These pictures were taken in late November in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Enjoy!

 

1. We start at Ohio's oldest public market - Findlay Market - which is open six days a week all year long.

 

2. Inside first generation Belgium immigrant Jean-Francois Flechet works his magic over his famous Belgium waffles, crepes, and pastries.

 

3. After some food and conversation at the historic Findlay Market we made our way south into the Gateway Quarter district of Over-the-Rhine.

 

4. Hundreds of new residents, dozens of new local businesses, and a completely remade and restored section of Over-the-Rhine sits proudly amongst the rest of the neighborhood's gems.

 

5.

 

6. Outside is an eclectic outdoor decor business.

 

7. Metronation sells clothing, accessories and other 'urban' targeted merchandise.

 

8. A Lucky Step is an upscale furniture store.

 

9.

 

10. Lots o' businesses.

 

11.

 

12. Looking northeast out over the historic German neighborhood.

 

13.

 

14. Looking southwest into the Central Business District.

 

15. Looking southeast into the Central Business District.

 

16. Headquarters of the world's largest grocery store chain.

 

17. Looking down onto the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (off-Broadway) with rooftop decks in the foreground.

 

18.

 

19. Requisite photog shot.

 

20. Lofts!

 

21. New-ish streetscaping along Central Parkway that should have taken out an additional lane of traffic to make the median green space even larger.

 

22. Senate is a new gastropub that will be opening soon.

 

23. Gateway Quarter complete with new streetscaping.

 

24. One of the few remaining retail spaces available in the Gateway Quarter district of Over-the-Rhine.

 

25.

 

26. Exterior of Joseph Williams Home - another high-end furniture store.

 

27. Looking south down Vine Street.

 

28. The aforementioned streetscaping included the addition of dozens of new bike racks throughout the Gateway Quarter district of Over-the-Rhine.

 

29. The streetscaping also included some new wayfinding maps at high pedestrian traffic locations.

 

30. Further north along Vine Street work is nearing its completion on the Trinity Flats project that includes another infill project and the restoration of these beauties.

 

31. Post Office restoration detail.

 

32. The backside of the new infill project nearing completion at 14th & Vine streets.

 

33. Meanwhile restoration work begins in earnest across the street on what will become dozens of new apartments and even more retail spaces.

 

34. Just down the street sits a couple of proud structures.

 

35. So long.

 

'This ain't your parent's Over-the-Rhine' photo thread may also be of interest to you if you enjoyed this collection.

A beautiful set of photos. It's good to see that these wonderful historic structures are being saved.

And this is why OTR is one of my most favorite neighborhoods in the US

These pictures almost make me cry.  This is a dramatic turnaround.  What an incredible neighborhood.  I can't wait to visit for New Years....I want to see these excessively bright streetlights.

I'll be around for NYE weekend...we should try to meet up if we can work it into our schedules.

To see all of this new investment and vitality in a formerly marginal neighborhood in the midst of the worst recession in several generations is nothing short of amazing! Great photos of a historic and important Cincinnati neighborhood. The OTR success story can be a model for other struggling neighborhoods in the city and hopefully will convince naysayers that sensitive, compatible redevelopment and historic preservation can revitalize Cincinnati's marginal older areas. Once OTR reaches saturation and full build-out, other historic areas may benefit from the same provided they have not been lost by incessant demolitions. I'd like to see Mt. Auburn, (west)Walnut Hills, Fairmount-Westwood, and (south) Avondale experiencing the same renaissance. Cincinnati would then become as popular a tourist destination as San Francisco or Charleston, SC. High-end retailers would not be moving into an area with an uncertain future, so their presence points to even better things happening in the months and years ahead.

Well done.

Awesome. OTR is really moving along.  I like the idea of the directory signs.  That's a pretty clever way to direct pedestrians to businesses. 

I'll be around for NYE weekend...we should try to meet up if we can work it into our schedules.

 

I'm going to be there with two friends who've never been to Cincy, so I'll be giving them a tour all day.  If any of you want to get together for dinner somewhere (and try to coax two skeptical people into liking Cincy) just send me a PM and we might be able to work something out.  Otherwise, I'll be on Fountain Square from 11pm-12:30am for the countdown.  The more the merrier for that.  Again, PM me and I'll get you my number so we can meet up.

 

 

This is a perfect example of the one-block-at-a-time approach to revitalization. Once you've focused on and brought one block back to life not a single person passing by needs to imagine what the rest of those more dilapidated blocks can look like since "what could be" right in front of their eyes. That's when you can attract more residents, visitors, and businesses to the already renovated section and to the soon-to-be WIP buildings on the next block. Similar efforts really need to look to examples such as OTR and the Short North.

 

When you have revitalization like this occurring in the worst neighborhood of a city it really makes a statement. I hope that urban pioneers in Cincinnati don't forget to realize the potential of business districts in other neighborhoods. In Columbus, things have been slow-going outside of the revitalized and gentrified Short North and the intact dilapidated NBDs here are seeing few efforts by urban pioneers, despite the fact that they're a cakewalk compared to all that had to be done to turn around the Short North, but I digress. The only addition I would like to see on Vine are some sharrows. Looking forward to seeing more revamped blocks of OTR.

Beautiful!

So inspiring to see the rebirth of a national treasure...yes, a NATIONAL treasure.

 

It's good to see that Phase 3 includes the block to Kroger.  Having a grocery store within the revitalized zone will really help move things along. 

 

Do you think 3CDC has the power to convince Kroger to build an urban store on their current parking lot, and move their parking off 15th St?

Do you think 3CDC has the power to convince Kroger to build an urban store on their current parking lot, and move their parking off 15th St?

 

Well Kroger does play a role in 3CDC so I would like to say that they do have an influence.  Not sure this is in the plans, but I really hope that a more urban store footprint replaces the current Kroger there now.

"21. New-ish streetscaping along Central Parkway that should have taken out an additional lane of traffic to make the median green space even larger."

 

Interesting you mentioned this, as I believe it is currently being looked into by the City transportation department. Came up during streetcar meetings and their plan to relocate the water main located under Central Parkway (in the subway) to streets to the south. I believe they are looking at taking Central Parkway down to 2-lanes each direction.

Kroger once had plans to open a large store on Central Parkway, but wanted to demolish a historic building and a huge city subsidy. Ultimately it didn't happen and they expanded the existing store into their parking lot, just not all the way to the lot line.

 

Grocery stores without some presence of parking are extremely rare it seems, even in very dence cities. I'm not saying I think parking is a must, I just don't know if you could get them to expand or rebuilt without some parking. It would have been neat to see them put a new Kroger on the ground floor of the portion of Mercer Commons fronting Vine since there is a large garage planned with that development.

"21. New-ish streetscaping along Central Parkway that should have taken out an additional lane of traffic to make the median green space even larger."

 

Interesting you mentioned this, as I believe it is currently being looked into by the City transportation department. Came up during streetcar meetings and their plan to relocate the water main located under Central Parkway (in the subway) to streets to the south. I believe they are looking at taking Central Parkway down to 2-lanes each direction.

 

That's interesting.  I'll have to look into this with some of my sources at the DOTE and see what they say.  The current leadership there has been pursuing "road diets" where they reduce the size of roadways and look to implement things like bike lanes and traffic calming measures.  Central Parkway would seem to be a perfect candidate.

wonderful to see this. whats even better to see than all that has already been rehabbed are the construction shots of even more to come.

^Yup...hundreds of millions of dollars more to come.

Great pics!  I really like the overhead retail signage along the sidewalks.

"21. New-ish streetscaping along Central Parkway that should have taken out an additional lane of traffic to make the median green space even larger."

 

Interesting you mentioned this, as I believe it is currently being looked into by the City transportation department. Came up during streetcar meetings and their plan to relocate the water main located under Central Parkway (in the subway) to streets to the south. I believe they are looking at taking Central Parkway down to 2-lanes each direction.

 

That's interesting. I'll have to look into this with some of my sources at the DOTE and see what they say. The current leadership there has been pursuing "road diets" where they reduce the size of roadways and look to implement things like bike lanes and traffic calming measures. Central Parkway would seem to be a perfect candidate.

 

I don't see a need for Central Parkway to be 3 lanes in both directions... perhaps a narrower footprint or a truly complete street is in order! Put that road on an ultra road diet!

2 lanes would be plenty for Central Parkway, and larger green space in the middle with some programmed spaces (food carts, ice cream stands, etc.) and some larger trees would be interesting.  Widen it to the point that it works more so as two one-way streets rather than a single street.  The turning could be handled like it is on Park Ave. or Broadway (uptown at least) in New York.

Beautiful!

 

Gorgeous restorations.

An Ohio treasure.

I brought two friends down from Milwaukee and decided to walk all over the neighborhood.  We walked up Vine all the way to Green, then over to Findlay Market, then back down race to 14th where we cut over to Main St, then down to 13th where we walked back to Vine.

 

We covered a lot of different parts of the neighborhood and the blight, open air drug deals, and one prostitute we ran into didn't seem to phase them.  They were left with the impression that it was a unique and fun community to live in. 

 

Keep in mind that these are non-urbanists with a general disdain for Cincinnati because I talk about it so much.  Even though they were hoping to find negatives, they both loved the place.  That's what counts...general perception.

OTR is going to be one of the best urban neighborhoods of the country one day.

What a wonderful city. It is amazing how much it has revitalzed since 2000 and is still doing well during this recession. It has to be my 2nd favorite city in the Midwest behind the CHI.

Bump, to share the lust.

Cool stuff!