I photographed the heck out of the Vistula yesterday.  Ended up taking so many photos that I'll make 2 posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many beautiful structures sitting empty. Our culture sucks.

What a killer neighborhood!  Are all the ones boarded up under rehab or land banked?

God, they need to clean that place up.  Architecturally, it's probably Toledo's best residential neighborhood (even beating Olde West End, which has some stunners but generally monotonous).  It's probably Toledo's version of Dayton's Grafton Hill or Akron's Highland Square, just a little more decrepit.  Some TLC should help turn it into a Corktown or something.

Needs work.

 

But it deserves every cent of reinvestment it can get.

I don't know that I prefer it to the Old West End, but Vistula has loads of potential.

 

Thanks for the photos.

So many beautiful structures sitting empty. Our culture sucks.

 

Amen to that.  What the hell is wrong with people?  This is an absolutely stunning neighborhood.  There is no reason these beautiful houses should sit empty while thousands of people flock to shithole towns like Phoenix. 

 

This is a beautifully proportioned building.  It's been raped of that with that horrible addition on the front, but fixed up, I bet this place could be a real gem:

 

 

And what the heck is this?  There has to be a story about how this happened:

 

I think CDawg mentioned that this area has Toledos oldest housing stock. 

I'd actually agree that, but it's far from Toledo's best neighborhood by any other measure. It just has a sh!tload of potential should more gentrification come its way (luckily, some of these places are already being rehabbed).

 

Notice I said architecturally.  I don't know what Toledo's best neighborhood as it seems the city doesn't really have commercial districts outside of downtown that are "vibrant" like, say, the Oregon District or Highland Square though it has a little vibrancy with La Viva or that eastern strip near downtown.  So perhaps Toledo's best neighborhood is downtown, overall?  I have no idea. 

 

I'd completely disagree. Vistula is nothing like those neighborhoods. There is a ton of architectural diversity in Vistula (and mostly older than Grafton Hill or Highland Square), and culturally/economically it doesn't remind me of Grafton Hill or Highland Square at all.

 

What I meant with the comparison to Grafton Hill or Highland Square are "grittier" neighborhoods with potential, though Grafton Hill is quiet and Highland Square is "hippie."  Architecturally, Grafton Hill is STILL as architecturally impressive as Vistula, but more woodframe and "grander."  Vistula is like a smaller, less old Oregon District though I didn't want to compare it to that as the Oregon District is just more.  Thus, my Grafton Hill comparison and Highland Square.

 

I can't think of any neighborhood I've seen quite like Vistula. Grafton Hill (with its art musuem and general age) is like a less opulent version of OWE.

 

Eh, Grafton Hill is probably just as "opulent" as the OWE, but it is smaller and perhaps grittier (so maybe a mixture between OWE and Vistula). 

 

Certainly Grafton Hill is more Old West End than Vistula, and I do mean that as a compliment. Highland Square is much younger than Vistula and I don't see any comparison structurally or culturally.

 

What I meant with the Highland Square thing is residentially, Highland Square has some "grittier" housing yet it's occupied and close to downtown, like Vistula.  Though Vistula is not artsy in the least and has a demographic difference.

 

Corktown Detroit might actually be the best comparison to Vistula...both are gritty, both are by downtown, both are similar age, both have been hit hard by urban renewal, both are slowly starting to gentrify.

 

The thing with Corktown is that it does have an artistic edge to it, like Detroit's East Village or something.  Culturally, I don't see a correlation b/t Corktown and Vistula though residentially and size/location wise, perhaps Vistula could take the Corktown example of how to "come back."

Not exactly. Libbey put so much damn money into OWE, it's one of the most opulent neighborhoods in the country. You really need to tour the homes. It's the largest collection of late Edwardian and Victorian architecture in the Eastern half of the United States. Calling OWE grand or opulent is an understatement...

 

And I'd say the same for Grafton Hill, as NCR put tons of money into the neighborhood as well as the Deeds family.  But again, Grafton Hill isn't anywhere close of being Dayton's most "opulent architectural neighborhood" though it's nice (albeit gritty, like Vistula).  Again, a mixture between OWE and Vistula.

 

Otherwise, I wish Vistula the best.  It's definately my favorite Toledo neighborhood.

Question: Where exactly is the "Oregon District"?

Dayton.