This is the streetcar barn that is coming down:

 

http://www.google.com/maps?ll=39.126357,-84.499809&spn=0.003071,0.004538&hnear=Cincinnati,+Ohio+45202&t=h&z=17&psrc=6&layer=c&cbll=39.125888,-84.501909&panoid=Xf9q5tAIOAmfY_wnWhnaPQ&cbp=12,305,,0,-4.37

 

There was a site plan for the new building posted on this forum somewhere, but I don't remember what thread it was in.

Dammit.  That was what I was afraid of.  I've always loved that building and have hoped that it would find new life as a warehouse or something.

Just as a reminder, the building caught on fire a few years ago &  the roof had collapsed over a portion of the back half of the site.

And it was for sale for the longest period of time. Unfortunately, the buyer wasn't someone as interested in the building as say... us.

Demolition has begun, as of about 1pm today. It will take several days to level the whole site. This truly is sad.

I really could have seen the Car Barn as a market space + co-op arrangement. It still could be, if people fought the demolition, like they did for that old church at Taft and Gilbert...

If people fought the demolition, and had a business ready with a few hundred thousand dollars to take a burnt out warehouse and turn it into a market place in a strange, not highly walkable plot where traffic goes about 45mph and there is almost no reason to stop...

You're forgetting that an entire neighborhood anchors it on two sides, with parking available behind the building and along side. It has visibility along two major corridors, which would be important for any market/co-op space.

Sorry to go off-topic. Are there any surviving co-ops in Cincinnati?

 

The best one I've ever been to is in Albany, which is (much) smaller and demographically similar to Cincy. It's huge and the variety of products is amazing. Check it out if you ever find yourself in the Hudson Valley: http://www.hwfc.com/

I have always loved loved loved that building.  Large scale, and I can only imagine the huge timbers inside.  Another sad loss to what is sure to be an underwhelming and bland replacement that does nothing to keep Cincinnati, uniquely Cincinnati.

 

Pretty soon washing machines in Cincinnati will start draining into separate drains rather than into utility sinks if things keep going like this.

@Natininja: Not sure. I loved Good Foods Co-op in Lexington and was a member: http://www.goodfoods.coop/

@natininja: I was told by someone on the bus, about a year ago, that a co-op used to exist in Northside where Red Polly used to be. But it was plagued by poor management and closed by the early 90's. as I was told.

Corryville Blockbuster Video coming down, Pizza Hut + old Vertigo's is next. 

I forgot there was even a Pizza Hut there. Man, I hate Pizza Hut.

I stopped by the Avondale carbarn to take some pictures before it gets completely knocked down.  Yes it is technically called the Avondale carbarn even though it's on the Mt. Auburn side of Reading Road, and Avondale doesn't actually begin until another block north at Taft.  Anyway, it doesn't look like much is going on from Reading Road, but it's basically being gutted from behind, much like they did at the Milacron plant.  The street wall along Reading isn't a fantastic design, though the section to the very north near McMillan is nice.  Since it's not particularly tall, I would've liked to see them restore that facade even if half of it ends up just hiding a parking lot. 

 

http://homepage.mac.com/jjakucyk/avondalecarbarn/index.html

^Where did you get the Avondale Carbarn name from? I've never seen it referred to as such. Just curious.

That's what all the old hat rail fans (like people who were around to take pictures on the last day of streetcar operations) always called it.  I'd need to look through all my Wagner and Wright books to find other references, but they're not indexed so I'd have to go paging through.  It was however originally called the Hunt Street Power Station, as that's what Reading Road used to be called.  Avondale, Brighton, and East End were the first electric power stations for the Cincinnati Street Railway, all dating to around 1890. 

The Corryville Blockbuster Video was knocked down this past weekend, the shopping center is fenced off sans Kroger and Walgreen's.  So the old Pizza Hut and Vertigo's dance club and Chinese restaurant in the hallway are next. 

I wonder if anyone has any pictures of that awesome old hallway at university plaza before the fences and all went up?

Heh, that thing was pretty rape-o-matic.

Just heard a demo contractor accidentally knocked down part of the wall of the old firehouse on McMillian in Walnut Hills while tearing down the adjacent building.

Just heard a demo contractor accidentally knocked down part of the wall of the old firehouse on McMillian in Walnut Hills while tearing down the adjacent building.

 

I was hoping they were renovating that building, or both buildings.

 

Why were they tearing down the building next to the old firehouse?

 

and thats not good.

Hey if anyone gets a picture let me know. Wonder if it was the same contractor that destroyed a historic retaining wall in our neighborhood during a demo?

Just heard a demo contractor accidentally knocked down part of the wall of the old firehouse on McMillian in Walnut Hills while tearing down the adjacent building.

 

 

Drove by yesterday and didn't see any evidence of  the other building being damaged.

Shriner's on Wm H Taft was taken down 2 weeks ago.  Also, a nice circa 1900 4-story building is being torn down at Bethesda Hospital facing Reading. 

 

There have been a HUGE number of demolitions in the uptown area in the last 2-3 years. 

Also, with the Reading car barn gone, you can see the Taco Bell at Highland and McMillan from Reading.  Conspiracy theory?

Shriner's on Wm H Taft was taken down 2 weeks ago.  Also, a nice circa 1900 4-story building is being torn down at Bethesda Hospital facing Reading. 

 

There have been a HUGE number of demolitions in the uptown area in the last 2-3 years. 

Hell, the last fifteen years.  I really wonder how historic Corryville will feel in 10 years the way the city has sided with developers over said time frame.

just a few weeks ago they tore down the old blues club that was downtown across from the old red cross building.

 

 

also like 15 buildings in walnut hills in the past 3 months.

^ blue whisp jazz club moved to 7th & Race. That demolition didn't break my heart, not a historic building and not the best use of the land anyway.

 

Wasn't aware of the Walnut Hills demos. Sad

^ blue whisp jazz club moved to 7th & Race. That demolition didn't break my heart, not a historic building and not the best use of the land anyway.

 

Wasn't aware of the Walnut Hills demos. Sad

 

Do you know why it was torn down? Any plans for the site? my guess would be surface parking....

 

 

Hopefully some good comes out of the walnut hills demos and some other buildings are saved.

Do you know why it was torn down? Any plans for the site? my guess would be surface parking....

 

It's now surface parking which, given the quality of the single floor, glass walled, old mobile phone store design, is a definite improvement.

Do you know why it was torn down? Any plans for the site? my guess would be surface parking....

 

It's now surface parking which, given the quality of the single floor, glass walled, old mobile phone store design, is a definite improvement.

 

ha.

 

1704 Madison Road, built in 1900. Owned by Firehouse Associates (same as building to the left in the old firehouse). Sold on Feb. 3, 2012 for $180,000 to Firehouse Associates from Tanner Michael T & Lynn J. It has a 30 year TIF abatement starting in 2003.

Someone posted on FB that damage to the wall of the Firehouse was caused by the demolition work-anyone see this?

i drove by this weekend and didn't see any damage to the firehouse and the building was completely torn down. It may have been behind all of the rubble as it has not been cleaned up yet.

 

Does anyone know what they plan to do with the land and the firehouse next to it?

Huntington place by Christ Hospital: Entire neighborhood south of hospital being bought out, 1 side of Huntington already torn down. All since December. See snapshots, WH Taft House in background of he already razed side.

Huntington Place had some architecturally interesting late 19th townhomes which a number of them were apparently built by the same builder as they shared many common design details. Too bad the Hospital couldn't have designed their expansion project around these homes; they might have made for decent housing for hospital employees because they all had old architectural character and interesting details like stained glass windows and decorative interior millwork. I hope some of the better architectural elements were at least salvaged. The day is not far off when Cincinnati may find it is running short of this kind of quality Victorian era housing. Besides the frequent City nuisance demolitions, development projects all over town are rapidly chipping away at the remaining old survivors. Few examples of what gets built to replace this old architecture is of the same quality as the old originals. We seldom build structures to last a century today but that was a common practice back in the late 1800's. The unique old architecture remaining in Cincinnati is truly a gift from the past and an irreplaceable, finite resource.  But all of the razing of the old for the new is "progress" I suppose...

I want to make you guys abreast of a potential demolition at 18 Mulberry Street (which includes 2106 Loth Street to the rear). There's a public hearing on March 30th at 9am, to determine if it's a public nuisance. This house is, I feel, one of the most important in the Jerusalem area of Mt. Auburn.

 

The area has already faced rampant demolition. This would be a real casualty. It would also be a real blow the efforts of Spring in Our Steps to make the adjacent South Wendell Alley safe and navigable again. Through discussions via facebook today, someone discovered that the property was home to Christian Moerlein and, later, his son until about 1909.

 

Please be advised that a public hearing on the property will occur THIS FRIDAY. Details below.

 

Friday, MARCH 30th at 9am.

Main conference room, 1st Floor, Business Development and Permit Center, 3300 Central Parkway.

 

Department of Buildings and Inspection will hold a hearing to determine whether or not the building constitutes a public nuisance. If determined as such, the owner will bear the costs of *demolition* or necessary repairs by the City of Cincinnati.

Not 18 Mulberry!  Love that structure.  I knew the day would come that demos would really pick up due to so many of these buildings being empty for so long.  Heartbreaking to see that day seems to have arrived.  Is there some way to change city policy to really encourage the purchase and rehab of these types of buildings by private individuals?  I tried to in the early 1990's and was not successful for many reasons and moved on to find success in Covington.  Is there any hope for any significant progress other than massive project scales/dollar amounts as seen in typical 3CDC-like projects?

We may be getting ahead of ourselves. It is said this is a nuisance hearing. Having a building declared a public nuisance is sometimes the first step to getting it into better hands. It can force the owner to make repairs, to sell the property, and can open up receivership options. Would we rather a dilapidated and endangered structure just be ignored and it's owners allowed to destroy it purely through neglect?

 

I myself have sued a neighbor to have the building declared a nuisance. The result was it forced her to sell to 3CDC and ultimately to me. Doing nothing would have ultimately led to the loss of that structure. 

 

Perhaps more buildings that are in danger should be declared nuisances, if that opens up a process for them to be saved.

A land value tax would go a long way towards correcting the demolition problem.  It doesn't incentivize people to tear down buildings, because doing so wouldn't reduce their tax burden.  That's a BIG pill to swallow though, which would require complete rewriting of the property tax code in the city, so it's no short-term solution, but perhaps a good longer-term one.

No point in trying to sugar coat it and suggest bringing this former mansion back is or will be easy. But if there are any doubts about the feasibility of doing so, please look at the Steele Mansion restoration in Painesville posted on U.O.  This house is in far better condition than the almost lost Steele Mansion, at least at first glance. The absentee owner is apparently living in California. (the State of, not the Cincinnati neighborhood by that name) Houses in the same or even worse condition are routinely rehabbed in the OTR, so instead of demolition, the City needs to help get this property into the hands of someone who cares. And if the City can pony up nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to assist a Soul food restaurant owner at the new Banks development, why not chip in at least the costs of demolition to help preserve this landmark home?

 

As noted, this was an important residence for the Christian Moerlein family. The Moerleins were among the most prominent brewers in 19th century Cincinnati at a time when the City was known far and wide as a center of the American brewing industry.  I can understand the city's efforts to clean up "blight" and present Cincinnati as a 21st century progressive community, but it seems lately the city is trying to throw out the baby with the bathwater. There are over 5,000 properties on the city's nuisance property list with new ones added every week.  While some will be spared the bulldozer blade, many will not. Imagine knocking down thousands of homes in one neighborhood? (such as Evanston, Avondale, or Walnut Hills) That neighborhood would cease to exist entirely. But the demo problem is happening all over town because as the thread above reveals, developers are chipping away at historic homes and buildings as well. The supply of extant 19th century architecture is finite and may be one of Cincinnati's greatest untapped and unrecognized resources. The Moerlein House sits on a prominent corner as it has for nearly 150 years. While such classic Italianate style homes are not (yet) rare in Cincinnati, the added connection to the Moerleins makes the property eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It would also qualify as a designated local landmark. We may soon lose the James Gamble (as in Proctor & Gamble) house in Westwood despite almost heroic efforts to save it. Is it wise to add the Christian Moerlein home as well to the thick, discouraging volume of images known as "Lost Cincinnati"?

I totally agree with John S!!!

 

I really feel the pace of demolitions over the last few years, and what seems like an avalanche of demos coming in the near future have no rival in our city since the awful losses during highway construction in the later 1950's and on. 

 

the time is now to organize city policy in order to save Cincinnati from itself.

I totally agree with John S!!!

 

I really feel the pace of demolitions over the last few years, and what seems like an avalanche of demos coming in the near future have no rival in our city since the awful losses during highway construction in the later 1950's and on. 

 

the time is now to organize city policy in order to save Cincinnati from itself.

 

And I totally agree with you about the urgent city policy changes needed-new development (especially in older neighborhoods) was so scarce in past decades that developers were avidly sought and almost any concession they requested was granted. I won't argue that developers willing to do projects in marginal neighborhoods should not be encouraged and/or given incentives. However, right now almost everything old seems to be expendable with the City's blessings and encouragement. The City itself is pursuing an aggressive "blight abatement" policy that provides few exceptions for significant historic structures. I realize this falls under the "marketing of the City image" banner to outsiders but recent regional and national media attention is focused more on the HISTORIC architecture of Cincinnati rather than the new. (The Banks project excepted) Both the Wall Street Journal as well as the New York Times had articles last year about the Over-the-Rhine renaissance with the focus on its unique architecture. The resulting recent widespread losses, as you mention, appear to be as numerous now as they were during the highway construction project days. Looking back to those dismal days, many now see forever lost opportunities. No doubt, in the future others will look back on this period and reach the same hindsight conclusions-unless, before the losses reach a level of oblivion, a more sensible city policy towards helping neglected historic properties become compliant as an alternative to demolition is adopted.  The notion of demolishing the former Christian Moerlein Home would simply be intolerable in any other enlightened community-so why must it be acceptable today in Cincinnati? (as well as for so many other endangered historic Cincinnati homes and buildings?) The old Urban Renewal planning model ("redlining/blockbusting") of the 1950's failed in its mission to revitalize cities so why re-adopt it now?

Just to be clear, 18 Mulberry is in no way about to be torn down. The GARAGE at 18 Mulberry is 2 walls with a collapsed roof & 2 missing walls. That is what the nuisance order is on.

Just to be clear, 18 Mulberry is in no way about to be torn down. The GARAGE at 18 Mulberry is 2 walls with a collapsed roof & 2 missing walls. That is what the nuisance order is on.

 

Thanks for the clarification...the Facebook posting indicated the house itself was at risk. But given its state of neglect and long period of vacancy, the house itself remains at risk. The objective of local preservation advocates should be to get the house out of the ownership of a long-distance absentee individual and into the hands of someone who will commit to restore and live in it.

Not sure what Mahogany's has to do with the City not protecting its assets.  There are a lot of people in Cincinnati that take the historic Victorian structures for what they've been to Cincinnati during their lifetime, which are beat-up shells and relics.  Many people just want Cincinnati to be cleaner, and they feel that getting rid of old structures that the City is blessed to have an abundance of isn't significant.  There needs to be changes to the tax code, but there also needs to be a re-education of the populus on how Cincinnati is so much different from Joe Tampa's city, and not because too many of us care where you went to sr. high.  Whenever you hear the Cincinnati identity talked about on the local news or in the papers, they never include the rich architecture and historical significance of said structures and neighborhoods.  Walnut Hills was home to some of America's biggest industrial barons during the late 19th century, hence the huge plots for the day along streets like Madison and such.  Basic info that maybe 10% of Cincinnati is aware of is one reason why developers have such an easy time getting their way inside of Cincinnati city limits.

Someone posted on FB that damage to the wall of the Firehouse was caused by the demolition work-anyone see this?

 

Just to confirm. There was no damage to to the wall of the Firehoue. Looks like they are building a really nice parking lot.

So start a letter writing campaign to the owners in California? If I owned a dilapidated property in some random City and got 20 letters saying DO something! It might make me think twice. There's nothing the City can do but condemn it. Their property taxes are all paid up so I doubt the county cares.

So start a letter writing campaign to the owners in California? If I owned a dilapidated property in some random City and got 20 letters saying DO something! It might make me think twice. There's nothing the City can do but condemn it. Their property taxes are all paid up so I doubt the county cares.

 

First, you can contact the city code violation inspector (find the CPOP site and type in the property address) and sometimes he or she will give you the straight story about the property and/or owner. The Hamilton Co. Auditor's page for the property gives the owners name and last known mailing address. Usually, these absentee owners are not that hard to locate if you are determined but the city finds it easier to slap on a nuisance declaration and then throw it in the pipeline for demolition. Contact the City's Urban Conservator Larry Harris, or property maintenance director, Ed Cunningham in the building and planning dept. Once they become aware someone is interested in preserving the property, they may assist or at least advise you in your efforts. There's also a somewhat complex legal maneuver explained to me by Matt Strauss over at Price Hill Will by which one can acquire ownership. Keep in mind this property probably has a VBML (Vacant Building Maintenance License, typically $1,000 for each year its vacant) slapped on the property which can either be collected or waived by the city from the new owner.  Check with the Cincinnati Preservation Association for more info. A project like this is doable, but proper procedure must be followed for a successful outcome.