I have no idea what this area used to look like before it became a sea of surface parking.  I've never heard anyone make reference to the history of that area either.  (I know that back when the Mt. Adams Incline was still functional, the neighborhood extended to the bottom of the hill.)

 

Anyone?

Good luck, these are the only images off the web that I have ever been able to find about Broadway Commons.

 

http://www.pbase.com/cincyimages/broadway_commons

 

(nothing historic)

 

 

    There was a rail yard and a lot of railroad-related stuff, including a coal unloading facility. Also, a little farther north, where the I-71 / Reading Road interchange is, was Deercreek Commons, with baseball fields where blacks played when baseball was segregated. Farther south, the urban areas of downtown and Mt. Adams were basicly continuous before I-71 was built.

 

    For some great photos of the Broadway Commons area, check out the book "Narrow Gauge in Ohio" by John Hauck.

For starters, here's a photo from downtown looking toward Mt. Adams. The incline is clearly visible. There is no empty space between downtown and Mt. Adams. Broadway Commons is the valley to the left.

 

Uhg, that postcard photo slays me.  It shows how we have been such poor stewards of our collective built-history.  So much is gone, and with it, a little piece of our soul.

I have a couple historic large aerials showing the area.  PM if you really want to see them, they are framed so I do not know if I could even scan them without taking the frames apart.

I'm pleased to see some response to this.  I think that so little is generally known about that pocket of Downtown.

 

I'd agree there, TheCOV.  It's heartbreaking.

 

8th, thanks for the recommendation.  I never knew about the railyards (or anything else, for the matter).  It makes me curious about the old Cincinnati-owned railroad that used to run right by the riverbank, the old Union Station on 3rd Street (I-75 interchange at Ft. Washington Way), the old freight station directly north of it, and so much more.

 

I'm sure that there are survey photos of several of these areas.  I just don't think they've seen the light of day in decades.  Probably under a layer of dust in an old office cabinet somewhere.

UC probably has them in the archives, since the city hasn't actually operated an archive in years. UC picked up what's left. The historical society might have some. The library might though probably not too much.

 

 

Amazing how prominent Rookwood used to be on Mt. Adams.  Now you can only see some of the tudor rear.