weird amalgamation of two apartment complexes built in the 1970s (Imperial Oaks and the West Hills Apartments), then an early-80s condo complex called Eagle's Nest, and then the late-80s condo complex Eagle's Lake.   This area might look nondescript from the air, but it turned into a legal wasp nest:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/condominium+complexes+near+Eagles+Lake+Drive,+Cincinnati,+OH/@39.188725,-84.6639331,1508m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

The Imperial Oaks apartments had access to Rybolt but they permanently closed it off.  Eagle's Lake was supposed to build access to Wesselman but never did.  So that meant that Eagle's Lake and Imperial Oaks had to drive on the private drives of the West Hill Apartments & Eagle's Lake to get in and out.  It caused ENDLESS drama as it pitted the Eagle's Lake HOA against the Eagle's Nest HOA, plus the management of the Imperial Apartments and West Hill Apartments. 

 

What's hilarious is that the developer of the Eagle's Nest complex built the clubhouse and pool next to the planned Wesselman entrance that they skipped town without building.  The HOA never built the entrance because of the expense and the fear that people would "drive through".  So the residents were doomed to entering and exiting their complex through the back door forever.  The clubhouse, which physically faces an entrance that was never built, looks hilariously sad facing an incomplete roadway and unlandscaped zone. 

 

Complicating things further, all of these complexes were built with independent sewage treatment plants since the western half of Hamilton County didn't have sewers until around 2000.  When the time came to switch over to the new sewer system and decommission the complex's original plant, the residents fought it because of a special one-time fee, which was like $500. 

 

There was also the matter of waterfowl on the lake.  The association brought in two swans around 1990 that were beautiful but had the habit of attacking the grandchildren of residents, so a years-long fight broiled over the removal of "Rambo", the nickname for the more aggressive of the two swans.  A resident also fell through the ice feeding ducks one winter, which resulted in a lawsuit against the HOA. 

 

 

Lawd!  This sound like a hot @$$ mess.  and I'm loving the drama!  The names alone are why I hate those suburban starter tract homes and apartment complexes.  They are named after nature.  Trees, Birds, Flowers, etc that they are ruining.  

 

Swans are no joke.  My nephew was attacked by one.  He terrified of them even today.

2 minutes ago, MyTwoSense said:

Lawd!  This sound like a hot @$$ mess.  and I'm loving the drama!  The names alone are why I hate those suburban starter tract homes and apartment complexes.  They are named after nature.  Trees, Birds, Flowers, etc that they are ruining.  

 

Swans are no joke.  My nephew was attacked by one.  He terrified of them even today.

 

My grandfather was really into electronics and had one of the first camcorders.  For whatever reason he took like 20 minutes of footage ("look at this nice kitchen...!") of he and grandma touring a timeshare condo complex on Lake Erie near Toledo around 1985.  If I could dig it up it would be a hit with this crowd. 

 

I bring it up because I suspect that a lot of the condominium complex developers in Ohio modeled what they built here after the stuff all of these retirees were familiar with in Florida, especially the stuff that faces all of the canals and lagoons and inlets near the Florida coastlines. 

 

Also, retiring couples with the means to do so seem to love building new houses or buying a new condo.  My uncle and aunt who are about 62 and nearing retirement are "downsizing" to a newly-built house.  So who is buying all of the condos built for the previous generation's retirees?  That's right, these complexes are all shifting downhill.  I remember how happy my grandparents were to get away from the crime in the city when they moved to the condo complex, but now they're gone and the crime has come out to that area. 

 

Also, this particular location had panache for that generation because it was home to the Imperial House hotel and Dante's Restaurant.  They were still going through the mid-90s, but now they're run-down.  The restaurant was turned into a Benihana-type place, but they didn't update the decor at all.  It still had the heavy drapes and everything.  The whole thing was wannabe-Ohio 'Vegas Rat Pack, or something.  They had sleepy live entertainment there, like a lounge singer with an old guy on an organ.  The old people loved it! 

 

I was able to find two photos online.  Here is the hotel back in the 70s:

 

And here is Dante's Restaurant in its prime:

 

 

It still looked like that after it was turned into a Japanese restaurant.  I ate there once, around 2009. 

 

 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, jmecklenborg said:

 

My grandfather was really into electronics and had one of the first camcorders.  For whatever reason he took like 20 minutes of footage ("look at this nice kitchen...!") of he and grandma touring a timeshare condo complex on Lake Erie near Toledo around 1985.  If I could dig it up it would be a hit with this crowd. 

 

I bring it up because I suspect that a lot of the condominium complex developers in Ohio modeled what they built here after the stuff all of these retirees were familiar with in Florida, especially the stuff that faces all of the canals and lagoons and inlets near the Florida coastlines. 

 

Also, retiring couples with the means to do so seem to love building new houses or buying a new condo.  My uncle and aunt who are about 62 and nearing retirement are "downsizing" to a newly-built house.  So who is buying all of the condos built for the previous generation's retirees?  That's right, these complexes are all shifting downhill.  I remember how happy my grandparents were to get away from the crime in the city when they moved to the condo complex, but now they're gone and the crime has come out to that area. 

 

Also, this particular location had panache for that generation because it was home to the Imperial House hotel and Dante's Restaurant.  They were still going through the mid-90s, but now they're run-down.  The restaurant was turned into a Benihana-type place, but they didn't update the decor at all.  It still had the heavy drapes and everything.  The whole thing was wannabe-Ohio 'Vegas Rat Pack, or something.  They had sleepy live entertainment there, like a lounge singer with an old guy on an organ.  The old people loved it! 

 

I was able to find two photos online.  Here is the hotel back in the 70s:

 

And here is Dante's Restaurant in its prime:

 

 

It still looked like that after it was turned into a Japanese restaurant.  I ate there once, around 2009. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62 is not old.  Hump!

 

I love those old ass heavy station wagons!

 

That decor is 1980s fugly!  Looks like a place @ColDayManwould frequent today!  HA!  

11 hours ago, MyTwoSense said:

That decor is 1980s fugly! 

 

If it was the 80's, it was the very early 80s.  Like '83 at the latest! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

So it looks like Dante's had a nightly FLOOR SHOW then? The '70s loved a good floor show. 

This amazing.  New high-efficiency windows reflect sunlight so intensely that they sometimes melt the vinyl siding on neighboring houses.  Throw an HOA into the mix and you have a wild mess of a situation:

https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/why-vinyl-siding-is-melting-on-some-newer-homes