Sayler Park
The westernmost neighborhood of Cincinnati, Sayler Park adjoins the north bank of the Ohio River and calls itself “Cincinnati’s Western Gateway.” Prices $25,000 to $180,000.
Covedale Garden District
Established in the 1830s, the neighborhood is primarily residential with tree-lined streets; most businesses are located on or near bustling Glenway Avenue. Prices $80,000 to $130,000.
Westwood Town Hall Area
Westwood’s housing history includes wealthy industrialists, including Proctor & Gamble founder James Gamble. Styles include Victorian Vernacular, Arts and Crafts, Colonial Tudor revivals, bungalows and foursquares. Prices $20,000 to $180,000.
Price Hill Cedar Grove
Formerly orchard land, the historic Cedar Grove neighborhood in Price Hill began residential development in 1883; its proximity to downtown attracted wealthy residents. Prices $3,000 to $150,000.
Price Hill Incline District
The Price Hill Incline, the first in Cincinnati, opened in 1874 and enabled Price Hill to become a thriving neighborhood known for its first and second generation Irish and German Catholic immigrants. Prices $20,000 to $200,000.
Ludlow
Ludlow offers residents friendly and quaint neighborhood communities within convenient distance to the thriving entertainment districts in downtown Cincinnati, Covington, and Newport. Prices $15,000 to $130,000.
Dayton Street Historic District
Nicknamed “Millionaire’s Row,” many of the homes in this neighborhood were built by the owners of Cincinnati’s beer breweries and pork packers from 1800 to 1890. Prices $10,000 to $165,000.
Clifton Gaslight
Famous for its working gas street lamps, this eclectic walking neighborhood features tree-lined streets and a wealth of independent restaurants, boutiques, and essential businesses at its hub on Ludlow Avenue. Prices $120,000 to $750,000.
Northside
Progressive urban living is Northside’s hallmark, with such highlights as an urban garden co-op, a volunteer bicycle co-op, and the Northside Farmers Market. Prices $20,000 to $275,000.
College Hill
College Hill prides itself on the diversity of its citizens and residential architecture. The broad, tree-lined streets of College Hill give the neighborhood a stately air. Prices $15,000 to $280,000.
Glendale
The original layout of lots, streets, and parks follows the landscape instead of a rigid geometrical grid; Glendale is recognized as the first subdivision in the United States to be laid out according to topography. Prices $40,000 to $650,000.
Wyoming
Known for its excellent school system and dedication to urban forestry, Wyoming is a city strongly dedicated to preserving its historical heritage. Prices $65,000 to $950,000.
Paddock Hills
Located north of downtown and west of Norwood, Paddock Hills is characterized by cul-de-sac streets, stands of poplars and pin oaks, and a mix of historic and Modern architecture. Prices $60,000 to $190,000.
Norwood Presidential District
The Norwood Presidential District features many excellent Victorian Vernacular houses, with a small collection of elaborate Queen Anne Victorian as well. Also to be found are Arts and Crafts bungalows and foursquares. Prices $60,000 to $260,000.
Milford
Milford is known for its dedication to preserving Milford history, including the downtown Promont House museum (former home of Ohio Governor John Pattison). Prices $100,000 to $240,000.
Hyde Park
Incorporated in 1896 by businessmen who wanted to create a community exclusively for the wealthy, Hyde Park has kept its upper-class and meticulously well maintained image since its inception. Prices $135,000 to $1,400,000.
Mt. Lookout
Known for its lively business and entertainment district, the bustle of the trendy restaurants, bars, and shopsare a short walk from the neighborhood’s tree-lined, affluent residential streets. Prices $100,000 to $600,000.
Columbia Tusculum
Declared a City Historic District in 1989, Columbia Tusculum traces its inception to the 1788 Benjamin Stites settlement Columbia, which predates Losantiville (Cincinnati’s original name). Prices $20,000 to $300,000.
Fort Thomas
Fort Thomas has been noted for the intensive renovation of its downtown and Midway business districts, including much new streetscaping. Prices $60,000 to $1,250,000.
Bellevue
Known for its public parks and historic Fairfield Avenue, which fields a rich mix of boutique and essential businesses. Historic preservation is a strong focus of the city’s government, businesses, and residents. Prices $20,000 to $350,000.
Newport Mansion Hill/East Row
The historic homes in Mansion Hill have the benefit of being within walking distance of Newport’s revitalized arts and entertainment districts, as well as Covington and downtown Cincinnati. Prices $50,000 to $400,000.
Wallace Woods
Among neighborhood associations in Covington, the Wallace Woods Neighborhood Association is particularly active and progressive in engineering pedestrian safety and green space. Prices $30,000 to $250,000.
Central Covington
Central Covington is dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of historic homes, including the recent decades of renovation of Italianate Victorian houses in Old Seminary Square. Prices $5,000 to $120,000.
North Covington
Neighborhoods in North Covington are noted equally for their extravagant historic architecture and upscale modern entertainment and dining. Prices $5,000 to $550,000.
Prospect Hill
One of Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhoods, Prospect Park is characterized by historic brick homes, stone retaining walls, and preserved iron fences. Prices $60,000 to $300,000.
Walnut Hills/Eden Park
Historic architecture styles include Richardsonian Romanesque, Second Empire, Italianate, and Queen Anne Victorian homes, typically constructed between 1880 and 1920. Prices $130,000 to $300,000.
East Walnut Hills
Historic homes in East Walnut Hills are known for their multi-acre plots of land and unusual depth from the property line at the houses’ faces. Prices $100,000 to $1,300,000.
North Avondale
Some of the finest examples of residential Queen Anne Victorian, Italian Renaissance, English Medieval, and Greek Revival architecture in Cinncinnati. Prices $100,000 to $900,000.
Incorporated as a village in 1810, notable attractions in Lebanon include The Golden Lamb (a hotel and restaurant operating since 1803), The Western Star (home of one of Ohio’s oldest weekly newspapers), the Warren County Historical Society, and the Harmon Museum of Art and History. Prices range from $100,000 to $350,000.
Adaptive Reuse: Saloon-ward and Upward
in Historic Preservation/by Karen GarrardThe building at 235 W. 70th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio
As our cities and towns age, the adaptive reuse of old buildings is something we see more often. What we see today traces its roots to the historic preservation movement started in the mid-1960s—when the National Historic Preservation Act was passed in response to the destruction of historic buildings.
But the repurposing of old buildings has been going on much longer, and as far back in history and in our memories, as we have had buildings.
In its simplest form, the concept seeks to give a building renewed life to meet the needs of contemporary users. The altering of physical features to transform how a building, or even a home, is used can happen anytime, and anywhere.
Location of present-day 235 W. 70th Street (then named Anthony Street) on the 1869 Atlas of Hamilton County (Philadelphia : C.O. Titus, 1869)
At the end of W. 70th Street, in the Cincinnati neighborhood called Carthage (about 7 miles north of downtown), sits a large, 2-story, rectangular, brick building. A handful of window dormers top its roofline along with several prominent chimneys. Built in 1865, it was once a saloon and pool hall. You could find a room to rent there too.
When 235 W. 70th Street was built, Carthage had barely become a village—it was incorporated in 1861. The area remained mostly rural for the rest of the 19th century. If you stopped there in 1900, you would find some infrastructure improvements—like gas lights, graded roads, and trolley connections to Cincinnati—but it wasn’t until 1911 that Carthage was annexed to the City of Cincinnati.
Historic photo: Date/Source Unknown. Courtesy of current owner. The main entrance was closed up when the building was converted to a multi-family but perhaps a ghost sign remains?
Today, 235 W. 70th Street is a 4-unit apartment building. Except for the occasional train passing by on the nearby tracks, this residential neighborhood is very serene.
How could a saloon ever thrive in this setting?
Saloons were the centers of business, politics, and community (at least for men, that is). Jack London, in his 1913 autographical novel John Barleycorn, had this to say about the importance of such places:
What we see now wasn’t always so.
No matter the year, type, or scale of operation, a business needs to be located where you can service your customers. In the 1860s, the location of 235 W. 70th met two crucial criteria: the presence of customers, and traffic/convenience. Both were due to the railroad line that still sits adjacent to the property.
Portion of the 1896 CH & D Railroad map showing Carthage, Ohio
This railroad line was originally the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad (CH & D). Construction began in 1851 and went straight through the middle of Carthage. The railroad attracted German and Irish immigrant workers. After the railroad was completed, they stayed in the area and found new work in factories being built close to the railroad and nearby Miami and Erie Canal.
The CH & D mainly transported passengers. As new communities sprang up along the rail line, people with the means to do so moved out of Cincinnati and further away from where they worked.
A passenger depot was once located across the street from 235 W. 70th Street. When people got off the train, it would have been hard not to see, and be lured to, the saloon just a few steps away…Much like the amenities we are attracted to when we step off our plane, reach land after a cruise, or slow down at the end of our highway exit ramp.
Location of 235 W. 70th Street on the 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Cincinnati, Ohio (Vol. 6). The street was still named Anthony at this time. Note the passenger depot across the street.
The CH & D Railroad operated until 1917 when it was acquired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Eventually, the line became part of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway–a New York Central affiliate also known as the Big Four Railroad. In 1968, the Big Four’s lines were incorporated into Penn Central when New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad merged. Penn Central declared bankruptcy in 1970, and in 1976 many of Big Four’s lines became Conrail, which was first government-sponsored and then privatized. In 1997, CSX and Norfolk acquired Conrail.
A connection with history in action! Also, look closely at the where the old saloon entrance used to be (the corner of the building above the fire hydrant in the photo). You can just about make out where it once was.
Railroads dominated our transportation infrastructure until after World War II. Then, in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act, triggering the creation of our current highway system. The highway expansion of the 1960s and 1970s represents a significant broad pattern of American history. Returning to 235 W. 70th Street, it was at this time that the building was converted to a multi-family dwelling.
Every old building has a story. When we know the story, it reminds us we are part of something bigger and it strengthens our sense of shared identity. The story of 235 W. 70th is actually a big story, one that forever changed how we move, how and where we live, and how we get things done.